Among the Gardens & Art Studio of a Botanical Artist Brooke Jewell

In this interview, artist Brooke Jewell opens up about her return to painting after a tough time. She shares how her love for plants, nurtured through time spent in her garden and with her children, became the center of her creative focus. Brooke also talks about her experiences painting botanical commissions and murals from gardens across the U.S. and how flowers help her bring out emotion and meaning in her work. She also advises aspiring women artists to keep practicing, stay curious, and be bold in sharing their art with the world.

Brooke Jewell is a featured artist in our book “The Creative Process.” You can explore her journey and the stories of other artists by purchasing the book here: https://shop.artstoheartsproject.com/products/the-creative-process-book

Brooke Jewell’s love for the arts began as a child. But it wasn’t until many years later that she returned to her brush, with the intention to paint for 10,000 hours, in search of some Mastery within the botanical world. Growing up in Oregon, in the garden with her mother & discovering new plants along hikes with her brothers were the foundation of her love for all things that grow. Today, in West Virginia, she spends her time outside the studio with her favorite things that grow; her own children, dogs & gardens. On canvas, Brooke strives to create a moment for the viewer. A moment to lose their stress. Their worries. Themselves within the natural world. To get a glimpse of the enormous impact tiny details can have. Discover details or colors they never noticed before. But above all else, to stop for a moment. To stop and appreciate the huge impact tiny details can have.

1. What sparked your return to painting after all those years, and how did you choose botanical studies as your weekly focus?

I was growing through a very challenging time in my life; we had just moved to a new state, far away from anything we knew, my husband had started a new career & I was feeling a bit lost. Creating has always helped ground me throughout my life, yet it took my husband’s reminder to get started. The botanical focus I believe came simply because that is a place a would bring my children to enjoy when they were young. Botanical gardens, nurseries & often, planting in our own gardens (which have continued to grow over the years). My favorite birthday gifts for many years were those spent in the garden with my family. From new plants to raised beds & once, an entire garden bed with a path! The gift that truly keeps giving.

Humans are hard-wired to need flowers. We even associate flowers with a memory or person. So the simple act of capturing the already gorgeous subject often allows me to evoke emotions in viewers eyes.

Brooke Jewell

2. How have your experiences painting commissions and murals from gardens across the U.S. deepened your connection to botany and the natural world?

Through commissions, I have come across some botany I have never been able to enjoy outside of a botanical garden. With each flower, I like to get to know them before I begin & commissions allow me the time to research them a bit. One of my favorites was a client from Southern California who had her cactus gardens! She had me paint the flower from an 8’ “Apple Blossom Cactus.” These gorgeous 10” wide blossoms first open at night, making their first pollinators, most often bats! This is just one example, but a good one for sure.

3.    What role does your personal garden and time with your children play in your creative process? 

Both my children & gardens (and especially when they are together) continually remind me to slow down. The garden often encourages us to step lightly and appreciate the tiny details of the world beneath our feet. And my children have been there each step. Guiding me to see the details I have overlooked. They’re always beaming, hoping to show me something new they’ve discovered. New mosses. The pollen on the petals. We dig up the roots of the tubers each fall. The buzzing pollinators that fill our ears. All of these things, and so many more, have all been subjects in my studies & often have made their way onto canvases as well.

4.   As someone deeply connected to nature, how do you balance the creative process with the desire to convey meaning and emotion through your botanical paintings?

In botany, I think the emotion & meaning often comes from the subject itself. I remember reading about a Harvard study that showed that flowers increase feelings of compassion toward others as well as chase away the feelings of depression, anxiety & agitation & then thinking, yep. That makes sense! It’s as though humans are hard-wired to need flowers. We even associate flowers with a memory or person. So, the simple act of capturing the already gorgeous subject often allows me to evoke emotions in viewers’ eyes. To unlock unexpected emotions, & I get to be the bystander to this beauty. It truly feels like a gift. The process is often a very different emotion than the viewer’s. I am usually exploring a vulnerability or darkness. For example, in my last collection, I explored how some flowers MUST spend extended periods on dark, cold earth before they can bring forth blossoms. Just as in humans, sometimes. Just as there’s depth and sincerity to a few people who have experienced something complicated and/or dark, it’s as though they, too, were able to glean strength from their hardships to bloom in a rare & deep color. I seek to explore this connection between human emotions and the botanical world. The knowledge & information I learn about flowers and my gardens along the way seem to be a fortunate byproduct of sorts.

It is this connection between human emotions and the botanical world that I am seeking to explore. The knowledge & information I learn about flowers and my gardens along the way, seem to be a very lucky byproduct of sorts.

Brooke Jewell

5. What advice would you give aspiring women artists worldwide?

To put the time and work in. Find what excites you & never stop practicing it. I genuinely believe focused practice will always lead to growth. So pick up your brush (or wheel or pencil) & put the time in. Daily. Even if you don’t feel it. You won’t regret it. And when you’re ready, share it with the world. We can grow in different ways through sharing our hearts as well. So be brave & make sure to stop and appreciate your growth sling the way.

Brooke Jewell’s artwork beautifully captures her deep connection with nature and her passion for the botanical world. Her journey teaches us to slow down, appreciate life’s small details, and accept creativity’s healing power. To learn more about Brooke, click the following links to visit her profile.

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