Solanum Lycopersicum | 36×44

Description

The anatomy of a tomato.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) originated in South America and was brought to Europe by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century following their colonization of Mexico. From Europe, the tomato was introduced to North America in the eighteenth century.

PAINTING INSPIRATION:

This painting is a study and dissection of the Solanum Lycopersicum, also known as a tomato. The artist, Kristin Llamas has always appreciated the beauty and value of anatomical illustrations. She is fascinated by removing layer after layer of objects to reveal the inner makings of the world we live in and had hoped to pursue a career in medical illustration. However, when it came to spending time in a dissection lab, Llamas found herself ill from the smells, and too connected to living creatures to see  spend lifetime surrounded by the dead. While dreams of a career in medical illustration quickly came to an end, from time to time, the artist is pulled back into dissections and illustrates them in her fine art. This can be seen here in her study of a tomato, as well as the da Vinci style dissection of a bee in her painting titled Colony Collapse Disorder.

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Was there ever a time where you had to pivot from what you thought would be your dream career? How did that transpire?