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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 4h

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How can a mouldy plum be so beautiful?

Close-up of two purple plums on a tree branch. Both fruits are covered with clusters of yellowish fungus, likely yeast, one appearing plump and the other shriveled

@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 1d

In 2022 I painted anthracnose lesions on apples, strawberries and mango. The symptoms are caused by related fungi within the genus Colletotrichum.

This is one of my very favourite plant disease paintings.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a side view of a blue fruit bowl containing two red/pink apples, four strawberries and a mango. All of the pieces of fruit have brown, sunken, roughly circular lesions. Concentric rings of darker brown are visible on the apple lesions, and some of the strawberry seeds present within the strawberry lesions have turned brown.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 2d

In 2023 I painted maize lethal necrosis disease, caused by the simultaneous infection of viruses MCMoV and any of several Potyviridae.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a stunted young maize plant with 11 leaves. The oldest leaves (at the base of the plant) have remained green. The younger leaves have yellowed from the tip towards the centre, with some leaves drying from the margins and progressing towards the midrib.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 3d

In 2024 I painted blossom end rot of tomato: a physiological problem caused by adverse growing conditions.

hgpenningtonart.com/...

plantxprt used my painting on Instagram for their blog post
www.instagram.com/p/...

The painting depicts four tomato fruits on a stem, illustrating different stages of ripeness—from green (unripe) to orange (ripening) to red (ripe). The two red tomatoes have brown lesions at their blossom ends, each surrounded by a pale yellow halo. The orange tomato shows yellow discolouration at the blossom end, indicating early signs of blossom end rot.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 4d

I drew quiet street at sunrise on Canson Mi-Teintes paper using Derwent Inktense pencils.

I love the contrast between the warm morning light and the cool shadows of houses and snow.

hgpenningtonart.com/...

#CansonMiTeintes #DerwentInktense

A coloured pencil drawing of a quiet residential street at sunrise. The sky glows with warm shades of orange, pink, and yellow, contrasting with the cool blues and purples of the houses, road, and parked cars below. A light layer of snow dusts the ground and rooftops, catching the faint early light. The scene feels still and hushed, capturing the fleeting moment when night gives way to day.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 7d

This grapevine leaf is transitioning into autumn with a stunning mosaic of green and red.

Close-up of a grapevine leaf with vibrant autumn colors. The leaf is mostly green but patterned with striking patches of deep red along its veins and edges, resembling a mosaic or stained glass. Sunlight shines through, highlighting the vivid contrast.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 8d

In 2024 I painted bleeding canker of horse chestnut for the October illustration of the BSPP plant pathogens calendar

bspp.org.uk/product/...

The painting depicts a chestnut tree with two large red-brown bleeding cankers on the trunk.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 9d

In 2023 I painted cucumber downy mildew, caused by the oomycete Pseudoperonospora cubensis.

It looks like an aerial photograph of fields!

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a a cucumber leaf covered in angular chlorotic lesions bounded by leaf veins. Some of the more mature lesions contain brown areas of necrosis.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 10d

In 2024 I painted a red sunflower from my garden. The end result was striking, if not quite what I intended.

A side-by-side montage. On the left, a photo of a dark red sunflower with orange-tipped petals, a large green leaf, and a dark center speckled with yellow. Behind it is a brown fence and blue sky. On the right, a painting of the same sunflower on white paper.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 11d

I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan in Nov/Dec 2024.

20/23 - A branched twig with berries

hgpenningtonart.com/...

A drawing done in black biro on white watercolour paper, showing a branched twig with round berries.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 13d

It does taste milder than a normal beet, so it could well be!

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 14d

I grew a mystery giant beet on my allotment from volunteer seed. Banana for scale.

The flesh is red/pink with pale stripes and tastes like a milder beetroot. Second photo shows it next to a normal beet - any ideas what variety this could be?

A photograph of banana and a giant beet.

A photograph of mystery giant beet with red and pink stripes, next to normal dark-red beetroot

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 15d

In 2022 I painted soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by soilborne fungus Fusarium virguliforme.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a symptomatic young soybean plant.

Working from the base to the top, there are two healthy green cotyledons, two lightly infected yellowing uni foliate leaves, and four sets of increasingly heavily infected trifoliate leaves. The tissue between the leaf veins turns yellow, then eventually brown. The symptoms become more pronounced towards the upper canopy.

The upper emerging leaves and terminal bud have died, and an aborted flower pod can be seen near the crown. A fallen, dead, detached leaf lies near the base.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 16d

In 2023 I painted Cannabis powdery mildew, caused by several fungi including Golovinomyces ambrosiae, Leveillula taurica and Podosphaera macularis.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a female Cannabis sativa flower cluster. The pistils are shown as green oval structures, terminating in two hair-like stigmas. White areas represent the powdery colonies typically found on leaves, stems and buds.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 17d

In 2024 I drew cutlery for my light and shadow series.

The spoon technically contains a tiny self-portrait.

N.B. You can find my other light and shadow drawings here: hgpenningtonart.co.u...

Shiny stainless steel knife, fork and teaspoon, drawn in chalk and charcoal on tan-coloured paper. The teaspoon reflection contains an upside-down figure, where a head, torso and arm can be seen.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 17d

Thanks 😊

@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 18d

I illustrated a cluster of apple blossoms from my front garden, using a reference photograph taken last spring 🌸

hgpenningtonart.com/...

An illustration of a cluster of apple blossoms with five green leaves. Two flowers are fully open and two are partially open. The petals show a mix of vivid pink and soft white, with delicate pink veins adding detail.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 21d

Nasturtium variety Alaska 🌸

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 22d

They're good fun - I would recommend it!

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 22d

In 2022 I painted knopper gall, caused by the Cynipid gall wasp Andricus quercuscalicis.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The drawing shows a healthy acorn and a parasitised, distorted gall-acorn, both attached to the same stem.

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 22d

Thanks 😊

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 22d

I used a glass pen and ink for the linework on this drawing, but I sometimes use fine tipped marker pens instead🙂

I do the colour blocks first and the linework after

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 23d

In 2023 I painted Peronospora leaf spot of rhubarb, caused by the oomycete Peronospora jaapiana.

www.hgpenningtonart....

The painting shows a single rhubarb leaf. The leaf is covered in angular tan lesions bordered by leaf veins

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 24d

In 2024 I drew wired earphones (in ear headphones) for my light and shadow series.

N.B. You can find my other light and shadow drawings here: hgpenningtonart.co.u...

Wired earphones, drawn in chalk and charcoal on tan coloured paper

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@hgpennington @hgpennington.bsky.social · 25d

I challenged myself to complete one drawing each day whilst on holiday in Japan in Nov/Dec 2024.

19/23 - Chuo park in Kagoshima

hgpenningtonart.com/...

Drawing of Kagoshima Chuo Park in black biro on white watercolor paper. In the midground, a lake reflects tall buildings in the background. A cone-shaped statue, resembling Sakurajima volcano, stands at one end of the lake. A pergola appears on the left side of the scene.

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