Plant Chimaera III,

A vertical, symmetrical composition built around a central branching stem, imagined as a hybrid plant form divided into four horizontal bands: at the top, a dark navy stalk splits into paired stems ending in round, dotted blue seed-pod shapes; below it, a large teal-green oval covered in stippled texture houses a second cluster of round pink/coral pods on branching stems; beneath that, wavy horizontal ribbons in rust, brown, and burnt orange cross the stem like layered fronds; and at the base, dark teal-green serrated leaves with pale veining flank two small coral-orange teardrop shapes. The palette is muted and earthy — indigo, teal, rust, and coral against an unpainted cream washi ground — with each band rendered in a different color and texture, unified by the vertical stem running through all four. Watercolor on washi, 2021, by Ralph Kiggell; titled *Plant Chimaera III*.