Symphony of Flowers

Charleston artist Elizabeth Verner began dabbling in pastel after seeing an exhibition in the early 1930s. During a 1937 trip to Japan, Verner explored the idea of applying pastels to raw silk while it was still wet, which allowed her to work in modulated layers of color. She added final touches once the silk had dried, dubbing the whole process “Vernercolor.” The medium went on to become her favorite, as it combined her previous areas of study: painting and drawing.