“Monkey Cups” Nepenthes - Artist Betsy Krebs

inE.O. Wilson; The Earths Shepherd and the importance of plants

“Monkey cups”, Nepenthes

“Monkey Cups”, Nepenthes, 16”x20”, oil on canvas with water slide decals.

This carnivorous plant is a tropical pitcher plant. Also called “Monkey Cups”. Endemic to the Old world tropic ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Joseph Banks first introduced this to Europe in 1789 after his voyage on the Endeavor.

Nepenthes was given as a name because of the medicinal nature of the plant.. First published in a book in 1737 by Carl Linnaeus, It references a passage in Homer’s Odyssey, in which the “potion” “Nepenthes pharmakon”is given to Helen by an Egyptian queen. “Nepenthe” literally means” without grief”, in Greek mythology it is a drug that quells all sorrows with forgetfulness. Linnaeus explained.

This image is part of a piece created as an artist resident for the University of Minnesota. It focuses of their rare plant collection and E.O. Wilson, Professor Emeritus and Curator in Entomology Harvard. ‘

Additional Information

Moments of the day became my friend, fast yet changing, yielding to the temporal, delicate light in my rooms, I started to ponder and “ruminate”. A frozen world of my own personal feelings evolved and pooled within, contemplating the world, politics, trends etc. Hunger for life, color, freedom, tribal connection, love, growth, positivity, abundance and happiness swirled in my thoughts.

The paintings in this show represent how I spent my time during the pandemic.

Focus was undeniably easy. Everything seemed to have an undisturbed awkward presence in my holed up world. I started to feel grateful and thankful for the smaller things that were givens, like the sunlight and the everyday things that surround me. The kitchen, the light dancing over my counter of daily sundry chach, kept me innately focused on its new beauty. It somehow seemed very satisfying, somewhat beautiful, and a definite path away from the daily scourge of the current politics and sickness.

Light heals.

Materials and Medium

Oil on Canvas