Spudman May/June 2023 - 20

" She was always fun
to be around, and
Daniel Corey Farms
Monticello, ME
Reds * Yellows * Whites
Russets * Chips * Specialty
Varieties
AF5280-5
Accumulator
Adirondack Blue
Adirondack Red
All Blue
Allison
Andover
Atlantic
Austrian Crescent
Banana Fingerling
Belmonda
Brodie (NY140)
Caribou Russet
Columba
Dark Red Norland
Elba
Envol
Eva
French Fingerling
Genesse
German Butterball
Green Mountain
Harley Blackwell
Huron Chipper
Innovator
Katahdin
Kennebec
Kueka Gold
Lamoka
Lehigh
NADF11384B-1
Natascha
NCB2067-3
Norwis (Crystal Strain)
Ontario
Peter Wilcox
Pomerelle Russet
Prada
Purple Majesty
Reba
Red LaSoda
Red Maria
Red Pontiac
Red Thumb Fingerling
Russet Burbank (ID Strain)
Salem
Satina
Shepody
Snowden
Strawberry Paw
Superior
Waneta
Yukon Gem
Yukon Gold
" I thought, there isn't anything like
botanical illustration out there right
now, " Debons said. " I'd love to bring it
back and teach people. That was
my dream. "
Debons continues to live out that
dream, teaching classes from her
home studio as well as at Central
Oregon Community College a few
times a year in between RV trips
with her husband. Her step-by-step
instruction method is intended to be
approachable and repeatable.
Debons' work covers all varieties
of plants, from acorns to amaryllis.
She finds painting potatoes presents a
particular challenge.
" I have to grow them out so that I can
Tissue Culture Facility
Mini-tubers
Early Generation Seed
Office: 207-538-4405
Daniel Corey
207-532-0096
daniel@seedproinc.com
Sara Corey Parker - Sales
207-538-6430
sara@seedproinc.com
seedproinc.com
20
Spudman * May/June 2023
actually view them. I work from real life, "
she said. " So I find them challenging
in that they're hard to get ahold of
sometimes, especially the varieties you
want to use. But once you've done that,
it's just a matter of spending the time
with it and understanding it. "
Debons' goal is to provide a threedimensional
glimpse of a plant in all
stages of growth, " to portray it in a way
that someone would flip the page and
they think that's the actual plant there, "
she said. " Photographs are good, but
they're very two-dimensional. Also, you
can show a plant in a lot of different
stages, where you can't necessarily do
that with a photograph. "
Powelson, who continues to keep in
touch with Debons, finds her botanical
art " just beautiful " and another example
of how Debons finds ways to achieve her
goals while helping others reach theirs.
" She is a facilitator. There are people
that can facilitate things and then there
are those that are obstructionist. She's
more of a team player, " Powelson said.
Debons' art kept her connected to
her scholarly plant roots even when her
career took a different turn, and now,
it keeps her in touch with the potato
industry she never really left.
" It's such a lovely industry. It's small
enough that everyone knows everybody,
and people appreciate what you do. ...
When I came back, people would see
me, and they'd say, 'Jeanne Debons? Is
that you?' " Debons said. " I had 14 years
when I was doing other jobs, but when
I came back, it was like the potatoes
called me. "
Spudwoman of the Year is sponsored by:
everybody enjoyed
working with her. She
liked other things in life.
She wanted to be an
artist and a dancer and
liked to travel. She
can do anything she
puts her mind to. "
- Fred Crowe, former
plant pathologist at
Oregon State University
http://www.seedproinc.com
Spudman May/June 2023

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