trusting the wisdom of sunflowers
The first art print I ever purchased was a poster print of sunflowers in a vase, a mass produced replica of one of Vincent van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers series paintings. I paid 50 French Francs for this piece in 2001, pre-Euro. That was about 8 USD at the time. I gave it to my aunt Rennae as a thank you gift for letting me use her rolling suitcase for a 3-week trip to Europe. She still has it hanging in her home.
I bought the piece because my aunt loves sunflowers. It turns out that sunflowers are a symbol of gratitude. Sixteen-year-old me tapped into some unexpected botanical symbolism there, a serendipity that has followed me into my art practice.
When I started painting, I avoided calling myself a floral painter, to the point that I uttered the phrase, “I’m not a floral painter, but…” every time I found myself painting flowers. I didn’t feel compelled to paint flowers until my grammy died; after that, if I missed her, I found myself connecting with her by painting flowers.
My Ophelia collection started as a seed of inspiration about Ophelia’s final appearance on stage, when she uses flowers and the known symbolism of them to speak truth to power. “I’m not a floral painter, but…” I created a collection that found me investing considerable time researching the symbolism of flowers, painting flowers, and adding flowers to my portraits.
I recently took a very part-time job at our local sunflower processing plant. I analyze the oil content in sunflower seeds as part of the grain inspection process. This processing plant has been in my hometown since the early 80s, and at the time of its construction, it was the largest in the world. I’ve grown up surrounded by sunflowers, sunflower industry, and sunflower smells. I did grain inspection in 4H and FFA, I just never thought I would use it to make money as an adult. Here I am, 38 years old, measuring and documenting samples of sunflower seeds four evenings a week.
So. here I am. here we are. Harvest is in full swing, the world is in crisis, and we’re all exhausted. What is it about sunflowers??
Sunflowers can detoxify soil— they can actually pull heavy metals from the soil to make them safe for other use. Sunflowers have been used to decontaminate irradiated soils.
Sunflowers are drought tolerant. My dad said that several farmers around here have said they wouldn’t have survived the dry 80s without sunflowers.
Ukraine is the country that produces the most sunflowers in the world, and the sunflower is one of their national symbols.
I am drawn to these flowers. The first poem I had published outside of university featured wild sunflowers. They symbolize hope and resilience. I guess it’s time to lean in and start painting them.
van Gogh’s still life Sunflowers
a wild sunflower growing next to the dumpster at my job at the sunflower plant
