By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Green & Growing Editor
“Nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small it takes time — we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
Georgia O’Keefe
As gardeners we often don’t see each flower in its unique and beautiful form. Each flower is a whole world unto itself. One flower alone can bring joy and centering to a gardener’s soul. Summer is the perfect time to take the time to really see flowers. Planting is over, the gardens are growing and it’s time to enjoy.
To take the time to see a flower is best done either outside in the garden by coming face to face with a flower, or inside with flowers in a vase. Whether outside or inside take time to really see. Spend time looking at a flower that grabs your heart. Spend a minute or ten. Let these times be a communication, or communion, between flower and observer. Look with eyes and heart. Send love to the entire flower with its color, shape and fragrance.
This deep look is an invitation to also become an artist who sees through eyes, heart and hand. Unifying eyes, heart and hand lets us really see like Georgia O’Keefe. Accept the invitation of friendship and communion between flower and observer by becoming an artist of flowers. If you can pick up a pencil and make a mark on paper, you can be an artist. Looking at a flower and letting your heart guide your hand with very simple drawing and/or painting opens up a whole new friendship. I can hear the loud negative response to becoming an artist of flowers: “I’m not an artist”, “I’m not creative”, “I couldn’t do that”, “why would I even attempt that”. And on and on. But to really see a flower by using hands, heart and eyes opens portals of a union with flowers unlike anything we may have known before.
The most important part of really seeing and becoming an artist with flowers, is about the process, not the finished product. Repeat, it is about the process: looking, creating lines, using colors and becoming one with the flow of creativity. The finished product is secondary, and in some cases, not important at all. To focus on the finished product is like going on a vacation, visiting fabulous places, having wonderful experiences and only remembering the arrival home at the airport.
Being an artist of flowers can be done with only pencil and paper. A contour drawing is a line drawing of one line. The artist looks closely at the flower letting eyes dance along the edges of flower petals, details inside, the vase and those things that grab attention. It is best done by not taking eyes off the flower and vase while the hand moves on the paper. The drawing will not look anything like a photo. It will be a recording of the experience of really seeing a flower.
There are other ways of being an artist of flowers; with watercolors, paints, inks, markers, crayons, pencils and different papers. Taking time and playing with the flowers and art materials lets us experience what Georgia O’Keefe said: “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
Linda Wiggen Kraft is a landscape designer of holistic/organic gardens. She is an artist and creativity workshop leader. She is teaching an all- day “Fantasy & Real Flower Art” workshop Sept. 28th. Her ceramic jewelry and pottery are available online and at www.gardendistrictstl.com. Find out more, subscribe to her blog and Instagram at www.creativityforthesoul.com Call her at 314 504-426.6