Wild Hyacinth (Camassia Scilloides), 2012 61cm x 101cm acrylic on 75lb paper
Greek mythology describes the origin of the Hyacinth comme ça: Two gods, Apollo and Zephyr, adored a handsome young Greek man called Hyakinthos. One day the sun god, Apollo, was teaching Hyakinthos the art of throwing a discus. Zephyr, the god of the west wind, was overcome with jealousy and he blew the discus back. It struck Hyakinthos on the head and killed him. From his blood grew a flower, Apollo named after him. Hyacinths have come to symbolize sport, play and constancy. -_-
Marsh Orchid, 2012 45.5cm x 59cm acrylic on 70lbs paper
The orchid’s name derives from the Greek word orchis meaning testicle due to the shape of its root. The Greek myth of Orchis explains the origin of the plants. Orchis, the son of a nymph and a satyr, came upon a festival of Dionysios in the forest. He drank too much, and attempted to rape a priestess of Dionysios. For his insult, he was torn apart by the Bacchanalians. His father prayed for him to be restored, but the gods instead changed him into a flower. Throughout history the orchid has been associated with lust, greed and wealth. The orchid family is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species, found in 880 genera.
Wood Anemone (Anemone Nemorosa) , 2012 56.5cm x 76cm acrylic on 88lbs paper
Anemone, symbolisizing dying love, derived from the Greek for ‘windflower’. In Greek mythology the anemone sprung from the tears of Aphrodite as she mourned the death of her love, Adonis. In folklore the anemone is believed to bring luck and protection against evil. The flower was said to foretell rain by closing its petals, and fairies were believed to sleep beneath the petals of the wood anemone during the night after they closed at sunset. The anemone is also called thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of its leaves. The Chinese aptly call it the flower of death as it contains poisonous chemicals such as the toxin protoanemonin.
California Poppy, 2012 61cm x 101cm acrylic on 75lb paper
Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. Poppies used as emblems on tombstones symbolize eternal sleep.
