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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Flower of Love

"The Flower of Love"
Oil, 6" x 6"
$200 unframed.

I almost named this painting "The Misunderstood flower". Carnations are lovely flowers, but they just don't get any respect. Carnations are part of the "dianthus" flower family and their name is translated to "the flower of love". One of the world's oldest cultivated flowers, the carnation is appreciated for its ruffled appearance, clove-like scent, and extended blooming period.Carnations are nice flowers but somehow they just don't get the respect they deserve.

I think I know what happened. A while ago someone decided it would be really cool if you stuck a white carnation in a glass of blue food coloring because the flower would "suck up" the dye and voila ... you could have a blue carnation. Or a green one ... or even a black one.  I have to admit, when I see a green carnation I think they look "cheap". And yucky.

So, I panted this carnation to honor the true beauty of the flower ... as it was originally intended!

3 comments:

  1. I agree about the color! Love your "Flower Of Love".

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  2. Our new campaign....not champagne...campaign "Understanding the the Misunderstood Flower". Maybe we should re-name it so that it frees itself from the negative connotation?

    Either way...great painting today.

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  3. Love this, Leslie. As a former floral designer, I know what you mean about the carnation. Mixed bouquets with carnations are unappealing. However, I love to mass a lot of them densely together to create a great textural arrangement. I realized the potential of this flower watching the opening credits of My Fair Lady. They were as beautiful as the peonies. If they are good enough for set designer, Cecil Beaton, they are good enough for me!

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