2020 through Bergart
Humans use symbolism and folklore about the natural world as means of expressing ambiguous feelings about challenging experiences. By identifying emotional lessons in life and comparing our notes through these stories, we touch on our shared truths. In this series, each piece exposes a dichotomy that we grapple with in the human experience- strength through adversity, preciousness and loss, the risks of a new path, and other such balances. By examining the symbolism and lore of ten flowers and the animals they are named after, I followed common threads to weave illustrative scenes that contemplate these themes.
Cuckoo Flower- What is Faced
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
The cuckoo flower carries a lot of superstition. Picking it may attract a thunderstorm, a snakebite, or some other disaster. The call of the cuckoo bird is associated with an unfolding event or new fate in life, an alerting sound that protects one from being caught off guard. Combining these symbols is a reminder that setting out on a new path or venture entails new risks and dangers. It is best to keep one face forward at what is to come, and one face watching out for trouble.
[sold]
Bee Balm- Philoculture
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
The bee balm flower symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good health. Bees themselves form colonies to survive as a group working together. There is a legend from the San people where a bee carries a mantis across a vast river and buries a seed in its body, which grows to become the first human. This illustrates the idea that these great boons in life are actually the product of hard work and coming together. They are emergent properties, greater than each little part.
[sold]
Foxglove- Fertile Wounds
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
Foxglove flowers are said to both heal and hurt. The entire plant is toxic, and the poison in the leaves is deadly even at small doses. However, this poison is used in many medicines. Foxes are clever and wise enough to adapt to their circumstances. They can be gentle or ferocious as needed to get through the situation. With adaptability like this, the space created by an open wound can allow something new to blossom. The transformative healing process comes after the hurting.
[sold]
Catmint- The Reveal
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
Catmint (or catnip) causes a hallucinogenic reaction in cats that results in their strange behavior. In many cultures throughout history, cats have been seen as magical and mysterious. They are stealthy, and privy to what unfolds in the dark of the night. This combination is a reminder that the hidden things within us and in the world are spaces for the wondrous unknown. Magic and mystery are intertwined behind the veil of secrecy.
[sold]
Larkspur- Let it Break
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
In a Native American legend, a celestial being parts the skies to come to Earth, and larkspur flowers blossom from the broken pieces of sky. In literature the lark often represents daybreak, because they sing happily early in the morning. These notions create a pairing of the chaotic breaking of the day and sky with beautiful, joyful, vibrant colors and sounds. It embodies the unlikely optimism that can exist in tandem with destruction.
[sold]
Ox Eye Daisy- Adored
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
A Celtic legend explains that daisies bloom from the spirits of children who have died. Thus, they are a symbol of innocence and purity. Oxen are valuable animals, and so they are a significant offering in animal sacrifice for various world religions. The nature of sacrifice entails hurt. The preciousness of something goes hand in hand with the pain we feel at its loss. There is power in our love for the precious things that we fear to lose.
[sold]
Bleeding Heart- Tenderness
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
The bleeding heart flower carries several meanings- expressing one’s emotions openly, deep and passionate love, and even rejection. The vivid red feathers on the bleeding heart dove give the appearance of a fresh wound. To have an open and sensitive heart is necessary to experience profound love and compassion. At the same time, it exposes us to deeper pain and sorrow. This vulnerability is a beautiful and inescapable part of empathy and feeling.
[sold]
Beargrass- Flame Tempered
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
Beargrass is one of the first flowers to appear after a wildfire, because its root withstands the intense heat. The powerful bear is one of the strongest animals in the world. They are able to survive hibernation- months without eating through the cold winter. Strength is something that must emerge from adversity. The resilience of enduring a trial by fire cultivates an inner flame that keeps us alive and warm. There is no other way to get it than to live through challenges.
[sold]
Dogbane- Exposure Therapy
9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm)
Oil on Aluminum Composite Panel
The fragrant dogbane flower was named for being highly toxic to dogs. For thousands of years, dogs have been valued as brave and loyal guardians. To have courage is to proceed resolutenly despite dangers. To overcome fear of real pain that we may carry and real threats we may face. It is to know what is at stake, and still choose to do the right thing. To have this spark gives us vision that guides us through a shroud of difficulties.
[sold]