The language of flowers

The Language of Flowers

 

Every week I paint with a wonderful group in Deerfield Township. The local arts council started by Meredith Raffel began just about the time I started painting again, so we’ve been painting together for almost eight years.

This September, the local outdoor Arts Festival, which has been on a Sunday at Mason City Hall for the past several years, has been renamed Fallfair Arts Festival. It will now be held at Cottell Park, at the intersection of Irwin-Simpson and Snider Rds. And The Snyder House will feature an exhibit called “The Language of Flowers,” all painted by people in this weekly painting group. The exhibit will premiere at Mason Christian Village in mid June, which is why I’ve been working on Azaleas.

Flowers, like the chambered nautilus, are quite a departure for me: there’s not a straight line in this painting! And I’m inspired, but confused, by the language of flowers. Sometimes called floriography, (another ten dollar word for my vocabulary!) this was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken.

The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten, but red roses still imply passionate, romantic love and pink roses a lesser affection; white roses suggest virtue and chastity and yellow roses still stand for friendship or devotion. Also commonly known meanings are sunflowers, which can indicate either haughtiness or adoration.

So if you sent me sunflowers, how do I know if you mean “haughtiness” or “adoration?” Is wondering part of the thrill? Personally, I prefer more clarity. The original language of flowers Meredith gave us for the exhibit listed the meaning of yellow tulips as “hopeless love.”

 

 

Now, those of you who know me well realize this fits. But the meaning I found on the Web for yellow tulips is “there’s sunshine in your smile.” That is much more in line with the emotion I think this painting communicates.

As for Azaleas, here are the various meanings. Which one do you think this painting best conveys to viewers?

• Take care of yourself for me
• Temperance
• Fragile
• Passion
• Womanhood