“…a bold dripping poppy is fire and silk.” ~ Carl Sandburg
During a recent trip to an enchanted land filled with light and wind, I painted a poppy. The way its delicate blossom contrasted with its solid center intrigued me, resulting in my exaggerating its characteristics.
There’s something about poppies that evokes the feeling of freedom, fragility and strength. Maybe it’s the way their tissue-papery petals flutter in the wind, or the way their velvety strong stems sway and bow holding heavy flower-heads high against extreme environmental conditions.
When I see flowering poppies, sweet stanzas from Mendelssohn’s Octet playfully come to mind.
