Delicate Strength
Images by Jacqueline McGraw
Flowers do speak a language, clear and intelligible. Observe them, reader, love them, linger over them and ask your own heart if they do not speak affection, benevolence and piety.
- Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Florals have been a centerpiece of human existence. We have seen them in art, literature, gardens, and rituals throughout history. They grow in the darkest and most remote places and bloom in our minds and inspire us. If you’ve followed my journey, you know florals are important to me. They are a constant inspiration and source of joy. In this collection, I was specifically inspired by the paradox that also implies to humanity - delicate strength.
I love exploring paradoxes because our lives are filled with them - life and death, courage and fear, good and evil, and fragility and strength. One cannot exist without the other. Florals and people both represent the idea of being both strong and vulnerable. In fact, having a balance of strength and fragility makes a more open, powerful individual. Just because you are gentle, does not mean you are not strong. And just because you are strong, does not mean you are not empathetic. You can be both.
Another complementary idea is that of the community. While we can be strong and vulnerable as individuals, we become stronger in groups. Out of everything, I feel 2020 has emphasized this theme of growing with our community. It has not been an easy year. There have been minor inconveniences and major setbacks. But when we find our community (whether that be family or friends), we lean on each other, share with each other, and grow with each other. Iron sharpens iron. And planting a garden will reap a beautiful reward.
As you view this collection, you will notice the paintings of individuals were given names that reflected floral symbolism and name meanings. Some relate to the florals represented in the painting, while others embody the message of the piece. I hope you will be reminded that like the florals, you can be both delicate and strong. Speak softly and stand strong like flowers.
As you scroll through the collection, you are welcome to listen to a playlist I compiled. It contains songs I listened to when I was painting. There’s certainly other things I listened to/didn’t include, but if you listen, I feel it communicates the vibe of Delicate Strength. Click the button below to go to the Spotify playlist.
Zinnia
Name meaning: Flower or Endurance
Floral meaning: I mourn your absence
As the first painting in the collection, I wanted to push myself and embody a moodiness to the work. I tried things I had never tried with acrylic paint before. The result was a portrait that looks as if it has been waiting, enduring for awhile, but still clinging to that last blossom of hope.
18” x 18” x 1.5”
SOLD
Growing Together
We all need our community. Whether it is our family or the family we have chosen for ourselves, we all need some one to lean on. We come from different backgrounds and experiences, but together our differences allow us to grow.
Fun fact - I was rewatching Great British Bake Off while painting. Maybe that idea of community and coming together actually came from watching that heartfelt show. Who knows?
14” x 18” x 1.5”
$400
Iris
Name meaning: Rainbow
Floral meaning: Message
This work was brain teaser for sure. My thoughts behind Iris was that she was a person that preferred fading into the background. And that is okay. Not everyone can grow under a spotlight. No matter where you are in life (by choice or by circumstance), you still have a voice and can still grow.
16” x 20” x 1.5”
POR
Rosalie
Name meaning: Rose
Floral meaning (pink roses): Grace
As one of the lightest and most delicate color palettes in the collection, Rosalie embodies Delicate Strength perfectly. She is a reminder that in order to grow, we need to give grace to ourselves. We cannot rush growth or progress. We must be still and wait.
12” x 12” x 1.5”
SOLD
Willow
Name meaning: Freedom
Floral meaning: Melancholy
This was my reimagining of John Everett Millais’ “Ophelia,” with a little more positive ending. While she is suspended in water, flowers have covered her like a beautiful bed comforter. She looks free in her reflection and the painting balances the overwhelming beauty with peaceful darkness.
16” x 20” x 1.5”
SOLD
Ivy
Name & Floral meaning: Faithfulness
While Ivy vines aren’t the main focus, this painting illustrates an important part of Delicate Strength - holding out and keeping the faith. The figure is strong and steady while surrounded by the nature that has overgrown her.
Fun fact - this painting was created during the middle of a severe thunderstorm. Maybe she was comforting me with the idea of standing strong and to keep going even if I was a bit scared.
14” x 14” x 1.5”
$350
Standing Together
Playing with the idea of community again, I wanted to emphasize standing by the people in your community. We must be willing to meet people where they are at, since they will not always be in the same place mentally or physically as us. But if we continue to stand with each other and not bring each other down, we will grow.
Fun fact - I was watching Parks and Rec while I painted this piece. Maybe that’s what helped cement the idea of supporting each other. Everyone needs a Ron or a Leslie, right?
Extra fun fact - the pattern in the background and implemented throughout the piece is a work by English artist and designer William Morris.
16” x 20” x 1.5”
$500
Briony
The smallest painting in the collection, her name means to flourish. Our growth does not have to be large or taken in giant steps. The best growth is made in small steps.
8” x 8” x 1.5”
$100
Sharing Together
Part of the community emphasis, this painting talks about sharing with others. This can be sharing joys and struggles, but when we share these things the world becomes a bit brighter. A garden that is shared and enjoyed with others helps us all grow together.
18” x 24” x 1.5”
SOLD
Marguerite
Name meaning: Daisy
Floral (daisy) meaning: Innocence
The other small piece of the collection, this painting is one of the sweetest and probably most innocent looking of the group. She is staring into the darkness, but ready to make her stand. Innocence is sometimes betrayed as a bad thing, but it can also be good. Innocence reminds us of the pure and good things in this world.
9” x 12” x 1.5”
SOLD
Click here on April 15th at 12 PM set to collect your own Delicate Strength painting