Drawn to Flora

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light"

—Roethke

A few months ago I came to the realization that I’ve been so focused on perfume and the business of perfume that I had stopped drawing regularly. Thus, I set the intention to pick up the pencil at least once a day and draw.

Almost all the imagery I create has a human interacting with nature in some way. This is where my passion lies and becomes an evident symbiotic relationship in the visual and aromatic arts.

The drawing above is of a complex root system for a tree. In art school, after reading “Drawing from the Right side of the Brain” I became addicted to sketching the intricate folds of the brain. During that first year in college my brother was diagnosed as schizophrenic, which caused me to be even more intrigued by brain function.

Over the years I’ve noticed that complex rendering of intersecting curved lines shows up in my work often. The concentration involved in the drawing these forms relaxes me. I can sit happily for hours drawing, completely oblivious to my surrounding.

I’m not sure where this drawing will go, the root ball is based on a previous drawing for an illustration for the City of Hope Annual Report. The ideas sometimes begin in my minds eye and at other times manifest themselves as I work. In some instances a combination of both. This root ball may be for a magical Celtic tree or a fantastical flower. We will see what kind of journey and outcome the muses intend.