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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Wildflowers in Art: Mayflower


Wildflower Morning has a weekly event called Wildflowers in Winter to post about wildflowers. The theme for week 6 from February 20-26 is Wildflowers in Art – "Share art made by you or someone else that features wildflowers."

My item this week is an oil painting by C. Leon Strickland entitled "Mayflower." It hangs in a wall grouping in the dining room.


I tried to buy it at an Apple Festival where a silent auction allowed buyers to leave a written bid on a list for the item desired. You had to keep going back to see if someone else had written a bid below yours. If so you wrote a higher bid under that. When the bidding time was up the last bidder on the item’s list won the item.
Well, someone else did outbid me for this wildflower painting. However, the following day he decided he did not want the painting after all and returned it to the artist. So I was able to buy it directly from the artist. The local frame shop framed it for me with a linen liner in a molded gilt frame.



Here is some information about the mayflower:
The mayflower is "a low-growing evergreen shrub of eastern North America with leathery leaves and clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers"
The official flower of Massachusetts is the mayflower, also known as the trailing arbutus.
On May 1, 1918, the state's legislature designated the mayflower as the official "flower or floral emblem" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


Just below the Mayflower painting is a signed piece called "Acoma Pot with Sunflowers" by James Yarnell. I had it framed at the same local frame shop using two shades of green mats and a narrow gilt frame.



For more about art and wildflowers, do visit Elizabeth Joy at Wildflower Morning for a comprehensive list of posts.

8 comments:

Jenn Thorson said...

You really have some lovely paintings, Carrie. I never considered what a "mayflower" was before-- nice to have the little background!

Remarkable how someone gave up that painting after winning it at the auction. Lucky for you, though!

Elizabeth Joy said...

How pretty! I don't know if a Mayflower is a wildflower or not, it doesn't grow on the west coast, but that doesn't bother me. I think many of our common garden flowers originally come from forest and mountains, so even if it isn't now, it used to be, and that is good enough for me.

About your week 5 post. I can't edit it. I could delete it, and you could enter it again. But maybe it doesn't matter. When people get to your blog they will see that it is week five.

Thank you so much for sharing your wildflower art. They really are lovely!

Eleanor said...

I never knew that about the mayflower! And I enjoyed another bit of South Africa on your blog! You would just love that African crafts shop I mentioned on my post day. Thanks for all your comments. They are so encouraging! Eleanor at Thatchwick Cottage

Patty said...

such pretty prints you have. Being a native of massachusetts I sure was happy to see you have a picture of the mayflower ! I don't think I ever saw one in my life. They are so rare now, endangered since the 1920's

Anonymous said...

Those are all lovely. I really enjoyed your auction story that goes along with the Mayflower! I'm happy you ultimately got the painting...

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

I like your wildflowers! I think the bottom one is my favorite (of course, isn't it yellow?)

Katherine

Hummingbird Chats said...

I love the beauitful paintings. Your blog is so nice, I'll have to come back and visit again. Katie

Karla Cook @ Roads to Everywhere said...

How interesting! I hadn't realized there was a real "Mayflower"! I thought that's just what we called the tiny little flowers that bloom in May, when we were kids!