ASTERACEAE

            Did you know sunflowers, daisies, and asters are related? In fact, they're all part of the Asteraceae family. Its most notable characteristic is having a single flora entity featuring multiple small radial symmetric star shaped flowers at the center to maximize the display of the entire floral unit to attract pollinators. Or, in plain words, "It's a single, giant flower that has its own mini bouquet at the center to be easily seen by pollinators and the like". I am "the like".

            Generally, sunflowers and daisies hold a special place in my heart. Why? They both can symbolize happiness and positivity, and anyone could use more of that when days grow dark. As a child, these sunny, showy flowers were randomly abundant around the few memories I have with my late father. I recall on his smoke breaks, he and I would just hang out near the wild patches of yellow daisies grown throughout the valley. These depiction of these flowers and my time spent with my father bring bittersweet nostalgia.

            In this continuously ever growing collection, these designs not only combine by my love of nature and gothic architecture, but pay homage to my late father. The orange and yellow matrixes of the turquoise hues were carefully selected as my interpretation of abstract impression of smokey golden hour clouds set with the dark mysterious void representing loss, or the unknown. With these imagery, I try to transform a story by portraying handcrafted ovoid shapes of Asteraceae floras.