Stating the Obvious

Photo by Stephanie Funke

Maybe I should open with one question stated three ways:  

1 -- How are these images related?  

2 -- How are they similar?  

3 -- What do they have in common?

Clearly, the snail's pattern is visible in the above begonia leaf.  The circular movement spirals indefinitely and resembles other organisms found in our universe, including a nautilus shell, some spider webs, certain goat horns and the takeoff-line of various colonies of bats.  It's an example of a self-similar object that essentially repeats in the same way while getting smaller and smaller at all scales.

So, why this topic in today's post?  The easy answer is that this pattern is clearly something I am drawn to -- both in nature and in what I create.  As I started to pay more attention to the designs I have sketched recently, I noticed this everywhere in my art.  And, as I acknowledged this, almost instantly this type of begonia popped into my mind.  Sure enough -- as I scanned my photo files that are full of all sorts of plants, I found many of these begonias ( most are terrible photos because I'm not great at capturing the best angle ).  Interestingly,  I also started to get a warm feeling, an energy, when thinking about how excited I feel when I find these growing in a greenhouse, arboretum or wherever.  I always spend time photographing these plants.  .... guess I need to get one for my home collection.

The takeaway is simple -- spend a little time reflecting on what you are naturally drawn to that makes you feel at ease and yet full of light and / or an energy.  Within you the answer already exists.  Hope you will take the time to acknowledge it.

Artwork created by Stephanie Funke, CZT