Dandelion Hope

When I was asked to do an intuitive painting for someones daughter, I had a vision of grass with dasies and dandelions. Straight away I was surprised at the simplicity of the image, or rather the commonality. This is a part of nature we often see, as it is literally right beneath our feet. Maybe on a deeper level it symbolises her daughters papa kāinga - original home, her whenua - land and her tūrangawaewae - place where one has the right to stand. Papatuanuku - our earth mother, gives us all we need to survive, nutures and sustains us. As children we play on her, we pick the daisies and make daisey chains, climb trees, run over fields, gather kai to eat; she is our nourishment, spiritually and physically. 

Although a simple image, to paint grass was quite a challenge. It was almost meditative with the time it took painting many green shoots, the repetitive shapes, forming a blanket of green. I felt an acknowledgement to this gift we have, grass covers much of our home grounds in Aotearoa - New Zealand, and gives us a soft, fresh living carpet to walk on.

The flowers brought me back to childhood. The daisies reminded me of making daisy chains, and the dandelions, making wishes then blowing the fairy-like seeds to the breeze with a heart full of hope. After painting the flowers, I found it interesting to notice that the yellow dandelions formed a triangular pattern pointing upwards. The triangle features a lot in Maori design, especially the taniko patterns that adorn the walls of the wharenui or embellish the traditional dress such as the korowai - traditional cloak. I felt this triangle pointed the viewer to the direction we associate with the heavens, our ancestors, our Creator. Like a karakia - prayer, it lifts the heart to thoughts of faith, trust, praise and hope. 

When I gave this piece to the mother, she explained that her daughter had recently been diagnosed with cancer. To her the yellow represented the colour associated with the Cancer Society. She shared that they had been told though that the cancer was thankfully treatable. 

I write this reflection on New Years day 2019, looking back at an amazing first year for Artfelt - Intuitive Art. What a beautiful journey it has been and I feel so greatful for all the guidance that has come through. In conclusion to this painting and to the year that’s been, if I was to pick a dandelion seed flower right now, as I have a few in my back yard, and make a New Years wish, it would be that humanity continues to grow in utmost respect and honor of the earth, treating it as a body of its own, and in turn healing and honouring our own being, as we need the earth to survive but she dosn’t need us. May we continue to use and find alternatives to carcinogenic chemical sprays, pest control poisons, polluting ‘throw away’ plastics, dangerous nuclear radiation, harmful emissions, unsustainable farming, life destroying deforestation, mining and fracking and so on. 

Although these things are happening at this stage of humanities growth, I have total belief and faith in our future. Our spirtitual capacities are ever growing and we have all the answers to living in unison with creation. "Thy kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."