by Catherine Fanning
Flowers and the meanings associated with them were the starting point for Catherine Fanning’s art journal work.
Flowers carry several cultural meanings surrounding the death of a loved one. Sympathy flowers are sent to show support to a family that is grieving a loss. Flowers convey love, facilitate expression, provide meaning and communicate emotions that words sometimes fail to capture.
Funeral flowers are symbolic of certain emotions, and while the general message of a sympathy flower will be understood in any context, individual types of flowers and plants can communicate slightly different meanings, examples being:
- the Gladiolus – a representation of strength and character
- White Clover – think of me
- Forget-Me-Not communicates this simple but essential message to a family – your loved one lives on in our memories
- Butterfly Weed – let me go
- Honey Suckle – bonds of love
Through the pages of her art journal, Catherine utilised mixed media, print, and collage to create the visual images used to explore the language of flowers
