Blálilja/ Blue lily, Day 13: The Word for Remembering, Paint sample cards from Iceland, oil pastels, pencil, 9 x 12 in., 2019.
As I wind down “Blálilja/ Blue lily,” I want to mention two things: the forget-me-not, Engjamunablóm in Icelandic, a variety of forget-me-not that thrives close to the sea, and inflorescence, a plant characteristic that describes the structure of many flowering plants. It refers to the grouping or clustering of flowers arranged on the stem. The word inflorescence grabbed my attention when I was learning about flora during my residency because when I first read it, I thought it had something to do with light. Even now, despite knowing its true definition, I am unable to separate it from ideas of light, or auras. In my mind it is layered or paralleled with pathways of light, the speed of light, and so on. This plant is also special to me because it reminds me of my childhood (I loved picking them for my mom.) and its name references memory and the act of remembering, or not forgetting, which so much of my work is about. Those tiny blue flowers now also remind me of Iceland.
P.S. I found this particular plant impossible to photograph—not one of my pictures is in focus! However, I like to think of that blurriness as an example of my version of inflorescence.
Thanks for reading.
