Ah! Sunflower

Posted bySarahPosted inArt, PhotographyTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

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“Busy like a bee!” (September 2016)

 

As autumn comes nearer every day, I´m trying to soak up every bit of sunshine before it gets all cloudy and gray around here… just like a sunflower 🙂

I´ve always admired these beautiful flowers, especially for their name-giving ability to follow the light, even on a rainy day.

And I just love watching all those bumble-bees, bees and other insects busy harvesting the nectar.

 

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The Approach (Sept. 2016)

 

All sun-flowers on these photographs were taken from tiny gardens that have been planted over the years on the edge of the former airport Tempelhofer Feld.

It seemed to me that the tinier the garden patch, the bigger the flowers got! Some of the mighty heads surely weigh over 2 pounds.

 

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The sunflowers reminded me also of one of my favourite poems by William Blake:

 

Ah! Sunflower by William Blake

 

Ah, sunflower, weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the sun,

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the traveller’s journey is done.

 

Where the youth pined away with desire

And the pale virgin shrouded in snow

Arise from their graves, and aspire

Where my sunflower wishes to go.

 

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lovely giant (Sept. 2016)

 

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well hidden (Sept. 2016)

 

Not only insects love sunflowers, but birds too of course – here you can see that half of the seeds are already picked 😉

 

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supper time (Sept. 2016)

 

Wish you all a golden and beautiful autumn – or, if you´re living in the Southern Hemisphere: a blossoming and sunny spring! 🙂

 

Published by Sarah

Artist & Illustrator

60 thoughts on “Ah! Sunflower”

    1. Thank you very much, Timelesslady! 😀 I imagine it must be very annoying to have your efforts destroyed. Glad you managed to outwit the squirrels this year 😉 Have a great week ahead! Sarah 😃

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    1. Thank you Party! What a lovely idea! I’m sure they’ll look fantastic 😄 And make sure to do some pictures of them when the time has come and to share them with us 😃
      Have a very lovely Sunday evening! 😚 xxxxx

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    1. Thank you very much, Bun! 🙂 I finally found your lovely comment in my spam-folder – don´t ask me how it got there, I really have no idea! Obviously you´ve already spoken to yor son´s elephants about my wordpress problems – thank you 😉

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      2. Thank you very much for adding this information , Jennie! 😃 This just proofs my theory of Italy being a country with more style and class than any other country 😉 (though I might be also heavily influenced by my love for Italian food, couture and history 😉). You too have a very lovely day! 😀🌻🌞

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  17. what a great idea to plant these sunflowers there – near the airfield – and interesting that the smaller the patch the larger the flower –
    and like you – I am soaking up as much sun as I can!

    oh and side note – there is a wonderful book by Eve Bunting called Sunflower House – have you heard of it?

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    1. Thank you again for your lovely comment! 😄
      I also think it’s a great idea and people just so enjoy walking there and admire the flowers 😃
      And thank you for that book suggestion, I don’t know it yet but am awfully curious about it! What is it about?? The title reminds me a bit of Lucinda Riley’s Hotflower House, a book I’ve enjoyed very much! 😄

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      1. Well it is actually a children’s picture book – but the author is known for great books!
        And we still have our copy and one year – when my boys were little – we took photos of our sunflowers (we only had a few – and we did not make the circle house of sunflowers like they did in the book – but it was fun to read the book about sunflowers while having some real ones there!

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      2. I love children’s book of every kind so much! The hard work and fantasy the author’s usually put into it is so inspiring! I’ll see if I can get my hands on a copy somewhere, if not in a library or regular bookshop there’s bound to be an english second hand bookshop that’s got one 😄
        It sounds like you and your family had great fun!! 😃Ah – the power and magic of both, childhood and sunflowers 😉

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      3. Hi miss G – if i find an online copy of the book I will link it – I had a few digital versions for an iPad to use for art lessons a few years ago – you know how a good picture book can present a theme and lesson focus –
        And that book tied into different sunflower paintings from the masters – including Van Gogh and others –
        Xxoo

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      4. Thank you for your efforts! 😀
        Ah, yes a good picture book can do that 😄 I often use them for my pottery classes to give the kids some ideas and inspiration 😃.
        There are so many beautiful paintings of sunflowers and I was lucky a couple of years ago and saw vanGogh’s sunflowers in a visiting exhibition. It was so much more impressive to see the thickness of the paint than look at a mere print! I fell instantly in love with it 😄

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      6. It absolutely was and I could have stand in front of it for hours if it were not for hundreds of other people that wanted a glimpse of it too that day 😉
        Have a very lovely weekend, Y.! 🙂 xxxxx ❤

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  19. Lovely photos and the perfect poem by Blake to match. Sunflowers were one of my father’s favourites; he was very proud of his flowers, and said his secret to growing them so tall was talking to them. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your photographs.

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    1. Thank you very much! 😀
      There’s definitely some truth in talking to flowers. My mom does it too and she really has green fingers 😉
      I also try it from time to time but do feel a bit weird when doing it 😅 So I only do it when completely unobserved 😉
      Wish you a lovely week ahead! 😃

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