Floriography
Client: AP portfolio | 2024 | illustrations (multiple mediums)
Floriography, the language of flowers, gained popularity in the Victorian era as a secret code used in bouquets to convey messages between lovers—expressing emotions that words alone couldn’t capture. I incorporated floriography to illustrate my personal relationships with my mom, my girlfriend, and myself, using flowers to symbolize the deeper meaning behind each connection.
Bloom
This piece captures the blossoming nature of young love, with each flower’s meaning adding depth to the message. Even the bees, symbolizing love, attraction, devotion, and the sweetness of connection, enhance the floral symbolism. In floriography, bees amplify the meaning of flowers, reinforcing the piece’s themes of love, passion, and enduring devotion.
"O"
This piece expands on the previous theme, depicting an embrace that is both overgrown and everlasting. The flower encasing the pair is the Forget-Me-Not, symbolizing remembrance, enduring love, and deep connection. Often given as a token of lasting affection—whether in romance, friendship, or remembrance—they reinforce the idea of love that withstands time. In the background, interwoven rings further emphasize this theme, their unbroken shape representing eternal love, commitment, and unity.
Dear Baby
This piece explores the complex mother-daughter relationship through a deeply personal self-portrait. It depicts me choking on a withered bouquet emerging from my throat—an unsettling contrast to the tenderness of the previous works. The flower leaving my mouth is the pink carnation, a symbol of gratitude, appreciation, and remembrance, traditionally given on Mother's Day. Along the sidebar, handwritten text features an excerpt from my mother’s personal diary during her pregnancy with me. One line reads, “I am sorry I always bring you into our problems, but sometimes I feel like you’re the only person that understands me.” This piece reflects how a mother’s emotional struggles can weigh on her child, even before birth, shaping their shared history in ways both spoken and unspoken.
A green ribbon
The green ribbon, an international symbol of mental health awareness, serves as the central theme of this piece. It depicts my inner struggle with mental health, specifically the dark thoughts that plague the mind, represented by flowers growing from my head. These flowers symbolize the process of overcoming these challenges, blossoming as a representation of growth, healing, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Pan'see
Convallaria majalis
This piece carries a dual meaning, exploring the contrasting symbolism of lily of the valley. While traditionally associated with positive qualities like purity and innocence, it also holds darker interpretations, symbolizing sadness, pain, and tears—often connected to loss and death, and sometimes referred to as "Our Lady’s Tears." The flowers in this piece represent the ongoing battle between hope and fear, capturing the delicate balance of light and dark emotions within the human experience.
"Pensée," the French word for "thought" or "reflection," also refers to a thought expressed in literary form, often one that lingers or consumes the mind. This piece explores the overwhelming nature of intrusive thoughts and how they can dominate and control your life. The illustration features the classic pensée flower, with eyes embedded in its petals, symbolizing how dark thoughts are ever-present—watching, judging, and waiting for an opportunity to comment or disrupt. The eyes represent the constant surveillance of the mind, a reminder that negative thoughts are always there, lingering in the background, ready to influence perception and behavior. The piece reflects the struggle of mental health, where thoughts can feel like they are constantly observing, critiquing, and undermining personal well-being, making it a challenge to reclaim peace and clarity.