Snapdragon

Oh, Snap!

Fun fact - if you gently squeeze the snapdragon’s blooms, it will take the shape of a dragon’s head. Snapdragons have two meanings - (1) grace and strength; and (2) deviousness. Because of this, snapdragons have been used in mythology as a charm against falsehood. But, I didn’t know all that when I painted this piece. Having said that, this piece did deceive me at the beginning. It was not pretty; it was very, very, very ugly. I kept asking, “what’s happening? This is terrible!” I finally let go and stopped fighting the paint and allowed it to tell me what needed to happen. When I gave myself the grace to fail, this majestic flower came out from the ugly into the light and she is a beauty!! I love the experience this piece gave me and I absolutely love the end result.