With Sympathies

The last photograph of Gus and I together was under the Camellia tree. It was sunny and the tree was just beginning to bloom, it was beautiful. But as April showered, all changed quickly, and I watched as the Camellias turned brown and fell and I said goodbye to Gus.

The pink Camellia is a symbol of love and devotion, a longing for someone, and is given to the one that is missed. I began collecting the fallen flower heads. Exploring ideas around receiving flowers and the practice of displaying them in vessels, wondering, does this resemble grief? With blooms in hand I Instinctively thrust the flower heads, head first into a vase. Submerging them felt heavy. Their petals were forcibly compacted and drowning. A quiet, tender sadness rose, invoking polarity between beauty and death.