Relief – Embracing Kindness – Practicing Compassion – Standing Up For Justice

I want to word this post carefully, as I am uncomfortable with it, on some level(s).

I generally flow/write easily and don’t always overthink what I say and how I say it (although I do try to proofread and consider my word choices and expressiveness, to some degree).

Last night a friend and I were messaging about my newly completed sunflower painting with hummingbird and bee. She suggested that I might want to offer 10% to relief funds for Ukraine since the sunflower is and has become visibly connected.

Here are my thoughts about that: I did not know nor intend for the timing of the release of this original and its derivatives for sale to coincide with the terrible situation that is unfolding right now. Anyone who knows me, knows that my gravitation toward the sunflower image goes way back – and the home I had in Delaware had big wood sunflower cutouts in the yard.

At festivals if I gave my card out locally, often people would glance at the address and say “oh you’re the sunflower lady out on Nottingham Road.”

In my personal and spiritual life in recent times I’ve been grappling with ideas about War, peace and peacemaking, to put it succinctly.

I told my friend that I did not want to link my sunflower artwork with the current imagery involving the Ukraine especially in any way that might be perceived as opportunistic.

However, as she and I dialogued, I decided that it might be okay to suggest and put something out there a long different lines, somewhat.

I love what I do and I’m always primarily rewarded by using the gifts God gave me and in bringing joy to others. But admittedly, I am in my own small battles here in need of quick and immediate relief that can only come from quick and immediate sales of things I have put my hand to during the last several years, or longer.

I would not want the responsibility of stating that with the purchase of this original painting (or canvases) of derivative prints, that I would collect, research and donate any portion to Ukraine humanitarian aid. That is too much for me, on many levels, and for many reasons.

However, the humanitarian crisis that exists right now, in moments where I will choose to look squarely at it and the images pouring forth, is heartbreaking and concerning. I actually first took time today to form a blog piece about my current thoughts on it, before making this post.

What I can do, is to say that for an undefined window of time, a purchase of the original painting or pieces where I actually make meaningful and significant profit (I know about a week ago I shared on FB about my temporary frustration in the process of selling small quantities of small items that are labor intensive and I may only net a couple dollars from by the time it’s all over), that I would gladly do the following:

The purchaser could directly pay (not through Etsy but could refer to the Etsy listings and then contact me privately) me 75% of the stated price(s). And then I would ask them to take the additional 25% and donate it directly to their best-researched humanitarian relief organization to help the people and refugees and families and children who are suffering and displaced in the Ukraine.

Over the years I have read and learned that not all relief organizations are equally helpful and some need greater amounts of operational fees taken from donations than others. Also sometimes in a variety of situations what we believe would be the most helpful relief is not necessarily the case.

So I think trusting others to do this part, should they desire to participate in this idea my friend suggested to me last night, which I would have never conceived of, is a good thing.

So with that in mind I do put this out here today.

Also in 2007 I did another beautiful watercolor painting of sunflowers. I remember the day, I was driving back to Delaware from a job in some area of Pennsylvania, 896 South. I cannot remember where the location was, I would say somewhere around the Quarryville Black Rock retreat area, and I noticed a beautiful garden of sunflowers and an elderly man tending them by hand.It was late in the day perhaps 5:00 p.m. and I stopped and asked if I might photograph his sunflowers. The man easily welcomed me and talk to me about his gardens. He was in his ’90s as I recall and his wife, also, was blind and sitting on their porch. I actually wrote A blog piece about this experience back in 2020 which I will also link here.

I believe people buy art first because they not only love the piece, they want it, and, have a place for it.

Connecting with the artist’s intent, experience and processes in the creation of an art piece, in my view, is also a significant factor.

I once was at a craft show around the time of my first divorce. If I were fearful then, of the unknowns of my future, and my passions, and my art then, at age 42, how much moreso now?

There was a woman there who had painted florals for many years, some used on china and other items, as I recall. She had cancer, and was clearing out a lifetime of prints, and more.

I was situated near her, and we talked about our art and life, as fellow vendors do, throughout a weekend event.

I remember thinking about fear, the unknowns, and more….thinking, this could easily be me, one day.

Being one who highly lives within many forms of symbols and metaphors on a daily basis, I purchased a beautiful lilac print, and it hangs in my bedroom, today, as it did in my post-divorce home in Delaware. Below is a photograph of the framed print, which now hangs above my dresser.

On occasion, it serves as some reminder, or springboard of contemplation, to me, putting things into some perspective. Reflections of art, passion, using God’s gifts, and the fragility/brevity of life, with its unknowns, just for starters…

The original large watercolor painting of Sunflowers done around 2007/2008 I sold eventually at clearance price to someone who contacted me after seeing it displayed in a show somewhere. I cannot even recall what this little gallery was somewhere in the Landenberg area if I had to think hard about it. Maybe not. I believe it was some type of winery that had rooms for monthly art exhibits. I will link this piece below, as well, since I could also take the original large scan and have it printed either as a large watercolor print or on canvas.

I actually had this and my daffodils piece done at Decatur printing while in Alabama and they hang in my dining room here in Pennsylvania, having been brought, framed, from Alabama. I can easily extend this same idea of a purchaser donating 25% for humanitarian relief to this piece as well.

For some, the watercolor style may be more preferable in their home or office decor, or any of these things could be purchased and gifted to others, of course.

As I searched my Etsy looking for the Sunflower watercolor, I also found a few other good pieces at this time. Linked below. Again, I can extend this “Sunflower” humanitarian relief discount to other sunflower items, which can be printed on canvas, too, or otherwise.

I’d really like to keep all of this contained to an order for a 16 x 20 piece or larger, otherwise, it would only create more stress and problems and weights for my self and situation, at this time, in terms of bringing me needed “relief”, that is for this time, being offered alongside gifting from my creations, an opportunity to bring relief to others now in far more dire circumstances than myself, or likely, anyone reading this now.

Thank you for reading and for your prayers for the people in Ukraine, Russia and all of us.

Thank you also for your prayers for me as well.