If you set about drawing flowers, it isn't long before you hit upon a daisy. In fact, a daisy might be the very first flower that comes to mind.
The daisy has been appearing in artwork for quite some time - carvings dating back as far as 3000BC depict our beloved daisy. And the daisy predates us humans by quite a considerable period. Daisies appeared shortly after the demise of the dinosaurs about 50 to 60 million years ago.
I have to admit, I tend to only think of the yellow centred, white petaled variety as a daisy. That gave me pause today. I do love white flowers. But today I didn't really want to paint a white flower. I'm not sure why this troubled me at all - I am putting a face on the daisy.... Having made that leap from reality... surely the colour I choose for the petals seems neither here nor there!
However, I did some research and found to my delight that the daisy comes in so very many stunning forms and colours. There are over 4000 species of daisies. Daisies are found everywhere in the world except for Antarctica. They survive in both wet and dry habitats. Daisies have a biennial life cycle, meaning they last for two years. Some of their relatives include echinacea, arnica, artichokes and endives. If you want to see some wonderful photographs and learn more about the delightful daisy head over to this rather glorious website.
The daisy is said to have been Queen Victoria's favourite flower. Not only has it featured in artwork, it has inspired many a poet. Euripides, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Shelley, and Wordsworth to name just a very few.
It was Goethe's Marguerite who first pulled the petals from the daisy saying 'he loves me, he loves me not'. That cute, romantic notion has endured. In 1892, Harry Dacre wrote the song Daisy Bell which we all know....
Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do...
For a humble and commonly found flower, the daisy is certainly an impressively significant and enduring symbol.
Explore more of the Flower Face Series and the rest of the monthly series in this project.