I Am Learning To See

Since I first posted the photos of daffodils about to bloom in late February, I have become (some would say) obsessed with taking pictures of flowers. Pulling off to the side of the road so that I could take a picture of a tree in glorious bloom would certainly seem to prove this. For an immediate gratification sort like myself, the digital camera has widely opened up the world of picture taking. In the process, or as the impetus for the process, I have created for myself a new project, a circular photo collage. Initially this was to be in the form of a mandala. My intention was to use only parts of each flower picture, perhaps a section of a daisy petal for instance, to create an abstract and balanced design. I jettisoned this idea when I saw how beautifully sharp and detailed the photos were. I became fascinated with what I saw when the smallest flowers were magnified by the camera.The only distortion in my eventual collage will be with regard to the relative sizes of the flowers.

I have discovered a world that has been pretty much invisable to me, or rather blurred, the world of flowers. Prior to my picture taking, I had no idea as to the vast variety of flowers in my immediate world. I saw purple flowers, but rarely the differences that define them. I have a deficit in my language of specifics. I can use the language of the abstract yet don't know the names of the flowers in my own garden.This is an embarrassment to me.
Picture taking has not remedied this deficit. Though bedazzled with the variety of flowers, I still can't name them.

I plan eventually to get a book with pictures of flowers identified by their names. Though I doubt that this information will stick firmly in my mind, it would be nice to have this information readily available. In the meantime, my bedazzlement intensifies as some of the early bloomers begin to fade and other varieties begin to bloom.

As to the flowers pictured, I invite you to identify them in the comments section.