Saturday, August 23, 2014

Early Morning Canoeing and a Giant Sunflower Seed Head

 Jacob and I went down to the lake where we keep our canoe and took it out for an early morning spin.  We paddled around the lake and down some backwaters that have changed enormously in the nine years we've been canoeing in this lake.  These Jerusalem artichoke flowers were in the wild area beside one of the little streams that the lake flows into.  The other drawing is of the stream as I drew it  from the front of the canoe while Jacob was exploring a bit on the bank.
I got home and went back to the table on the back porch where I've been studying seeds and  geometry.  I brought in one of the  giant sunflower seed heads that was hanging very low in the garden along our front walk.  The seeds grow in a golden spiral, incorporating a Fibonacci sequence.  The patterns in this seed head are exquisite.  I got as close as I could and as detailed as possible.  Each seed starts off as the ovary of a tiny flower.  At the stage of this seed head, the seeds are all fully formed, and the tiny flowers are popping off.  They are attached to the seeds by a small pedestal out of which grows the vase-shaped flower containing anther and sepals.  The anther goes all the way through the flower and base and is anchored in the ovary, which has grown to become the seed itself.  Somehow the little flower things reminded me of rows of black corn kernels.  It would be interesting to investigate the patterns on an ear of corn.  I wonder what all of this is going to have to do with this art piece.

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