Marigolds and Magpies

 Quite surprisingly, I rate marigolds as one of my favourite flowers. Although the marigold has some rather negative connotations, developed in Victorian England, I like to concentrate on the happier, more positive meanings it has... 

What do marigolds symbolize?

Commonly referred to as the 'herb of the sun', we associate the flowers' fiery yellow, orange, and red hues with the warmth, happiness, joy, optimism, and good luck. Yet, marigolds also symbolizes darker emotions such as jealousy, grief, despair, and mourning 

(https://www.petalrepublic.com/marigold-flower-meaning/ 

In my recent exhibition "Enveloping ,   marigolds were featured a lot in my textile artworks, including a few of the "garden Threads" art dolls. I drew my inspiration from my own garden where marigolds have even found their way into my vegetable garden. The marigolds in the  textile artworks above are appliqued and stitched. 

I coupled these bright orange flowers with the highly contrasting magpies, created with fabric collage. 

 I have to admit that the magpies really became the star of the exhibition, and the marigolds did fade into the background. 

One of the cheeky magpies even made celebrity status by being featured  on  the advertising material ( with the marigolds) ...