Schuyler DeMarinis Art

            Since moving to Colorado, I have become enthralled in the natural environment that the state has become known for. More precisely I became interested in the flora life that manages to stay thriving and abundant in this highly elevated arid climate. Having built my gardens in my backyard, I noticed that most of these flourishing greenery were weeds, invasive species, or volunteer plants from years before. This began my awareness of conscious gardening.

            The piece I have created for this project is of a variety of sunflower known as Helianthus annuus. This common prairie flower can be seen all over Colorado and richly along Highway 36 between Boulder and Denver. This is where I first noticed its presence and having been told the invasive qualities of sunflowers I thought it to be harmful to our environment. It wasn’t until further research that I discovered that it was native to Colorado and grew naturally and harmlessly. Though I did find out that Colorado does have issues with certain varieties of sunflowers such as Helianthus tuberosus also known as a sunchoke. These are mistakenly planted by careless gardeners or inexperienced landscapers. The points are, know what it is your planting, do a little research, and help our environment stay pristine. Be a conscious gardener.

            This project allowed me to explore a broad range of colors and a medium that fit well with my matrix. It created aspects of impressionist paintings that helped create a free flowing and whimsical mood. Much like a sunflower spreading its petals to the sun, flowing in the wind, and letting nature do what it does best. Leave nature to be itself. Much like how I let the inks create their finished products. You don’t force noxious species into the environment just like you don’t want to force superfluous pigments onto the paper.