Saturday, January 14, 2012

A Sunflower in Winter

Not too far from my home, there's a solitary sunflower which remains standing, head bowed to the winter. This image was taken about one week ago. I hope you enjoy the images and quotes.


“The gaudy leonine sunflower

Hangs black and barren on its stalk,
And down the windy garden walk
The dead leaves scatter,- hour by hour”
~ Oscar Wilde


sunflower head in January
“The sunflower is a favorite emblem of constancy” Thomas Bulfinch




sunflower head in January3
“Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also.
He attracts and follows."
~ Jean Paul Richter





sunflower head in January2
"Light-enchanted sunflower, thou
Who gazest ever true and tender
On the sun's revolving splendour."
~ Pedro Calderon de la Barca




sunflower head in January4
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.
It's what sunflowers do." ~ Helen Keller





sunflower silhouette
"Space for the sunflower, bright with yellow glow,
To court the sky." - Caroline Gilman

57 comments:

ADRIAN said...

I like the silhouette. Amazing it's still there.

Dan said...

A sunflower standing in the cold... alone. Cue Jann Arden song.

Naqvee said...

how interesting this perspective is.. from life to lifeless from color to colorless from fresh to dry. I can see and feel the cold right here.
Naqvee

Sueann said...

A beautiful array of photos!! Such texture and hue! And the poems...wonderful!! Time, weathering .... creating an artful moment.
Thank you
Hugs
SueAnn

Anonymous said...

Marvellous shots!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Even in it's final stage,this sunflower shows beauty. I admire your creative photography.

Brian Miller said...

just lovely...so full of texture...ever which way you look at it...very nice hilary

messymimi said...

You see things in ways i never could, and show them to me. Thanks.

cheshire wife said...

I feel sorry for that poor sunflower. It looks like a fish out of water.

Dianne said...

you can capture the soul and beauty of anything!
I love that about you

Pauline said...

even in death the sunflower is beautiful - lovely homage to departed glory

DJan said...

Beautiful, just beautiful. I love the different moods of each picture. I look, I study, I learn. Thank you! :-)

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful curves and textures. :)

Daryl said...

amazingly lovely ..it kept its head under some clearly rough times

Indrani said...

In its last stage, yet so beautiful!

solarity said...

They're all fabulous, but my favorite is the silhouette. Negative space.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

skywind said...

This is the winter.

Zuzana said...

This reminds me of a sunflower in a little village I pass every day on my way to work. There is a solitary sunflower standing by the road and I watched it turn into these images in the fall. There is beauty in flowers, no mater what stages they are in.;) Makes me feel a bit better, as I fall soon into those late stages of a flowers life.;)
Hope you are having a great weekend and as always, what a stunning photography...
xoxo

Shammickite said...

Sunflowers turn to face the sun, but this poor little sunflower will never turn to face the sunshine again.... however, spring is on the way (eventually we hope!) and look at all those seeds.... promise of life to be awakened by the warmth of the sun melting the snow..... oh, wow, I'm getting quite poetic here!

Rosaria Williams said...

Stunning! I don't think any of the quotes could capture what you captured in the photos!

Tabor said...

You have very magically created a wonderful montage of the death of a sunflower. Stunning photography. I am waiting for you to publish these...other than in blogger.

Geraldine said...

I love sunflowers! You've taken their beauty to a whole new level Hilary. What a talented woman you are. always a pleasure to stop by.

Hugs, G

Anonymous said...

Love those... artful!

ds said...

Gorgeous, Hilary. The silhouette is breathtaking. Thank you.

stephen Hayes said...

Very evocative imagery. You capture the mood extremely well.

CorvusCorax12 said...

great pictures, we been finally getting some winter weather...it surely has been strange lately

Steve Gravano said...

Excellent! Beautiful collection of a sunflower bowing it's head to winter.

Anita said...

Quite a transition. Nothing last forever.

Barb said...

So much yet to give even though its growth is over. I love the seed pod and the silhouette.

lime said...

love that last silhouette. a wonderful visual denouement.

Gail Dixon said...

So creative you are. The quotes are wonderful. So glad I read them today. :)

Red said...

I have sunflowers in my yard that are in the same state. Only in my yard the backdrop would be white. Nicely done with the use of low light.

yaya said...

It looks picked clean..totally done...but yet it keeps hanging on. A good lesson when we want to give up and throw in the towel..to keep hanging in there! Love the last shot...amazing.

Gillian Olson said...

Beautiful shots, great details.

Hilary said...

Incredible shots.

Rob-bear said...

I could not see the front so well. Perhaps there are seeds left for winter feeding of your winged neighbours and friends.

VM Sehy Photography said...

Lovely images. The silhouette is my favorite. I love sunflowers. They're just really cool and bees love them, too.

Cloudia said...

beginning middle & end.
you always produce a classic whole.
aren't we lucky!



Aloha from Waikiki
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Ruby said...

wonderful shots. Thanks!

Lynne with an e said...

There is real artistry in these shots. Such a beautifully original way of seeing.

Maggie May said...

It looks sad but the birds would love it!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Anvilcloud said...

I like your macro views of life.

Liz Mays said...

Exquisitely done!

Hilary said...

Thank you all for such kind comments. I've not spent too much time on the computer (being away from my own for the past few days) so it's always lovely when I read your sweet remarks. I'll pick up my blogging pace again in the next few days.

Bob Bushell said...

A brilliant sunflower, lovely plant ad beautiful photos.

Johnnny said...

beautiful pictures! i just bought some sunflowers to put out for our little birds. we also put out our christmas tree (laying on its side) next to the food source where the birds use it as a condominium. thanks, johnnny

Anonymous said...

Blessings to you today, Hilary ♥

Bossy Betty said...

You are simply amazing, Hilary!

Barbara said...

Beautiful shots! Love how it's hanging on. And I love the Helen Keller quote.

Suldog said...

You even make death look good. Damn.

Linda said...

It's magic...you bring dead things to life. Great pics.

photowannabe said...

Most people wouldn't spend their time photographing flowers way past their prime.
You Hilary, are not most people.
You have captured gorgeous textures and rich colors.
I so enjoy visiting your blog.

Betty Manousos said...

your photos are really, really gorgeous!
i know i could count on you to give me my daily dose of inspiration.

thank you!
xo

Russell said...

Enjoyed this post. Very nice.

And if I come in at #54, well, that will be the same as the year of my birth!!

Take care.

Reena said...

Still showing off its beauty! Great photos Hilary.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely love the first one. The motion, the curves, the color. Very nice!

HANS-PETER ZÃœRCHER said...

Foto-Poesie vom allerfeinsten...

Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz

Hans-Peter