Don't Talk to the Flowers, They Lie

Acrylic on canvas.

36x36"

Don’t Talk to the Flowers, They Lie

At first, the flowers seemed harmless.

Bright, loud, almost joyful, they pushed their way through a garden that had long ago stopped following the rules. They leaned toward me as I passed, their black leaves curling like fingers, their white petals opening as if they had something important to say.

So I listened.

They told me everything was fine.
They told me the past was behind me.
They told me that beauty meant safety and that anything blooming could be trusted.
But flowers are very good at hiding what lives beneath the soil.

The longer I stayed in the garden, the more tangled it became. Color crashed into color. Stems crossed over one another. What had looked playful became chaotic, almost feverish. And still the flowers kept whispering.
That is when I realized—they were lying.

Don’t Talk to the Flowers, They Lie is about the seductive nature of beauty and the stories we tell ourselves when the truth is too uncomfortable to hear. The brilliant reds, blues, yellows, and greens fight against the heavy black forms that cover them, creating a garden that is simultaneously inviting and threatening.

Sometimes the most beautiful things have the darkest stories.
And sometimes, when the flowers start talking, you should just keep walking.