Close to the Sun 2

Close to the Sun 2/Rambutan by Lisa Goesling

I don't know if this happens to you, but I can't walk into the produce section without being drawn to the unusual shapes, textures and colors that abound. I had no idea what a Rambutan but was instantly inspired. Rambut is the Malay word for "hair", which these tiny fruits from Southeast Asia have an abundance of. Their spikey texture left me to wondering about the brave (likely hungry) souls who took a chance on this unusual fruit in the first place. I couldn't wait to study this unfamiliar fruit for my latest in a series of how nature mimics our sun. The first of which, Close to the Sun, is my transformation of the unremarkable sunflower into an image that plays homage to the sun. 

Close to the Sun by Lisa Goesling

Almost There Sunflower

Almost There Sunflower by Lisa Goesling                                                                  Copyright

Varieties of the ancient sunflower sound like dinosaur names, Helianthus maximiliani, Helianthus tuberoses,  and Tithonia rotunifolia. This one looks prehistoric with it's spiky shapes poking off of the page. I am going to leave it just as it appears giving it a little breathing room.

Close to the Sun

Copyright:  Close to the Sun by Lisa Goesling                                                                                 

I find it interesting that this flower is called a Sunflower and has a lot of the same properties of the sun. It has the center shape surrounded by 'rays' which light up the garden. There is a whole lot going on in this 8"x8" space!