Artist, Jennifer J. O'Neill-Pickering is speaking the language of flowers at Capitol Public Radio through watercolors.
Have you ever wondered what the veiled meaning is that is associated with a specific flower? Then, you might want to go view the twenty-three watercolor paintings by artist, Jennifer J. O'Neill-Pickering, on display at Capital Public Radio through June 26th.

Different cultures and different periods of time have assigned various meanings to flowers and some of these are still with us today. During Victorian England, these meanings developed into a language called Floriography. People then selected different flower bouquets to convey various thoughts and feelings to their friends, family members, and to that special someone, sentiments of the heart. For instance, you’d give the calla lily to someone you think is beautiful because it means beauty and a Camellia to thank someone because it signifies gratitude. Even the names of flowers can be playful or ominous. Take the Foxglove, which are also known as Fairy Thimbles, Witch Bells and Dead Men Bells.

The artist has been painting flowers for over thirty years and her watercolors in the lobby and adjacent room of CPR, create a Garden of Eden for the eyes. Indeed many of the flowers represented in the show were painted in the artist’s garden. “Gardening was, a gene I inherited from my mother and grandmother”, she says. The artist paints from life and memory and never from photography because” there is always something lost in the translation and usually the spirit of the subject matter."
The work ranges from small delicate botanical studies to large scale works that are influenced by impressionism and filled with symbolism. Three works from The Mandala Series are also, included in the show because as the artist states "flowers are living mandalas". The artwork affords an opportunity to select a favorite flower that will last a lifetime and runs until June 26th at Capitol Public Radio M-F8:00 AM to 5PM, State University Drive (off Folsom Blvd., Sacramento 916-278-8900. Free to the Public.