Beyond petals
Mary Margaret Land’s passion for flowers, Canadian values blossoms into exhibit running at the Confederation Centre of the Arts until Dec. 22
Every painting tells a story. And, if you take a few moments to study each image and read the accompanying prose, you will get a better understanding of P.E.I. artist Mary Margaret Land and how she feels about being a Canadian.
The watercolour exhibit is called, “Flowers of Canada: A Celebration of Canadian Unity”.
Comprised of the official flowers of all 13 provinces and territories of Canada, along with a painting titled, “Canadian Unity”, it’s on view in the boardroom of Confederation Centre of the Arts until Dec. 22.
“Each flower is about a different value. So the whole show
is about what we value as Canadians. And that, I believe, is our true wealth,” says Land, who has spent the past decade creating and developing the national project.
Take her painting of the lady’s slipper, P.E.I.’s official flower, for instance. It’s called “Connectedness”.
“This wonderful and rare orchid grows on an Island made of sandstone and its roots run deep. P.E.I.’s strength comes from its people and their deep connection to one another and their Island,” writes Land on the accompanying gallery tag.
Or consider the watercolour of mountain avens, the Northwest Territories’ official flower. It’s called “Determination”.
“High in the magnificence of the Nahanni, exposed to the elements, these stunning mountain avens thrive as they capture the light. Like the mountain avens, the determination of the people of the Northwest Territories to preserve their culture and traditions is both important and impressive,” she writes.
Take a moment to peruse the colourful pitcher plant, Newfoundland’s official flower. It’s interesting to note that Land’s decision to use “Kindness” as its title was made long before “Come From Away”, the Tony award-winning musical about the kindness of Newfoundlanders to thousands of airline passengers stranded in Gander during 9/11, was written.
“Kindness is such a big thing. You bump into a Canadian on a sidewalk and they end up apologizing,” says Land, adding the seeds for the Canada 150 exhibit were planted in 1964.
At that time she was in Grade 2 and her father was helping her with a school project that she was writing about her family.
“We patiently cut daisy petals out of construction paper to make eight daisies. In the middle of each flower, we cut out yellow circles on which we pasted circular photos of each family member around the title, ‘Our Family’. ”
“My family was my first community and the circle has just grown bigger over the years.”
And now that she’s showing her work at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, her vision has come “full circle.”
“I’m very excited. It’s been a lot of years of working. The Confederation Centre is my favourite spot on the Island.
“And to have an exhibit here is close to my heart.”
Since childhood, flowers have become an important symbol in her life.
“People are kind of like flowers. And they grow in families and communities, which are like gardens.”