It All Adds Up

I planted sunflower seeds with my son in March, at the beginning of the quarantine having no idea if they would yield flowers, but hopeful for their growth. He eventually would measure himself against their stalks, gradually outgrowing him, myself, and even my husband. In what felt nothing short of a kaboom moment, we recently witnessed their first blooms, radiant in the sun, full of color and light - and to me, the hope that blooms when something grows out of the simplest beginnings.

I started studying these personal symbols of hope. Observing the blooms very closely, I noticed the most intricate pattern inside the sunflower, spirals upon spirals, that contained miniature blooms, or florets. I learned the sunflower adopts these spirals to create the highest amount of florets in a given space - florets that will attract bees to help it propagate. Creating space in our lives to attract what will help us grow and expand. The sunflower making room to fully express its magic - the true beauty, to me, not in the shiny buttery petals, but in the intricacy of its core.

As I researched these spirals more, in what came to feel very serendipitous, I learned the spirals mimic the concept I studied in engineering school - the Fibonacci spiral. That the number of spirals of florets within the sunflower also reflects the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. The sequence simply being that each new number is created by adding the two numbers that came before. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and so on.

We are this sequence. We are a sum of our days, our experiences, our journey, our story, our struggles, especially during this time, right where we are. They all have a weight and a meaning. They build towards something beautiful and connected, with purpose and even divine design. We are a culmination of each new day, moment of love shared, kindness expressed towards ourselves and others - it all adds up. The past builds towards our future. It all matters. We are building something in ourselves.

As someone struggling with meeting the changing needs of my family during this pandemic, as I'm adjusting temporarily away from full time artist to full time mom, where days start to become indistinguishable from one another - shifting my mindset to acknowledge that all the days prior are not for naught, but are building something in me, to become stronger, more resilient, more true.

It All Adds Up
60x60, Acrylic on Canvas

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

Working hard to plant what will someday ripen, their beautiful yield to be savored and enjoyed. Shared with a loved one, a friend, a confidant - gratitude for squeezing something sweet from the salt of sweat and resolve.

Two friends at ease, their time touched by a present but unseen sun, casting shadows as big as their effort.

Their focus not on what lies ahead, but rather what is at hand, of this moment. Their desire to be together, to share, to celebrate the present abundance, to rest, to balance the inner warmth of hard work with the refreshing chill of life freshly squeezed.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy
36x24, Acrylic on Canvas, sold

Let Your Honesty Shine

Reminding myself its OK to be delicate, especially in this time. That some wishes and plans grasped too tight may pop, that hope continues to rise and float, and that ephemeral moments of play, beauty and love are awaiting our presence.

Let Your Honesty Shine
48x30, Acrylic on Canvas

When It Rains…

I painted this during a time in Dallas we had rain for a month straight. I thought I was so clever for choosing to see the light in the situation over the dark, to sing in the rain with my cute pink umbrella. I’m laughing at myself now realizing I had no idea we’d be in for 5 months plus of “rain” this year.

So, I’ve decided to hang this piece in my living room now as my daily reminder to face the rain and somehow find the light in it. Moments each day that it exists if I breathe, reframe and let it be.

Cats and Dogs
48x72, Acrylic on Canvas

Thank You For Sharing

Thank you for your huge support during my print sale last week! The most meaningful part was hearing why you selected your piece and your personal connection to the image and story. I think the most beautiful pairing is when my intention with a painting mixes with your own experiences and views - and comes to create something entirely one of a kind and truly powerful! Thank you for being vulnerable alongside me, and sharing a piece of your journey with me.

Prints are no longer in stock, but I will keep you posted via this newsletter and Instagram when the next run becomes available!

About

My name is Mione Plant and I'm an artist, visual storyteller, and formerly an engineer for 10 years. My pursuit to follow my curiosities and creativity has joyfully led me to painting.

I draw inspiration from my joys of childhood, my son's childhood, and even a child-like perspective as an adult. I use whimsical imagery to convey my journey, along with gentle and approachable reminders to myself, to continually return to my center, to my truth, to choose hope over fear.

In each painting, I love to create beautifully mathematic combinations - celebrating my path from engineer to artist by mixing right brain with left, playfulness with precision, joy with geometry, whimsy with substance.

I hope to bring joy through my artwork, but maybe even more importantly, to bring connection, to acknowledge our shared journey. The trials we experience and the beauty and magic of overcoming them; of facing fears and coming out on the other side; of pausing, stopping, slowing down to recognize beauty and magic all around us.

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