The song of the flower. 

Water Color Prints
by Artist/Creator Gay Goessling

Even as a young child , I could never pass a flower without running up to it and feeling peace, joy . A huge smile appeared and I would sigh ohhhhh as I felt the beauty, saw the colors, and smelled the smells.   I had to touch them and feel the satiny petals or waxy flowers and immerse my whole face into the smell.  My life has always involved flowers and plants.

Some my early memories were of making leis out of Mock Orange and Roses with my mother in the spring after we moved to St Louis from Hawaii, my birthplace. I  weeded our garden, although I always thought it would be better to have a forest emerge and have a jungle to play in. Our house was filled with tropical plants. In the spring I would help my Dad plant the vegetable garden.  

We had a country place in St Clair, Missouri, where I would disappear into the natural moss gardens in the heat of the summer to build miniature Indian villages using oak acorn caps, sticks, bark, and ferns within the moss carpet. I would search for wild flowers in the fields and woods. For me this world was safe and magical. Nature surrounded me and I was happy exploring.

In our house in the city, I was surrounded by watercolors of Hawaiian plants painted by my ancestors,  I started painting flowers very young and continued off and on through out my life. In college I toyed with the idea of becoming  an artist or an architect. Initially, I took art and art history courses until I stumbled upon my love, Botany. It was completely by chance or so it seemed. This love affair exploded.  In the botany Labs, we had to draw the flower and I was in seventh heaven. I ended with a double major of art history and botany with lots of art thrown into the mix.   After college and some working, I returned to school to get my Masters in Landscape Architecture which I have pursued for many years along side with my love of using plants for healing.

My  parallel passion is my spiritual life and the studies of indigenous cultures. This has lead me to an evolving dialogues with nature.

In 2012 , all  parts of myself converged into one idea, sacred geometry of flowers. This used my love of flowers, botany, art, art history, landscape architecture, nature and spirituality. The spirit guided me to paint (art and art history) the sacred geometry (architecture and spirituality) using all the flower part (botany), relationship of the parts to the whole (landscape architecture and art history). The Violet was calling me. It is my soul flower and my first of many paintings. When I finished the painting it felt like a key turned and locked into place. The resulting mandalas vibrate at the flower frequency and can be used in the garden, meditation, and as art. Along with the paintings, I meditate or journey for peoples Soul (Birth) Flower so that the flower can assist people on their own journey of wholeness, just as the violet has done for me. I love my connection to the flowers and am grateful for this time to spend with them so intimately.

 I hope you find a connection with them too.

Love and Peace,
Gay