Scent of Austin 08092023

Broqpa is the name of a small village in Nepal. Ziesook first learned of it from a TV documentary, The Last Empire. I was moved by what I learned about a small village at the end of the Silk Road in Nepal named Broq-pa. In Broq-pa, the symbolic meaning of flowers is extraordinary. In the Nepalese culture, flowers symbolize love, happiness, and appreciation for God. Broq-pa’s women are committed to growing flowers in their garden and decorating their hair with flowers every day. I wanted to incorporate this traditional symbolism from Broq-pa into my work and my personal life. She believes that this ephemeral medium, the flower, can carry a piece of happiness into people’s lives. Ziesook’s desire to share the spirit of Broq-pa with people through her artwork was the inspiration for her series, Scent of Broq-pa. The first work in the Broq-pa project began in 2016 with floral portraits of her twin daughters. I am continuing the series by exploring floral portraits of seniors, single mothers, people from multicultural backgrounds, and different age groups. After moving to Texas, one of the first things I did was go out and collect some of the state's wildflowers. I was drawn to the sea holly, lace flower, bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush, and pink evening primrose in particular. I also gathered specimens of the evening primrose, Indian blanket, campanula, cornflower, gayfeather, texas thistle, perovskia, leucophyllum, knautia arvensis, and cirsism horridulum michx. I collected photos and have been editing a photo essay book about 'the color of Texas'. Also have been making a documentary with nature movie clips. This project is a great way to celebrate the beauty of Texas and raise awareness about the importance of preserving its natural treasures.