Intimidated by advance hate speech that seemed designed to stoke the fires of potential violence against non-violent people, I headed to the Janice Mason Art Museum in Trigg County on Saturday, instead of participating in a “No Kings” rally.
A museum seemed like a safe space to be.
So, at the same time thousands of west Kentucky folks were gathering in Paducah, Madisonville, Hopkinsville, Henderson, and Owensboro, I was turning off Route 68 onto Main Street in Cadiz. Blue lights shimmered in the distance, suggesting trouble ahead. The vehicle in front of me pulled off the road, and I did the same. Those behind followed suit.
With no sirens, no speed, headlights on, the oncoming procession proceeded at a solemn pace. Everyone paused, no longer in a hurry. This was no accident but an act of God, a funeral.
What mattered in those few minutes was to show respect, to act with dignity, to honor a meaningful tradition.
Once the caravan passed, I continued on to the museum to view an exhibition that pays tribute to a different tradition, one dating back to eighteenth century Holland.
The artwork on display, by noted Murray artist Jennifer Fairbanks-Hayes, exemplifies the tradition of “Impossible Bouquets” – large, still-life paintings featuring stunning arrangements of flowers that do not naturally blossom in the same season and location. The convention reflects an artistic tradition that goes back to the Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), whose magical floral arrangements stretched the boundaries of nature and astonished viewers with their meticulous composition and fabulous color.
Like Ruysch, Fairbanks-Hayes makes the impossible, possible in her bigger-than-life bouquets.
In all her creative work in the “Flora” exhibition, Fairbanks-Hayes is inspired by a love of nature, its beauty, harshness, and dynamic range. The plein air pieces invite immersion in the shifting light of the Kentucky landscape and the evanescent allure of sunsets. She invites the elements of the landscape indoors in her stunning still life paintings.
But those Impossible Bouquets? They steal the show.
During the reception on Saturday one viewer wondered, “How do you put it all together? Are these flowers all painted in season?”
According to Fairbanks-Hayes, the planning process starts in the middle and works out from there, depending on what flowers are available and when. Pointing to the largest bouquet, she explained, “I knew I wanted a red tulip at the top, so I grew one myself.”
To support her early “impossible” efforts, she even started her own garden and found another useful source in Gracey, Ky., with Free Range Flowers from Martin Farms.
Small, preliminary studies are another planning tool, as are photographic studies that enable her to refresh her imagination as she creates one flower, and then another, and another. The challenge is to capture the momentary beauty of each before the signs of passing time appear.
In bygone eras, the process was VERY slow. As technology continues to blossom, it is easier to grow rare flowers out of season. And with Artificial Intelligence, who knows what impossibilities might be achieved?
On my way back home to Murray, I welcomed hearing news that millions of participants successfully expressed their political opinions on Saturday with a range of emotions that demonstrated joy, exuberance, and commitment to freedom of speech and the U.S. Constitution. Peaceful demonstrations that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion are, after all, not impossible.
Take a lesson from fine art: Patience, planning, one flower at a time, can make what seems impossible, possible.
Jennifer Fairbanks-Hayes received her MA in Art Therapy from New York University and studied portrait and figurative painting at The Art Students League of New York and National Academy of Design. She was awarded two Hudson River Fellowships from the Grand Central Atelier and recently received the Gold Medal of Honor from the Catherine Lorillard Wolf Art Club. More information is on her website – Gallery 109.
The exhibition, “Flora,” is on view at the Janice Mason Museum until November 28. For further information log on to jmam.org.
