FLOWER POWER — Painting My Way Back to the Bloom

FLOWER POWER — Painting My Way Back to the Bloom

A few years ago, when I first arrived in a small town in Germany, I wasn’t a student, not quite an immigrant—but certainly a stranger. Everything was unfamiliar: the language, the rhythm of daily life, even the air. And like many strangers in a new land, I needed to find a way to keep myself grounded—something small to hold onto.

For me, that was flowers.
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Even in times when money was tight and every euro mattered, I would often stop by the flower stall in the town square. Sometimes I brought home a single stem, sometimes a small bouquet. I didn’t even own a proper vase—just a chipped cup or a glass jar. But those blooms lit up my room. More than that, they quietly held me together.

A personal journey through art and memory—discover how flowers brought comfort during difficult times abroad, and how painting resilient blooms became a way to heal, remember, and grow.

Why do flowers comfort us?Looking at flowers doesn’t just make us think “how pretty”—it sparks something deeper. A memory. A sense of peace. A feeling of life continuing. And there’s science behind that.

• According to a Rutgers University study, people exposed to flowers experience decreased depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
• Flower therapy has been shown to stimulate cognition and improve emotional well-being in seniors and even patients with dementia.
• One study from the University of Kansas found that hospital patients with flowers in their rooms had lower pain levels and faster recovery rates.

Flowers are not just decorative—they are healing. They speak to something essential in us.

Revisiting my memories, to paint againRecently, I heard about another open call from a local gallery. I was excited—until I realized that most of the flower paintings I had created in the past were already sold. It’s a good problem to have, I know. But it also means I need to paint again. And I’ve learned: I can’t rush paintings that mean something. When I do, they feel hollow.
So I pulled out a collection of old photos I’d taken years ago, back in that early chapter of my life. These photos—bursting with tulips, daffodils, rich fields of color—were snapshots of a time when I was fragile, but slowly finding strength. They remind me that even then, beauty found a way in.


Now, I want to paint again.
Not just pretty flowers—but resilient ones.
Blooms that bend but don’t break.
That bow their heads in storms but still reach for the sun.

Art is how I remember—and how I recoverFLOWER POWER isn’t just a painting project.
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It’s a personal return. A way of honoring the quiet strength I’ve carried—and the comfort that nature gives when words fall short.
If you’ve ever found peace in a bloom,
if you’ve ever needed something simple to keep you going,
then maybe flowers have spoken to you, too.

✿ As I prepare for the next exhibition, my studio is beginning to bloom again.
Through these paintings, I hope to offer others the same quiet resilience that flowers once offered me.