Blue Flag

by Gordon Beningfield

Title

Blue Flag

Artist

Gordon Beningfield

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Watercolor Paper

Description

Found in wetlands, moist meadows, and ditches in northeastern North America, blue flag blooms from May to August. The large, downward-curving "petals" are actually colored sepals, alternating with the upright petals. The purple veins on the sepals guide bees to nectar tubes at the base of the flowers. As the bees crawl toward the nectar, they collect pollen on their backs and cross-pollinate the flowers. After flowering, the fruit forms a three-lobed seed capsule that splits along the side as it dries, revealing stacks of flattened seeds. In Europe, the regal flowers of Iris species often were carved on the scepters of rulers as symbols of power. Louis VII of France chose the iris as the emblem of his royal house, which gave rise to the common name fleur-del-lis or flower of Louis. Blue flags spread by rhizomes or underground stems. Both the roots and rhizomes contain iridin, which can be poisonous to livestock and humans if ingested.

Gordon Beningfield was born in London, but spent his childhood in rural Hertfordshire. He began his career as an ecclesiastical artist, and his commissions included engravings of seven glass Memorial Windows for the Brigade of Guards in the Guard's Chapel, London. Although he began to build a reputation for himself as a wildlife artist in the early 1960s, it wasn't until 1974 that a Look Stranger television program brought his work to the notice of a larger audience. After that, Beningfield was regularly in the public eye with periodic appearances on the BBC's In the Country program. The quality of his work, of course, steadily enhanced his reputation as one of Britain's leading painters of the countryside. His work first appeared in book form in 1978 with the publication of Beningfield's Butterflies, followed by Beningfield's Countryside. Many of his works have been displayed in international exhibits. His art was first immortalized on postage stamps in 1981 when his paintings of Britain's butterflies were chosen to be featured on that year's special British stamp issue. His appearances on television and publication of books made him a familiar artist in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1991 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB12873

Uploaded

April 6th, 2022

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags