“I must have flowers, always and always.” Claude Monet
My first favorite flower was the carnation, dianthus caryophyllus. Dianthus means “flower of the gods” in Greek. The common name, carnation, is from the Latin incarnationem, which means “the incarnation of God.” But it’s the carnation’s fragrance that I find most appealing. 
When I was in high school, carnations were everywhere. They were almost exclusively used in girls’ corsages and guys’ boutonnieres (probably the first French word I ever heard). They were used for weddings, funerals, anniversaries, birthdays — a carnation for every occasion. White was the most common color, but I also remember seeing several pastel hues.
Eager to learn more, I went to a well-known florist, Gib Cunningham (any of you locals remember him?), who taught me how to grow carnations and add color to them. Turns out changing their color was easy (just use food coloring!), and they maintained their hypnotic fragrance, but propagating them was tougher (let’s just say there were lots of deaths in my carnation families).🫤
My appreciation for flowers of all kinds has greatly expanded over the years. I enjoy painting them in all their brilliant variety, as you can see if you look through the collection of florals. Perhaps you'll find the fragrance, color, and composition you have been looking for — and you don’t even have to water it!
Until next time, 
CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY
Trinity United Methodist Church Gallery
901 E Neal | Salina, Kansas | 785-825-5270
Lauren Quinn Flower Boutique
129 S Santa Fe Ave | Salina, Kansas | 785-502-5120
Call or text me at 785-577-1227 if you see something you're interested in.