Logo Artwork
It’s mysterious how we choose names – for projects, for ideas, even for babies named after relatives they may never meet. The act of naming gives shape to something unknown. It offers a frame through which we begin to see meaning. Sometimes naming takes time and deep discussion. Other times, we simply know.
James once brought home a painting from school, aged about eleven. Proudly, he presented it to his parents, who carefully framed it and hung it in the centre of the hallway. Over the years, the picture was passed by daily – a quiet, familiar presence seen by family, friends, and guests alike.
It wasn’t until after the sunflower planting following James’s death that the image was truly seen for what it was: a sunflower. As if new eyes had been opened, the picture’s purpose revealed itself. From that moment, it was clear – James’s sunflower would become an emblem. A symbol. A guiding image for everything that would grow from that first planting.
Every morning
But first some renovation was required. It had to be carefully removed from its original frame. Years ago, some of the sunflower’s petals had been trimmed to fit behind the glass. So began the delicate task of scanning, restoring, and digitally piecing it back together — ensuring James’s original mark-making was honoured in full.
As the sunflower was released from its frame, more details came into view. The dense, glowing centre – packed with seeds, holding the potential for new life – echoed the cosmic form of the Sun
itself.
Sun & Seed: Symbols of Life
The Sun, at the heart of our solar system, is a vast ball of hydrogen and helium. It’s gravity holds the solar system together. Though it cannot support life directly, life on Earth is only possible because of the Sun’s warmth and light. Half of the Sun’s mass lies in its core – an unimaginably hot region, around 15 million degrees centigrade, with a density ten times greater than lead.
The sunflower is so named for its likeness to the Sun and carries this powerful symbolism, too. Every seed in its centre holds the possibility of future growth. A new beginning. A continuation of
life.
A Living Symbol
James’s sunflower painting now carries new weight and meaning. It is both childlike and profound. Earthly and cosmic. Personal and yet universal.
Every morning, the rising Sun invites us to begin again – to seek light, to lean toward hope, to live.
And even on cloudy days, it still shines above.
When you do something beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad, for the Sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle, yet most of the audience still sleeps.
John Lennon
