A Friendship with Forsythia

The forsythia flower

whatever

the weather,

slowly forms

to come forth

all-0f-a-sudden;

as well seen

faraway

as near.

 

The above image is a sample page from
my recently released
A Friendship with Flowers.

In the US, Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12th. This book of my reflections and illustrations on flowers could be an everlasting bouquet to give to your mother, wife, sister, daughter, girl friend, or any woman who is special in your life.

It would make a perfect gift for any occasion for anyone who appreciates the beauty, wisdom and playfulness of flowers!

It is now available at amazon.com with free shipping.  You can also preview more pages there. It can also be purchased and previewed at lulu.com.

Five Star Review by D. Bennison of Bennison Books:

A beautiful book April 22, 2013

In A Friendship with Flowers, the gifted American author and artist Diane Denton invites us to share a healing journey she took when the flowers that surrounded her in a very English part of England gave her solace, hope and inspiration.

This beautifully produced book will not be left on a bookshelf for long; and as if the exquisite paintings (you’ll never look at a dandelion in the same way again) are not more than enough in themselves, the author also includes her unique commentary on the natural world as she studies and interacts with it while coming to terms with an unspecified experience in her life.

This combination of artwork and poetic observation, that is both personal and universal, creates a unique alchemy that calms and comforts while still leaving open the essential mystery of the natural world and our place in it. Sometimes, the author seems to suggest, it’s OK for there to be no answers; there may be no pat solutions, but there are insights and realisations, looking back to move forward (This holy rose/is another reminder/of the summer past/and yet/to come…), and new ways of seeing things (I found the snow didn’t drop/from above/but sprung from below/to cover the ground…).

The illustrations and the accompanying poetry, which is controlled, understated and pared back, combine to create a companion book that will reveal a little more each time you dip into it; you will feel (to borrow the author’s words): here’s a friend/I just got to know — /suddenly,/by the roadside,/as I was going/nowhere.

This book also includes a detailed glossary listing all the flowers shown in the beautiful illustrations throughout the book. This glossary includes the everyday and Latin name of each flower plus brief information about its habitat and the time of year that you’ll be able to spot it (easily recognisable in real life from the painstaking accuracy of the artist’s depiction).

Here is a photo of one of the forsythia bushes in my yard, taken just this morning, a glorious spring day!

©Artwork and writing, unless otherwise indicated, are the property of Diane M Denton. Please request permission to reproduce or post elsewhere with a link back to bardessdmdenton. Thank you.