Golden Sunflowers

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are a fascinating subject from a mathematical point of view. The center of a sunflower is comprised of many florets, which develop into seeds. Each floret grows at an angle of approximately 137.5° from the next floret. This precise angle is known as the Golden Angle in mathematics. The Golden Angle arrangement enables optimal seed placement, which results in a uniform distribution of seeds across the entire flower face and creates a striking spiral pattern. To represent this remarkable natural phenomenon of the Golden Angle found in sunflowers, I have gilded the reverse side of each image with 23k gold leaf. This artistic technique serves to emphasize the significance of this phenomenon and highlights the intricate patterns found in nature. I visited local farmer's markets and small flower farms, searching for sunflowers during the summer and fall seasons. Each image captured depicts a different sunflower. I create my Botanical Mandalas through a specialized photographic technique using the camera's multiple exposure mode. To do this, I place the flower on a rotating platform and photograph it at equidistant positions until I complete a 360-degree rotation, resulting in each mandala being a multiple exposure of 8-14 images created in-camera. The original color images were converted to black and white and then printed on translucent vellum. The reverse side of each print was gilded with 23K gold leaf.