C. B. Crawford, Peony from Troodos, 1933, Watercolour, Collection of Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
C.B. Crawford is one of the traveller artists of CVAR for who we don’t know much about. We only know that she visited Cyprus with her friends in 1933, travelled to many places around the island and painted various landscapes and flowers that she liked. She created her drawings in a sketchbook which ended up in our museum many years later.
Activity one: Flower Artist
Did you know...
The favourite season of the year for flower artists is spring, as the flowers are at their best! Cyprus was a favourite destination for professional artists that wanted to find wildflowers to draw but also for amateur artists like C.B. Crawford. Peonies can be found in some areas in Troodos from the end of April to the beginning of May.
- Observe some of the flowers in the museum’s collection. Do you recognise any of them or did you happen to see them somewhere?
C.B. Crawford and Milla Cavendish are both amateur artists who were inspired by the flowers of Cyprus. However, they painted them in a totally different way.
- Can you spot three differences by observing their drawings?
Now go outside in the garden or on the balcony and try to draw a flower, observing the details very carefully.
- the petals
- the pollen
- the buds
- the stem
- the leaves
- the colours
Does your painting look like Milla’s or C.B.’s?
We would love to see your drawing at education@severis.org
Activity two: Spring Easter Wreaths
Have you ever considered that…
We celebrate Easter and the Resurrection at the time of the year when nature resurrects, and re-births after the end of the winter. This time of the year is Spring of course!
To celebrate Spring we usually make some flower wreaths. Using peonies like the painting, you can make your own wreath with paper flowers, following these steps:
- Download the files HERE and HERE and print them
- Colour the flowers and cut them out
- Take a paper plate or a round piece of thick paper and glue
- Glue the peonies around
- If you want to make an Easter wreath you can also add some colourful paper eggs to it.
Activity three: Peony and myth
Did you know…
Peony is not only a beautiful flower but also a plant with many healing properties. It took its name from Peonas, who was the healer of the gods. His name is found in Homer’s Iliad and also on an inscription in Knossos, in Crete. Many ancient authors refer to peonies and their uses in medicine.
- Listen now to a story based on the myth of Peonas HERE
Challenge
Our challenge is very simple. Just open the window during sunset, take a deep breath. Which scents of the spring can you detect?
