Why Poppies Pop Up.

Part of art is capturing that which is fleeting.
The common red cornfield poppy, Papaver rhoeas, lasts only for one brief day.

Mary Kemp
"Field Full of Poppies"
Oil on canvas
30 x 30 cm

Stepping out of the car we were surrounded by poppies, to the left, the right and in front. Instead of green, the fields were RED, not just pale red, but bright pillar box alarming red!  

It was the end of the day, and we were hot and tired and late to meet up with the others, so we just took photos. 

But looking at the photos later they didn't seem right. A digital camera evens out a lot of the tones and colours automatically and often leaves you with a bland image. The only way for me to record that wonderful sight was to paint it. Jean used watercolours, but I went in for the heavy artillery, oil paints.

Mary Kemp
"Poppies as Far as the Eye Can See"
Oil on canvas
30 x 30 cm

And why do poppies pop up?

Poppy seeds can stay in the ground for up to 80 years before germinating, but as soon as the soil is disturbed they will grow, and so they appear in ploughed fields and battle fields to bloom for just one day, and then die.