A while back, maybe 6-7 years, I got the thought in my head that the leaves from sweet gum trees resembled five-pointed stars of the kind that appear on the American flag. Might have been brilliant insight, or maybe just the bourbon talking. We’ll never know. So anyway, I collected 50 sweet gum leaves, plus a red maple leaf, a yellow poplar leaf and a green sycamore leaf and using my scanner and Photoshop assembled this image that I called the “Leaf Flag.” It’s sort of an outlier to most of my work. I keep thinking about printing it large and hanging it outdoors but so far I’ve just made it available as an inkjet print in a bin in my yurt gallery/studio.
Yesterday I got a visit from a young woman who called and asked to come by and see the poetry walk and the yurt gallery. Her car pulled up, she got out and the car drove away. I said, “Is your partner coming back?” “No,” she said, “That’s an Uber driver.” In my mind I’m thinking “What? Someone actually found an Uber car around here and used it to come to my place? And does she really think there’s an Uber car in the whole county that will come back out here in the woods and pick her up when she’s done?” Out loud I said “Wow, nobody’s ever come here in an Uber car. When you’re done I’ll give you ride back to town.”
Turned out the young woman was a foreign exchange student going to college in North Carolina and using her free time to see as much of the USA as she could. She was from Zimbabwe and majoring in business and politics. She spent a good deal of time on the poetry walk and eventually arrived at the yurt gallery where I met up with her again. We chatted a bit. She impressed me as being both curious and insightful and I quite enjoyed our conversation.
After perusing the gallery she was preparing to leave when she stopped by the bin of inkjet prints and started leafing through them. She found a leaf image she liked and set it aside, and kept on. Then she came to the “Leaf Flag” image. Instead of laughing and going on the next image like most visitors, she asked if she could take that print too. I said sure, even though I couldn’t fathom the appeal of an American flag image to a visitor from Zimbabwe. Then she explained. The colors of your flag image are the same colors as those of my flag. I can take this print back and put it on my wall and it will represent both where I am and where I’m from.
So today I had to go find a picture of the Zimbabwe flag. Here it is.
That’s all I got. Now I’m wondering what inspirations are at work when countries choose colors for their flags. Do some look inward for emotional colors, and others look outward for nature’s colors? Somebody must have researched this. Anyway, what an interesting coincidence.
What an interesting story, Steven. Thank you for sharing it with us.
You’re welcome, Antje.
I like the leaf flag. It might make a cool banner but it might offend some who follow strict rules about flag presentation.
I wouldn’t suggest for a second that my intent was to push buttons. It’s not like I’m turning the flag in a pair of speedos or a bikini. It’s the land we live on and the land we live in. I’ll stand up for that.
I can’t imagine anyone who could be offended by your leaf flag. Purest form of patriotism is to honor the flag PERIOD. No rules on how…that’s what’s great about America.
Love this tale! Her visit must have absolutely made your day. Did she say how she found you?
Yes, she was a great visit. She was particularly taken with Linda’s poetry on the poetry walk. She explained that words were very important to her in the process of learning English (even though she was basically flawless in conversation) and she was quoting specific lines from the poems after her walk. Plus she admitted to writing some poetry of her own. She probably found me through one of the Saxapahaw websites. She called middle of the week to ask if I’d be around and of course I almost always am.
Talk about foreign exchange. Talk about hands across the sea. Good story,
Always thought you were the coolest guy ever…now I know it to be true! My most prized possession is your art…as seen on my Facebook page. I just hope we still have a flag 5 years from now!
Thanks Pam!
I really enjoyed reading this. Last week I read an old Our State article about the oak-barrel Heritage Flags that Heath Trigg started making (after having a dream). It’s a booming business now–triggering (yes) much within people who want them. Your Zimbabwe visitor and your post about the visit and your inkjet prints brought this back to my mind–the story still fresh in my mind. I like Linda’s poetry too, and I love your creativity. I’ll be by soon for the colors Walk….
Thanks Margaret. I wasn’t familiar with the Heritage Flags. They look pretty great. And do come on by!