“Primarily recognized for her paintings of flowers, Georgia O’Keeffe is a pioneer of American art. Her flower paintings were a crucial step in the evolution of her work as a modernist painter. Ever since their inception, they have garnered both praise and disdain from critics who have pondered over the true meaning behind these flowers.”     — The Collector.

Some critics believed O’Keeffe’s flower paintings were a comment on women’s sexuality.

She denied that. For her, they were her commentary on seeing — a magnifying lens for the attention. Painting these close-ups was a way of learning to look,  she insisted, removing the blinders with which we gallop through the world. She said flowers were about slowing down, looking around us,  finding emotion in color, and accepting things as they are.

I’ve always thought of my photography as something inside me that needed to come out. Flowers helped me see the world anew; they do it repeatedly.

I’m tired, and my newly refurbished eyes are tired. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

After my surgery, I went out to explore my new sense of flowers. What follows is my experiment with a new lens and radically improved vision, as well as what I found. I don’t believe my flowers are a commentary on sexuality, nor do I deny that I see flowers as being inherently sexual, constantly making love and showing love.