Heart of the world

Birthday gift for my wonderful:
Man on work is her OC Svarik, a bit older, manly version..

I hope I left it enough space for self-interpretation, but, as for me, this painting means confronting of two opposite forces that drive humans to two opposite sides:
- one green force, representing the nature that drives man closer to itself and his roots, closer to peace and tranquility, the force that tries to reach to him.
- and the other one coming from his own heart and actions, red, representing greed and selfishness, that leads him to destruction of nature he depends upon, wars and cruelty, and with it, as well self destruction of his own humanity.

Uh, this was such a big art project... Ever since I sow Saimain's *Heart of the forest*, knowing Svarik's deep conection to his land, I knew that this will eventually happen, if I only don't give up
I gave myself all the time to make it the best I can, and had been working on and off on it for few months, and finally got to finish it now, right on time, thanks to the tablet I got for birthday from my great friends! It turned what should had been weeks, into only days of work! It's really magical!

Basic butterflies' shapes were referenced from various butterflies, colors are my own. I think there are no known species, expect blue monarch butterfly at the right bottom side

Shapes of flowers were references from net too. Every flower and its meaning ( or purpose) was chosen carefully while I was drawing.. But.. um.. As I wasn't really saving files and names, I can't really remember names of all flowers, so I had to research it all over net now, hope I found all that are drawn:

- Forget me not ( Svarik's crown)- a symbol of both love and hope, and not forgetting the ones we love
- Lilly of the valley - humility, chastity, sweetness, purity and is said to bring luck in love. It also means "the return of happiness".
- Lilly - the flowers of the spiritually advanced. They are also the totem flowers of mothers (especially new ones), fertility and nurturing, and symbol of long lasting relationships.
- Oxlip ( turned a bit bigger than I intended -.- ) - Oxlip is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. The genus’s scientific name is based on the Latin word primus, which means ‘first’ and refers to the early flowering time.
- Daisy ( few different kinds) - purity, innocence, loyal love, beauty, patience and simplicity. Daisies are often depicted in meadows in Medieval paintings, also known as a "flowery mead."
- Morning glory ( right side of neck) - signified love and affection, according to Victorian Bazaar. Given morning glory flower's short lifespan of only one day between blooming and death, it also signifies unrequited love. Images of morning glory vines can be found on Victorian headstones, symbolizing mortality, mourning, the shortness of life or resurrection.
- Branch of cherry tree - For the Chinese the cherry blossom is a very significant symbol of power. Within the language of herbs and herbal lore of the Chinese the cherry blossom is often the symbol of love.For the Japanese the cherry blossom holds very different meaning. The cherry blossom is a very delicate flower that blooms for a very short time. For the Japanese this represents the transience of life. This concept ties in very deeply with the fundamental teachings of Buddhism that state all life is suffering and transitory. The Japanese have long held strong to the Buddhist belief of the transitory nature of life and it is very noble to not get too attached to a particular outcome or not become emotional because it will all pass in time.
- Red poppy - The poppy has a long association with Remembrance Day. Scarlet corn poppies (popaver rhoeas) grow naturally in conditions of disturbed earth throughout Western Europe. The destruction brought by the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th Century transformed bare land into fields of blood red poppies, growing around the bodies of the fallen soldiers. In late 1914, the fields of Northern France and Flanders were once again ripped open as World War One raged through Europe's heart. Once the conflict was over the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise barren battlefields..
- Arnegon ( flower from mirach's own world, the last touch up done in last few days, you can see it on left side of his hand that's holding a flute ) - The passing of a soul beyond the weave of the world disturbs its threads as the bonds are released. When many beings die in one place, the gate where souls passed to their destination can remain open for years, even centuries. In the mountains, there is a flower that grows in such places, it's called arnegon. It is very small, white, star-like flower, but the upper leaves, which form a sort of crown, are crimson red, so it looks like the plant has red flowers from some distance. It is a symbol of Ar-Venui ( people that don't commit suicide, but seek death in battle after loosing their purpose to live ) , symbol of the old kingdom and the ones that died.

I really hope you'll like it, dearest Eva!