Olga Volchkova Russian/American, b. 1970
St. Cuckoo's Tears - Print available, 2023
Acrylic & gesso on wood panel
16" x 20"
Some plants have a very quiet presence, but very romantic names, and I have memories of them. Cuckoo's Tears (briza grass), is a plant I used to collect and dry...
Some plants have a very quiet presence, but very romantic names, and I have memories of them. Cuckoo's Tears (briza grass), is a plant I used to collect and dry for the winter's bouquets, because even when it's dry it has this quality of shivering and trembling, like it's still alive.
Like most grasses, the small heart-shaped flowers of Cuckoo's Tears hold water drops in a special way, as if they're dripping with tears. I always wondered: why are cuckoos crying? They have an unfortunate reputation in the nests of other birds. But all of them are orphans, abandoned by
parents who were also orphans, so the trauma continues. Maybe that's why they're crying. They never had their real mother's love.