Thistle Queen

This self-portrait was inspired by years of criticism that I am aggressive and confrontational. Though I am hardly without faults, I find that people are most likely to label me this way when I am being passionate about a belief or project, or when I am standing up for myself. Taking up space and being heard are often perceived in a negative fashion by those who would silence a woman.
The bull thistle, a noxious weed greatly detested in the rural community where I live, is one of my favorite flowers. The first one sprouted in my garden several years ago from a seed borne on the wind from a neighboring cow pasture. I have been allowing them space in my garden ever since, where they become quite enormous and popular with the pollinators.
I find the contrast of their beautiful and nurturing flowers with the prickly thorns to be a lovely expression of non-standard beauty. Thus, they are a fitting metaphor to illustrate my experiences as a big personality in small-minded surroundings.