BIRTHDAY ROSES


To me a rose, is a rose, is a rose .... I have never ever painted a vase of flowers let alone roses. But now I was cornered.

Many years ago I promised a lady I would paint her roses for a particular birthday and promptly forgot about it. Recently I got a call to remind me the birthday was imment ...

There was no way out. I drove off to the flower shop, sorry 'florist', and bought some bunches of roses then searched the house for anything that might be useful as a vase. (All paintings are roughly 24" x 20")



I promised red roses so I decided to warm up with some pink (above). The pink also seemed to be the first to begin to droop, later I was to discover it was necessary to keep them in the refrigerator to prolong their life. The shell was to fill a compositional space as well as reflecting the same hues. It was also a reminder I might be at the beach instead of painting roses.



That seemed ok so I tried the red.



Now I am painting roses expect I should look to their placement. Asking around I find pink blooms are suitable for bedrooms, red for a more formal setting such as a dining room and white and gold anywhere else.

I also discover Cleopatra was said to have filled her rooms with rose petals to welcome Mark Anthony and that the early Christians banned the rose from churches and churchyards because of its connection with pagan rites. This is getting interesting ...

GO TO .... roses No 2

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