Throughout history, the rose has many meanings from true love, to the divine feminine, to peace and sacred blessings to political symbolism and bloodshed. In this collection of paintings, to me the rose feels symbolic of humans’ brilliance and beauty as well as our destruction and demise. The rose displays breathtaking loveliness and purity, yet it also displays seduction and impermanence. The petals, in all their velvet luxury, lure us in yet the thorns protect its own self, discouraging engagement. In this collection of paintings: Tales from a Rose Garden, humans have become extinct and the animals remain. The Great Mother thrives and we are a distant memory. The rose portrays the link between what was once human and the animal’s perception of our behavior.

Spring 2023