Roses

My mom's favorite flower is a rose. And I've been drawing roses since I was a kid.

My mom loves roses so much that she wanted us to name one of our children "Rose," so my sister used it for her baby's middle name. :) It is so sweet. And my little niece is so sweet (and full of energy).

I've never thought to ask my mom why she loves roses so much, but I know that she was raised hanging out in a green house. Her aunt owned a small commercial green house and my mom often talks fondly of her time there learning to plant and grow life. Whenever we visited my great-aunt's house as a child, we would play in the green houses and eat lots of dessert.

Unfortunately, I did not inherit a green thumb, but I did inherit a love of flowers.

Here, I took roses and combined them with my abstract style and I have done several different pieces. It started with a wash that I left hanging on the wall in my studio - probably for a few months. I just kept looking at it and looking at it, feeling like it wasn't right. I added components - heavy body acrylic, gold details, and black lines until I decided that I liked it.

Now, whenever I do these pieces, I think about my mama.

Here she is with my lil sis.