My Little Secret or Sub Rosa*

Why do I paint so many roses?

It started out that I just wanted something beautiful to paint, but now it has a greater meaning for me.

The rose is one of the most sentimental flowers.  I love the symbolism of love and beauty—our lives opening like petals, among the thorns of pain, hard work, and disappointment. They represent how God can bring good out of misery. This quote sums it up:

“As the rose blossoms under the sun, I shall blossom under the eyes of God.”

Being, catholic, I also love the symbolism of the red rose as Christ, and his suffering on the cross. In Christian lore, a rose bush was said to have grown at the site of Christ’s death. His blood is often associated with a red rose, combined with its thorns, symbolizing the ultimate sacrifice. A rose, the queen of flowers represents Mary, the Queen of heaven and earth—the Virgin Mary is called a “rose without thorns” because she was free from original sin. Legend has it that roses blushed with shame when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. 

Each flower I paint is a form of prayer and gratitude. May Christ and Mary unfold in me a better understanding of human hardship and help me to blossom into a better person. 

My wish for all who view my paintings is to see their version of spring and to have a little beauty touch their lives.

To work is to pray. (John Singer Sargent)

Good art is a form of prayer. It’s a way to say what is not sayable. (Frederich Busch)

Each one prays to God according to his own light. (Mahatma Gandhi)

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “Thank You,” it will be enough. (Meister Johann Eckhart)

* The Latin phrase sub rosa means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality. In Christian symbolism, the phrase "sub rosa" has a special place in confessions. Pictures of five-petalled roses were often carved on confessionals, indicating that the conversations would remain secret. The phrase has also been understood to make reference to the mysterious virginal conception of Christ.