“What a lovely thing a rose is!…Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
In the past few weeks, the roses in our backyard have blossomed. Normally, at this time of year, I am too annoyed with allergies to notice flowers. But this year, I was taken with watching our roses grow from little green bulbs to full colorful flowers. I could try to explain why I wanted to draw them, but the quotes I included in this post do a much better job.
“There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.”
- Henri Matisse
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
- Dale Carnegie
