Rose

For my image I chose a rose. Aside from peonies this is my other favorite flower. I grew up immersed in the Catholic faith and the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe in our church landscaping, floral arrangements and the imagery of her which all included roses. My mom took a floral arrangement class back in the 1980s and I have many memories of joining her on trips to nurseries gathering different flowers and roses and later using the garage or backyard as space to create her pieces with water-soaked floral foam. I would help her by cutting the stems and excess leaves and passing her the foams. I watched how she concentrated and placed the roses in certain areas, inserting them at different depths giving the arrangement shape. Later she would garnish it with greenery to create a fullness concealing the presence of the foam holding her creation intact. She'd step back ever so often and observe her work, making little changes here and there. My favorite pieces of hers were those that included roses.

My mom also planted some in our front yard lining the side of the house under the windows to mine and my brother's room. She would joke and say she did it purposely so I wouldn't sneak out since the thorns would serve to dissuade me. All romanticism aside, the rose itself I've always observed to be beautiful in all its form. The way the menacing thorns line the stem trailing up to the delicate bud. I have always seen the rose as a symbol of beauty amidst chaos and pain depicted in its thorns. I've always related to this concept due to the early childhood loss I felt when my parents split up. The rose represents for me the peace, and happiness I strive for whenever I face an obstacle in life.