This painting continues the “I Love Paris + Roses” thread in my work.
What would follow Eternal? I’d like to paint anotther with a circle. What about rose windows? The flame-like design of the one in Sainte-Chapelle, the radiant jewel box of a chapel tucked inside the Palais de Justice on Île de la Cité is special – so elegant.
I explored images to put behind this intricate tracery. The rose image I eventually chose came from the same garden — the Jardin des Plantes — as where Paris Roses grew, taken during a much later visit. The right companion for the window at last.
On April 12, 2019, I was suddenly seized by a need to begin. I’d just completed Lavish to wide praise and had started a still life, which had to be set aside. I dove in. That Friday, I drew a quarter of the tracery, cleaned it up, and worked through the weekend to digitally complete the design. On Sunday I superimposed it on the rose photo, and by evening, I was painting.
Then, on Monday morning — April 15 — my father called to tell me tenderly that Notre Dame was on fire. Oh, no! Not Notre Dame!!! I returned to the painting with renewed devotion. Though this wasn’t Notre Dame’s window, the connection was undeniable.
I painted carefully: corners first, then the six heart-shaped “petals,” and finally the center star — all while avoiding/preserving the white tracery by painting around it. I originally planned to leave the tracery white, but it felt unfinished. After several missteps — including iridescent silver and rainbow-ish tones — the right idea came: a grounded, earthy border that gave way to lighter greens, like vines growing toward light. A soft gold shimmer settled into the center.
This one needed the right name. I hovered between Revelation and Remembrance, the latter tied to a Sufi practice to reconnect the heart with the Divine — and to Notre Dame, Our Lady. Then, just as I was finishing, my dear friend Carol Torresan passed away. Her sudden loss made the message clear.
For Carol. For Notre Dame. For the Sacred Feminine, eternally rising: Remembrance.
April-May, 2019 – 29”x29” – Watercolor on paper
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