Rosa, the Resurgent Beauty

Size: 18″ x 23″ x 14″

Materials: Yarns, fused silk, wire, rigid foam, canvas, gel medium, rubber, found objects

Rosa, the Resurgent Beauty is an exuberant tribute to the wild rose bush. It looms large in my memory of summer vacations on the New England seashore, where the small delicate flowers perfume the air with their spicy floral bouquet. I now have Rosa Rugosa in my home garden, where I have come to know its vigorous growth habit and thorny stems. This hardy shrub seemingly can grow anywhere. Its persistent stalks push through the roughest terrain. To honor Rosa Rugosa’s wild beauty and strength, I set it amidst a mound of debris. Its branches swirl around the discarded trash, as they surround the junk pile with crisp leaves of emerald, apple, and spring green. The silken magenta flower petals optimistically open their cheerful buds. As the bush bears fruit, the bright candy red rose hips dangling from the stems promise new life.

Artwork and images ©2016 Eve Jacobs-Carnahan, photo by Paul Rogers Photography