Roving Rose
width: 26"
height: 28"
Oil on Canvas
1997
"Do not hunt here for the heaven of burnt oils or the ice-skating of Flemish brush stroke." Osip Mandelstom, translated by W.S. Merwin and Clarence Brown. This quote is from a painter who does not want to be compared with older, traditional, craftsmen. My wife is from one of the largest Norwegian American settlements, Decorah, Iowa. This is my response to Rosemaling, a traditional, floral painting style. In this case, there is not disdain but respect. I value the past but refuse to simply copy it.
Other works in this series: