To Age With the Grace of a Trillium

My original plan with this painting was to paint a small, simple cheerful flower. I selected a photo from my garden of a native trillium. These trilliums begin as white as snow, and after they are fertilized and begin to die, they become even more beautiful by turning pink or red. This is an aging trillium.

I had a birthday while I was working on this and growing older was rattling around in my mind as I painted. The trillium painting subconsciously became more of a contemplation of graceful aging than the cheerful flower painting I had originally intended.

The flower becomes more beautiful, more rich in color and intensity as it dies. The trillium is surrounded by dead and dried ferns, symbols of the last season's passed life. The shadow is rather menacing and dark - like the shadow of what is to come, yet on the trillium shines. And of course the little tree frog hides among the leaves, suggesting that life is in balance as it should be, and it is all part of the greater cycle of things. Oh, to age with the grace and beauty of a trillium!

This original watercolor has SOLD.