Rose Floral Oil Painting by Della Burgus

Song of Praise

Rose

Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

12 x 12 x 1.5

One of my favorite roses from the garden. The center is a a deep orangish red which quickly pales to a light pink salmon and then to cream colored outer petals.  I have no idea of the name of this particular variety but it is beautiful and the fragrance is out of this world. When I see a rose, or any other flower for that matter, I want to bury my nose in the blossom and fill my lungs with the fragrance. I did this painting with that point of view in mind. Did  you know that some of the modern varieties of roses, and many of those found in floral shops, have very little fragrance or even none at all? A number of the newer varieties have been bred for their size, color and long lasting blooms.  In order to gain all that, the fragrance has been lost. There is a lesson in there somewhere. Could it be that in our desire to create something bigger and tougher, we have lost its very essence? Is big and long lasting really better  than delicate and sweet smelling? Maybe, just maybe, God had the best idea in the first place.
And as I was thinking this morning, that goes for people too. We seem to waste a lot of time trying to remake each other into our own image, when we could be enjoying and appreciating all the wonderful, beautiful creations that God made. While it is true that we all could use a little work, it is really God's job to fix things not ours and, believe it or not, He can handle it. After all hasn't He  managed quite beautifully all these millennia without anyone's help? And the really great thing is, He knows our flaws and somehow manages to love us anyway. Maybe if we would try to do the same, it would be a happier world.

This painting is on gallery wrapped canvas, 1.5 inches thick. All edges have been painted, no fasteners show. It is intended to be displayed without a frame. It has been listed on Chisholm Trail Art, Daily Painters Gallery, Art Helping Animals and is available from my Zibbet Shop, Art by Della Burgus.

Simple Pleasures Cat on a Red Cushion

Simple Pleasures

My Favorite Chair

Pastel, 8 x 9

We can learn a lot from our pets, things like unconditional love, living in the moment, and refusing to let anything keep you from enjoying life.  One of the most important lessons they can teach us is the value of simple pleasures.  A favorite chair, snoozing in the sun, food when they are hungry, a spool of thread or a ball of yarn to bat around. I have seen cats entertain themselves for hours with nothing but their own shadows to chase.  In the overall scheme of things what really adds to the quality of life. Newer toys, more impressive cars, designer clothes,  a bigger house?  Is that what is meant by quality of life?  Sometimes those things only distract us from the real business of living and add even more stress to our lives.  Our pets have it figured out - as long as they have someone who loves and needs them, something to to with their lives, enough to eat and a favorite place to hang out, life is good.  This week I saw some photos of our grown son going sledding.  His dogs were also in the pictures and it was really hard to tell who was having more fun. I don't think they did any actual sledding themselves, though they might have, but really mattered to them was that they were outside enjoying the fresh air,  running in the snow and spending time with people they loved.  Now that is really living!

This pastel is matted to a standard 12 x 16 inch size for easier framing. It has been listed on Daily Painters, The Chisholm Trail Art, and Art Helping Animals and is available through my shop Art By Della Burgus in the Zibbet  Online Art Gallery