Full Bloom 2006

I am extremely fond of the wild nootka rose and the fragrance from this wild flower always draws me to its location. A community of life and activity surround this rosebush and it's so entertaining for me especially in the summer. I have spent hours of open-air painting throughout the decades and each composition is unique and beautiful as not one plant is the same. One can find them on islands and marshlands and most are usually quite large in shape and each year they becoming even bigger. I feel it's a perennial and when we boat or hike and discover them thriving fearlessly in the elements, they endure flooding and don't seem to mind brackish waters. The flowers love sunlight and the butterflies and bees feed upon the nectar, wind and rain never seem to effect their growth, and when the season ends around late summer, they yield those sumptuous rosehips that the birds and animals feed upon. In winter time I've visited some of my favorite nootka roses and it's shocking to see a small plant now with just woody straggly stems. The flood waters of the river and sea batter the base with a tangle of floating debris and it's completely unrecognizable. The knowing and beauty which lies in its mysterious form will transform its secret in the bloom of full spring.