Last Rose of Summer
"Last Rose of Summer" (2024) evolved out of an artist residency at the Lyndale Park Rose Garden through the Minneapolis Parks system. The wall-collage is enamel, acrylic and vinyl on panel. The Lyndale Park Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in United States located on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are 3,000 roses representing over 250 varieties. During the long Minnesota winter the fountain (made in Florence, Italy) at the center of the garden is protected from the elements by a large fountain cover. My wall-collage is site-specific incorporating images of the roses made over the summer months. This large-scale collage was inspired by the traditional Irish song "The Last Rose of Summer" which is about the resilience of women and roses alike. The lilting melody has been recomposed by musicians around the world, most famously by Nina Simone in 1964. My fragmented collages was inspired by Midori playing of Ernst's composition for solo violin, Midori starts with sweet and flowing notes then devolves into gleaming shards of sound. Like the song, the Rose as a plant has been recomposed from Minnesota's Prairie Rose to new roses with vivid colors and intricate structures. Each version of the song and every variety of rose are strikingly beautiful.