The inspiration for this piece came when my daughter turned 14 and had been acting up, going through some "phases" that reminded me of my own youth and loss of innocence.
The three women are all representations of one being, the blonde is Innocence, the auburn is Romance, the silver is Remembrance.
I'd like to take a moment to explain the symbolism, starting with Innocence. She has my daughter's face. She has a hold of a strand of Romance's hair, openly and vulnerably surrendering to all of the possibilities life holds in the near future. The white rose symbolizes purity and she holds onto the thorny stem, knowing full well she must be attentive and careful with her transition into womanhood. The white rose has always expressed love beyond the physical body, love of the soul and the mortal power of love. The water lily stands for perfect beauty, centered to represent the beauty of the soul in each stage of life's journey.
Romance is holding onto a hyacinth, which symbolizes young, transcendent and self-obsessed love. The French say it means, "You love me and destroy me." It is often thought of as a consolation for the lost love of youth. She has hollyhocks in her hair that stand for fertility, ease of creation and abundance.
Remembrance has sprigs of rosemary and a magnolia in her hair. She looks back on her youth both with fondness and pain. The magnolia expressed dignity to the Victorians, and in China, it is an emblem of gentleness and feminine beauty. It suggests perseverance — a will to push on. The rosemary symbolizes remembrance. Her scarf does not touch Innocence as she is too far removed in time. Now her days are filled with memories of what her life has been and what it means to be a woman... the painful regrets, the validation of personal triumphs, enduring love and dignity of knowing one’s own inner-beauty.
Acrylic on 24 x 18 canvas. The hair is lined in gold, copper and silver, but it's only visible as you move around the piece. The light of the camera really caused a lot of it to show up shiny, but it's much more subdued in real life. Contact me if you're interested in purchasing the original.
