Original artwork description:

My mother had eight children, and shortly after nursing my father during his (lost) battle with cancer, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. There were no words for the depth of my grief, and I found solace in my painting. Her sense of humour and great courage were inspirational and even in those dark times, she was still protecting her children, shielding us from the depth of her despair.

When I painted this, she was unable to walk or talk, but she loved to garden and her roses were beautiful. I tried to do them justice in this painting and poured the love I had for her into them. While thinking about a title for this painting, I stumbled across this beautiful poem by Debra Rich, My Mother Kept A Garden

My Mother kept a garden.
A garden of the heart;
She planted all the good things,
That gave my life its start.

She turned me to the sunshine,
And encouraged me to dream:
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.

And when the winds and rains came,
She protected me enough;
But not too much, she knew I’d need
To stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example,
Always taught me right from wrong;
Markers for my pathway
To last my whole life long.

I am my Mother’s garden,
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love,
Reflected back from me.

Materials used:

Oil on Linen

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