from a friend that had a climbing rose growing over the front porch of his Aravaipa Creek home. Before I get into the construction techniques I want to share some history of the rose with you so you better understand why I named the vessel as I did.
Roses have a long and colorful history. According to fossil evidence, the rose is 35 million years old. Today there are 30,000 varieties of roses and it is the most complicated family tree of any known flower species. The cultivation of roses most likely began in Asia around 5000 years ago. They have been part of the human experience ever since and mentions of the flower are woven into a great many tales of the ancient world. Greek Mythology tells us that it was Aphrodite who gave the rose its name, but it was the goddess of flowers, Chlloris, who created it. One day while Chlloris was cleaning in the forest she found the lifeless body of a beautiful nymph. To right this wrong Chlloris enlisted the help of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty: then called upon Dionysus, the god of wine, who added nectar to give her a sweet scent. When it was their turn the three Graces gave Chlloris charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so Apollo, the sun god, could shine and make the flower bloom. And so the Rose was.
llion plants are purchased by gardeners worldwide every year. Roses boast an ancient lineage, and they are intricately entwined in our history and culture.
Roses later became synonymous with the worst excesses of the Roman Empire when the Peasants were reduced to growing roses instead of food crop in order to satisfy the demands of their rulers. The emperors filled their swimming baths and fountains with rose-water and sat on carpets of rose petals for their feasts and orgies. Roses were used as confetti at celebrations, for medical purposes, and as a source of perfume. Helliogabalus used to enjoy showering his guests with rose petals which tumbled down from the ceiling during festivities.
During the fifteenth century, the factions fighting to control England used the rose as a symbol. The white rose represented York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster. Not surprisingly, the conflict between these factions became known as the War of the Roses. Not to be outdone by the ancestors, a popular rock band of today named their group Guns N' Roses.
In the seventeenth century roses were in such high demand that roses and rose water were considered as legal tender. In this capacity they were used as barter in the market place as well as for any payments the common people had to make to royalty. Cultivated roses weren't introduced into Europe until the late eighteenth century. These introductions came from China and were repeat bloomers, making them of great interest to hybridizers who no longer had to wait once a year for their roses to bloom.
The rose is a phenomenal plant and is rightly known as 'the worlds favorite flower'. No other flower has ever experienced the same popularity that the rose has enjoyed in the last fifty years. It has been estimated that 150 mi
Sovereign Antiquity
Now that you have that background and history of roses, here are a few details on construction of this art piece which I have nick named the 'rose bowl'. Fiberglass cloth was formed over a round, inflated balloon that established an irregular edge approximately at the mid point on the circumference. When this had cured to form a hard shell, segments of rose canes were attached with resin. A grout formed of resin and a filler was worked between all rose segments. When cured this produced a hard shell that allowed the balloon to be deflated and removed. The inside of the vessel was coated with a tinted and thickened resin. When this had dried, petroglyphs were sketched on the interior surface using a white resin as ink. The normal sanding and finish.with rubbed oil and wax finalized the vessel. A base constructed from square tubing and wood inserts formed the tripod holding the art piece. This was a fun piece to mane and has been a good number of exhibitions around the U.S.
More detail can be found on my art at my website <www.apatchablue.com>
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