Peace Rose, Strength in Softness, A Story of Survival
Title Peace Rose, Transition into Light, by Leslie Montana
Media Watercolor on hot press paper
Size of original 22 x 30 inches
Key Notes Strength in Softness, Emergence
Shop prints of this painting here.
Peace Rose, Strength in Softness, A Story of Survival
Roses speak to us from a dimension of truth, beauty, and overflowing abundance. Their energy shows us how to trust life from our soft, vulnerable interior and align with Mother Nature. The critical call of our time comes to us from above as well as up through through the roots of our humanity, our connectedness with all of life.
The realms of Nature can ground the divine underfoot providing strength while encouraging steadiness and fortitude. It helps create space for nourishment to land and be taken up so it can be metabolized, earthed, and embodied. Peace Rose, Transition into Light accompanied me on my journey. Embedded within it are frequencies related to the strength it took to remain steadfast and the soft approach required to emerge better than ever from the other side.
Looking back I realize the transition I was making was similar to the journey the Peace Rose took en route to the US from Europe just before WW2. You can read that story below.
Prints of Peace Rose Transition into Light are available in my online shop.
Support my work as you support yourself. Shop prints of this painting here.
Exquisite Paintings on the Nature of Flowers is a body of work based on a sophisticated visual analysis of Nature's frequencies = LOVE. My long-standing body of work, ongoing and now in phase two, began in the early 1990s and is the culmination of a lifetime quest—a sacred journey into the heart of Nature, beauty, and healing the myth of separation.
The Staying Power of Softness
If a painting can be a prayer, and I believe it can, this work of art supports us in the changes we're going through individually and collectively as of January 2019. I'm writing this in June 2020, though updates may appear in this article now and then.
Times of uncertainty including the ongoing global health crisis, economic upheaval, and political shifts are challenging our sense of equilibrium. The things we used to depend upon for security are disintegrating rapidly. Fear is more present in our world than it ever has been. But there is also much more love.
Mother Nature's creations express slowly, with incremental precision and stability teaching us through many examples. Roses have a very high frequency measuring 320 MHz and when we stop and smell the roses we can be lifted. Imbibing and integrating their frequencies is natural as we're drawn to their beauty. In my painting Peace Rose, Transition into Light I'm doing my version of this and sharing it through my artwork. Roses help me see the way forward making room for more light to enter.
When conditions are right, roses grow according to plan. They are something to enjoy and be present with. But we often take them for granted having lost touch with how to interact with Nature. As we are called into higher alignment voluntarily or through challenge, balance, and well-being eventually return. That is Nature's way. We eventually find ourselves upright, sometimes against all odds.
Did you know that with just a few sharp thorns for protection, roses have been blooming on this earth for about 35 million years?
The Peace Rose, now a popular garden rose is the inspiration behind this work of art. Originally propagated during a critical time in history, an uncanny parallel exists with our times.
Peace Rose, Transition into Light shown in progress above.
The Peace Rose, A True Story of Survival
An historical account of this rose, and its incredible journey.
The Peace Rose, which this painting is inspired by, is a beautiful garden rose made famous all over the world for the story of its dramatic beginnings.
This rose was originally developed by French horticulturist Francis Meilland during the years 1935 to 1939, just before WW2. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings of the rose stock which he had so lovingly raised to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States with the hope of ensuring its survival.
As the story goes, it was just in the nick-of-time that he convinced authorities at the American consul in Lyons to transport his prize packages of rose stock off to safety. His rose cuttings made it out of the country on one of the last planes leaving the area. Of course, we know that his rose stock survived the intrigue, conflict, and politics of the day and went on to be propagated with great success all around the globe. But as German troops advanced Meilland had no idea if his package would be safely delivered, or not.
Much later on as the story continued in the USA, it all turned out much better than anyone could have hoped for. And that rose stock that Francis Meilland had so lovingly propagated went on to make the right kind of history. And to become the subject of much inspiration for gardeners, artists, and lovers of beautiful roses. I have grown them in my own garden and seen them in locations throughout the US.
The Peace Rose was officially named at the Pacific Rose Society show in Pasadena, California, on April 29, 1945. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, each with a note that read "We hope the "Peace Rose" will influence men’s (and women's) thoughts for everlasting world peace". The rest is history in the making as this rose is found in many gardens across the world.
Roses are one of Mother Nature's greatest gifts. Highly prized for their beauty, they emanate frequencies of unconditional love, and because they conduct especially high and rarified frequencies, they're often associated with saints, gods, and goddesses. Roses predate religion but are regularly included in rituals because they inspire higher states.
Whenever you have the opportunity, take the time to smell the roses. Get in touch with their exquisite healing vibrations and imbibe the nourishment they give so freely. This is a wonderful gift to enjoy, and we should especially during challenging times.
—Leslie Montana
Peace Rose, Transition into Light Large Giclee Prints. Key Notes: Strength in Softness, Emergence. Shop large giclee prints.
--------
Exquisite Paintings on the Nature of Flowers is a body of work based on a sophisticated visual analysis of nature's frequencies = LOVE. Ongoing, and now in phase two.