Day 68 of the Covid crisis, 30 May 2020

The same subject on a different day, with different light. I heard satin bower birds quietly wheezing in the garden and they crept into the painting. Like every woman in my family I pick flowers for rooms of the house to freshen the atmosphere and lighten the stresses of the day. In the second century flowers were placed in the corners  where the house gods, the Lares, attended to the smooth running of domestic affairs. There's evidence that walls with frescoes of the stories of gods and heroes had hooks to hang garlands, perhaps to Fortuna, if things were getting difficult. In the middle of desperate times in France in the Second World War, Henri Matisse painted gloriously abundant, jewel-like still lifes, and portraits of beautiful women. He said he wanted to offer comfort.  The world news on the Virus gets worse, and America is aflame. It pierces the heart. A few flowers as an offering.

 Diana Wood Conroy 'Day 68 of the Covid Crisis' watercolour on Arches paper, 15 x 21 cm, 30 May, 2020.