Forget all the other roses

The inspiration for this painting was a dried rose from flowers I received for my birthday. I made a more realistic painting of the flowers first but wanted to focus more on the rose: to add more pattern, more colour, more ‘me’! The title ‘Forget all the other roses’ comes from a quote by Matisse

— ‘There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.’