In this painting, the rose is an oracle--a symbol of the hidden wisdom within and the source of prophetic knowledge A magnifying glass is offered--the chance to look deeper--but it is partially trapped beneath a heavy cloth which is being pulled down into the wooden table on which it rests. Shadows, at first appearing to emanate from the rose, fall on the table from an unknown source,. The rose extends upward into the light, its wisdom untouched by the churning below. Conceived and painted a few months after the beginning of the worldwide pandemic, this painting offered me a means of expressing the uncertainty in the world and a reminder to trust in my own inner wisdom while in the midst of chaos. I didn't understand the full meaning until a year later.