Hibiscus

“Hibiscus”
6” x 8”
Unframed - Oil on Linen on Board
Available at $100.
Laura Marie Anderson © November 12, 2006

The first time I saw this flower was at Treasure Harbor in the Florida Keys. Pam and Pete Anderson are the owners of this wonderful marina. While staying on one of there beautiful ships Pam made everything special. Each day in the breezeway there were several of these beautiful flowers resting in a fresh bowl of water. I commented to her that I thought they were too beautiful to pick and she told me that they only live for 24 hours so we might as well enjoy them.
Now living in Montana, one would think that these sun lovers would be hard to come by, but I found a plant at a local nursery this past summer and brought it home to the mountains. It is only about two and a half feet high, but produces a flower every now and again. The last time it blossomed I mistakenly thought, I’ll have to paint that one tomorrow. By the next day it was dying, limp and shriveled.

As I was painting this today I thought about the idea of what if we only had one more day to live, how would we spend it? If we could be beautiful and vibrant for only one day, would we reach towards the sun and thank God for the opportunity to beautify his world?