“The Inmost Place ~ Mourning Dove,” copyright Susan A. Walton, S. A. Walton Studio, Hudson, Florida.

Note : This painting has been sold and is now available only as a limited edition print.

Artist’s note:

Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. —— Psalm 51, verse 6.

A single Mourning Dove perches on a stone in the serenity of a rock garden dominated by the striking blue-green leaves of tall German irises. Just below the dove is a delicate violet with heart shaped leaves. (Viola cucullata?) My part of the midwest had at least 17 species of native violets, some are even yellow, or white. In some places an Eurasian species may be found, the violet known for its fragrance and once commonly used for making syrups and perfume.

What I really enjoyed about this painting was creating the contrast between the velvety dove and the granular texture of the different rocks in the garden.

This was my mother’s garden where she planted several old varieties of German irises that her brother had given her. Her brother was an architect with a love for using certain plants in the landscape, among them the stately German Iris. He was paralyzed in a car crash as a teen but that did not stop him from being an amazing human being, imperfect and broken as we all are, but uncommonly honest. He and his gift of lovely white irises were on my mind when I painted this. In spring, their fragrance was incredible. In summer after the blooms were gone, the blue-green iris leaves continued to enhance the landscape by contributing a bold, vertical structural element to the garden.

We had made Mom’s garden with large stones from her travels, where she would have Dad pull over at every rocky road cut and tell us all to pile out of the truck and gather as many rocks as we could before Dad lost patience.

We created an ornamental “dry creek” in my parent’s back yard with a truckload of gravel from our natural creek down south as a way of directing water away from the downspouts.

Doves seemed to enjoy the new gravelly area quite a lot, and the very colorful accent stone in the center of this painting was their most favored perch.

Violets are beautiful plants, but despite that, are often overlooked and trod upon. In older days, yards used to be full of violets, as well as white clover, and the little blossoms are a delight for children wherever they grow. The purple flowers can also be added to salads where a bright peppery flavor is needed, or candied and used to decorate cup cakes. Unfortunately, these days, it is fashionable to have a lawn resembling Astroturf in its plastic perfection, so most children never get to discover violets. People unwisely waste their days fighting these charming flowers that God has so generously given us. But why?

—— Susan Walton

#AvianArt #Integrity #Honesty #Sincerity #MourningDove