Yellow Rose of Oklahoma

Yellow Rose of Oklahoma is and original oil painting by Cori Dyson. The art measures 10" x 8" and the frame measures 13 1/2" x 11 1/2". 

"This vase was waiting for the perfect setup to debut in my portfolio. Cherokee Indians made this handmade vase in Oklahoma. This represents the culmination of the past and present of the West. The roses represent women's strength and gentleness, especially those who lived in or decided to move to the West. Roses represent the quiet strength present in all women. I purchased this handmade vase in Oklahoma on my way back from a Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe. I had bought these yellow roses for another painting and wanted to use the roses before they wilted. This vase caught my eye as I looked around the studio to find something suitable. I thought this would be the perfect painting for this vase.

Rose, in and of themselves, tell a story. I see the life stages from a young girl to a woman full of confidence and wisdom reflected in the stages of a rose. Roses are both solid and soft. In this way, they also represent women. I hear people's stories, and women's stories of what they have endured and overcome continue to surprise me. Just when I think I've heard a story that tests the limits of a woman's capacity, another story will eclipse the first. Women have a quiet strength that allows them to endure unspeakable and sometimes unbelievable challenges.  

While women are strong, they also have a softer side. Women often have a gentler and softer side than men do. Femininity is a quiet and soft strength. Femininity doesn't derive its power or strength from the visible ways masculinity does, but it is just as strong as masculinity. Femininity has a softer side, where a woman derives her true strength and power. 

The vase has a buffalo painted on it, representing the old west. The roses and the vase reminded me of the women of the old west. Women who were wives and mothers traveled in wagon trains out west for a better life. I also think of the women who wore pants, survived, and thrived in a harsh environment. I think about the women from the many tribes of the plains and the Southwest who survived and thrived despite settlers continually moving west. Women were an integral part of the West, and their strength and contribution are often overlooked. In this painting, the rose is front and center; you can't ignore the roses or the women they represent."

-Cori Dyson