I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Right outside of the historic district, there is a rose garden. I go there a few times a week to sit by them and smell them. 

Roses are one of the most highest vibrational flower on the planet. We can walk up to a rose and immediately feel calm. Their aromas make us smile (who doesn’t smile when they smell a rose?). 

 

There is a lot of hatred circulating through our society, and I wanted to create something that would influence compassion. The roses from the garden inspired me. I took a bunch of reference photos and began drawing them out for paper-cutting. So far I have created 23, and I intend to carve more. 

 

Each rose is different. The color palettes, the sizes and the shapes. I intended each rose to be unique because us humans are unique in the most beautiful ways, no matter our color, size or shape. Roses do not operate on judgement. All they do is spread love, and their love is limitless. 

 

We can be like the roses. We can choose to accept each other without borders and without judgements. 

 

We can choose to love.