Roses and Ceili Dancing

Ceili Rose - mixed media on reclaimed wood

It was a beautiful night for a preview show.

The gallery was sparkling bright, every light perfectly illuminating the garden of art on the walls.  The wine glasses glimmered and the ladies were dressed to the nines.  Soft music surrounded the viewers, setting a mood which encouraged lingering and enjoying each piece of art.  And they did.

But guests were also faced with a big quandary - how to choose.  Each one would settle on a favorite piece, then say "oooooh, but THIS one" when they turned to the next. And again to the one after that.  And so on. Until the viewing became a kind of dance from one piece to the next, in a whirl of delight and oohs and ahs until they began again with the first piece.  

Several of the pieces, based on the lovely fucshia plant, were named for dances, including the Ceili (pronounced kay-lee) a form of Irish folk dancing.  And the art and the event formed a dance of its own under the magic of a full moon.

This was also the day of the Roses of Tralee (check out this Irish festival here: Rose of Tralee)  and the town was filled with beautiful Irish lasses in gorgeous hats and gowns, accompanied by handsome young men in suits.  We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the roses as they learned some dance steps inside St. John's Art Center.

The Horseshoe Bar across the street welcomed the Roses with red velvet ropes and a window filled with flowers.

Across the corner at Chic Boutique, a window filled with elegant hats (just in time for September's race week) mirrored the Roses as they walked along the sidewalk with their escorts.  The sight of the Roses reflected in the window of finery called each passing lady to pull out her best dress and join in the festivities.

As the preview evening wound down to a close, I realized each of the guests was a beautiful flower of the human sort, gathered together in a bouquet wrapped in moonlight and magic.

Today's piece, "Ceili Rose", is the last of the works on large pieces of wood from the replica ship Jeanie Johnston.  How serendipitous that she was completed on this day, dancing her way to the moon and back again...