“The first day a flower opens the stamens are light colored and are closely held in a precise arrangement. As the flower ages the stamens darken and fall away from the pistil often spilling down onto the cupped petals. Before the petals wither and fall, they assume a parchment-like color and texture so interesting that we felt they should be part of the painting.” 

–Fred Wampler

In this scene Maryrose captures different stages in the life of a magnolia flower. She draws the viewer’s eye around the composition in a circular motion revealing a range of blossoms from silky youthful buds to a spray of aged petals. The array of textures is striking in this work. One can almost feel the waxiness of the magnolia’s leaves as well as what Fred Wampler described as the parchment-like feel of the dying blossom.