Mother of Methuselah
"The Mother of Methuselah" was the first in my Mother series. The idea formed when I decided to turn some of mu old life drawings into paintings. When I pulled this figure I immediately saw her sitting on a Methuselah tree, or a Bristle Cone Pine. Thats when the idea came to me to do a series of historical figures mothers.
18" x 24" oil and acrylic on mylar
$2200
Methuselah's mother was actually named Edna. But that's the extent of what we know about her. Because Methuselah is known to be the record holding longest lived man ever, not counting Enoch or Christ, they named a Bristle Cone Pine, located in the High Sierras in Nevada, after him. So it is no wonder that the Bristle Cone Pine symbolism is long life and longevity. But that is also an attribute of our Heavenly Mother. When we seek her, we are promised wisdom and long life when we find her. So as all women are made in the image of their Mother, and given the early time period Methuselah was recorded to have lived, I assume his mother had more truth about what plants and foods give long life, for it is my belief, through my studies, that living in harmony with the earth, and eating food in its natural form, are part of understanding the law of longevity. By observing nature, we open ourselves to be taught by the mother, which was part of my thinking when making this.
The turtle (boy is holding) represents a few things, longevity, perseverance, steadfastness, protection, retreat, healing, tranquility, the Earth, and transformation. The white orchid represents purity and innocence (referring to the time period). The iris symbolizes trust, hope, and wisdom. The peach symbolizes longevity and safeguarding health. And the sparrow is faith. These are all virtues and values that our Heavenly Mother has to teach us as well as our earthly mothers.