ROSE OF SHARON
Oil
By Cheri Welty
Song of Solomon 2:1-2
I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. As a lily among bram-bles, so is my love among the young women.
In the Hebrew text, this book is known as Solomon’s Song of Songs. A rose of Sharon is not a rose at all. Sharon is a fertile coastal plain known for its trees and foliage. (Also see Isaiah 35:1-2.) The flower referred to as a rose is probably a crocus, lily of the valley, lotus, or Hibiscus, all of which grow in Sharon. In this painting, I chose my rose of Sharon to be a Hibiscus.