Mixed Media on stretched canvas, ready to hang.

Signed on the back.

"My Aching Heart”

In a garden where memories entwine,
Stands a woman, lost in love's design,
Her dress as dark as the night's embrace,
Orange hair aflame, a bittersweet grace.

Garden blooms, once vibrant and fair,
Now mirror the ache she can't repair,
For love's sweet touch, like petals, has fled,
Leaving her heart heavy, longing, and thread.

Amongst the flowers that bloom and sigh,
She holds a love that won't say goodbye,
Echoes of laughter, whispers of touch,
Moments cherished, now missed so much.

Her gaze holds a tale of love untold,
A heartache deeper than secrets hold,
In solitude's garden, she bears the weight,
Of love's sweet loss, a cruel twist of fate.

With every petal that falls to the ground,
A love that's lost forever is found,
"My Aching Heart," she softly cries,
In the garden of love, where her spirit lies.

This piece is a start of a new series that I am doing based on Pre-Raphaelite paintings and romantic art. The face has been painted in a traditional manner and I have used oil paints to better catch a dream like quality. The background is painted in acrylic and I have added collage to the painting to help create a feeling of texture and mood.
The strong green is influenced by the bright green colour I am surrounded in at my farm in Gippsland.

This painting is based on a painting by Philip Hermogenes Calderon "Broken Vows" 1856 which is part of the Tate Gallery Collection but I was lucky enough to see the painting when it came to The Australian NGA as part of the 'Love & Desire' exhibition.

This painting is painted around the edges so it would be a personal choice if you wanted it framed.