Inspiring Women Winter 2017

dances with the moods of our Parisian climate – from depressive overcast winter weeks when
the tulips see just eight hours of natural light – to manic summer soirées when a child’s
bedtime feels like three in the afternoon. The purples, reds, greens, and gold lay quietly on
January days when the sun is asleep, but reveal gold painted over blues, lavender over
brown, and a blush of pinks when I open the shutters to the east in June.
I have been here writing for a few hours now. When I started, the sun was high in the western
sky, and my tomato orange tulips were cast with a golden glimmer. Now the sun is clinging to
the top of the chestnut tree-lined horizon, and the long rays leave just the tiniest glow on my
tulips. Their background looks grayer now, the luminosity of the white overcoat dulled so that
the pale blues, browns, and pinks have sunken into the canvas. Soon I will turn on the lights
and rich shades of dark – browns, blacks, purples – will calm me. The spotlights will showcase
brush movements, and the ridges of paint will glisten. I will relax, and tell you the secret of the
roses....
My 13 dead white roses, along with hundreds of others, decorated my mother’s mahogany
casket, because we lost her too soon and loved her too much. Looking at my dead white
roses, it is hard to remember how magnificent that casket made me feel when my
handsome brothers and cousins and friends carried my mother up the aisle in the bursting-full
church. Lieuwe’s Tulips IV, on a cloudless afternoon when the sun is sending light all over the
painting, revealing all of its secrets, moods, and beauty, lets me remember. My roses need
my painting. Together, they let me feel her magnificence – always and forever.
Jane Mobille is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) based in Paris, France. A member of
AAWE (Association of American Women in Europe), Jane is editor of the group’s quarterly
magazine. She is also a regular contributor at online magazine INSPIRELLE. Jane and her
French husband have a 23-year-old daughter, and two teenage sons. Her mother, Diana,
passed away in 2001.
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