The story behind the Banksia

​Have you ever really looked at a Firewood Banksia flower—or even touched one?
Whenever I show one to visitors, their reaction often surprises me. They expect the flower spike to be soft and delicate, but when they touch it, they are shocked by how hard and solid it feels. That contrast—delicate in appearance, yet remarkably strong in structure—is one of the things that first fascinated me about Banksia.
A Banksia flower spike can contain up to 5,000 individual flowers, packed together to create its distinctive form. Alongside the flowers are strong branches, long leaves and wonderfully textured seed cones. When I observe Firewood Banksia in the Australian landscape, I am drawn not only to its colour, but to its structure, rhythm and quiet strength.
 Firewood banksia was my first commissioned artwork in WA . It was created for my botanical guide mentor at Kings Park, where I volunteered as a guide for ten years. Sketching and drawing plants was an important part of my time there, teaching me to slow down, look closely and notice details that might otherwise be missed.
In this watercolour, I wanted to capture the character of the Firewood Banksia rather than simply reproduce it as a botanical specimen. The pink flower spike becomes the visual focus, while the dark seed cones and long leaves create contrast, rhythm and movement across the composition. This painting was created from a sketch at Spectacles and it had been exhibited at  Western Australia Museum Boola Bardip.

Watercolour on paper
40x30cm 
Status: sold