Gum Blossoms

Gum Blossoms

As summer is coming on, so the eucalypts are just coming into bloom. There are many varieties of these beautiful flowers and they are a treasured part of our landscape in Australia. The nectar is great for feeding the native birds as well. I know first hand the copious amount of syrupy nectar that the flowers produce. When I work on a “Still Life with Gum Blossoms” painting, the sticky liquid drips all over the rich tablecloths that I’m also trying to paint.

Coral gum grows in the drier parts of Australia. I found these blossoms at Jondaryn, near Toowoomba. The leaves have a red outline which makes them great subject matter for still life painting.

The orange eucalypt flowers make a great painting subject. A neighbour up the street had blossoms hanging over the fence and I “borrowed” those for a couple of paintings, then the tree died. I found the plant in a nursery and grew that. It took years to bloom, but eventually I painted several orange gum blossom paintings from that tree, before it also died. I now have another one planted in my garden and not far off flowering for the first time. I am waiting with anticipation.

Exhibition

My next art exhibition will be held at the Metcalfe Gallery, Brisbane Institute of Art from 11th to the 23rd November 2022. Open 10am – 4pm.  Send me a note and I’ll remind you before my art show starts. Christine.