Video: Beauty of Australia Series: Waratah 1
This short video is based on just one of my original paintings on silk: ’Waratahs and Flannel Flowers’
My personal and unique style of Painting on Silk evolved as I explored and refined the French Serti Silk Painting techniques, based on all my previous experience of finely detailed drawing, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting.
The sheen of the silk as my ‘canvas’ enhanced the ‘Joie de Vivre’ of the infused color. However the incredible vibrancy of the silk dyes often necessitated toning the raw color down considerably and my techniques developed accordingly.
Initially the allure and splendor of the media itself suggested to me themes of traditional beauty. And then influenced by ‘Everything Japanesque’ I was happy to paint my favorite exotics: Magnolias, Waterlilies and Irises.
Until: My leaning towards ‘Natural Healing’ kindled the desire to infuse the healing vibrations of our Australian native plants and flowers into my art.
Being sensitive to the energy of the natural environment, the indigenous people of Australia know that different plants and flowers have different healing properties that can be transmitted to anyone: Simply being in the vicinity of the flowers and coming ‘Under their Gaze’ is enough to receive their vibrational healing energy.
While this is an innate instinct for people still intune with ‘The Dreamtime’ of this great continent, most city dwellers don’t have the opportunity to ‘Go Bush’ whenever they feel physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually depleted.
Enter the World of the ‘Bush Flower Essences‘
And then: Enter the World of Visually Absorbing the ‘Essence of the Bush Flowers.’
Silk became the media for me to bring ‘Life’ to visual impressions of our Native Flowers. Being technically adept at finely detailed Serti Silk Painting was just the beginning. How to instill painting with the ‘Healing Essence’ of the flowers was to become my creative challenge.
It seemed that the best way for me to start the process was to attune myself to a flower that I most resonated with: The Waratah.
Combining the Australian indigenous word: Waratah with the Greek Genus name: Telopea, the meaning of ‘Waratah’ is aptly ‘Beauty Seen from Afar.’
The Waratah was officially instated as the Floral Emblem of NSW in 1962 and all the biological details of the Waratah can be seen HERE
The beauty of one of these crimson WILD flowers in full bloom, standing tall amongst the soft blue/green/grays of the Australian bush ‘scrub’ all around the Sydney area is a magnificent sight to see .. And the ‘Waratah Presence’ can be very strongly felt.
The formulators of Australian Bush Flower remedies, believe that the ‘Essence of Waratah’ can instill qualities of courage and vitality as well as imparting survival skills, supporting adaptability. For me, the Waratah also emulates the spirit and lifeblood of Australia and so I aspired to capture all these qualities in my paintings.
This Video
This short video is just the start of documenting the 12 year period in which I produced Wearable Art * Framed Paintings * Wall Panels and Screens * Before designing THE ultimate, one and only, and never-to-be-repeated-again wall hanging ‘Australian WILD Flowers.’
It’s my hope that this series of videos will now enable viewers to absorb some of the healing energy of Australia via the many distinctive plants and flowers from ‘The Great Land Down Under.’
Created at ANIMOTO for Your Creative Muse by Alison Lee Cousland
Ally * Alison Lee Cousland
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