Elizabeth Gair Palmer - Banksias with Pears

Banksias with Pears
Oil on linen
61cm x 51cm
Ref. 53738

A flowering tree that fascinates me is the coastal banksia  (Banksia Integrifolia ).  

Living in SE Queensland, I can usually find a tree in flower in the winter months somewhere nearby. I enjoy painting the flowers in all their stages:  the elusive bluey-green of the developing flower that slowly swells and pushes out its lime green spikes, which then change to a creamy-yellow almost dripping with honey.  

The flowers fill the studio with their sharp but sweet scent.  The leaves have their own charm, green one side and sea-silver the other, their thickness showing their serrated edges as though to emphasise their beauty.  When in flower, banksias remind me of Christmas trees, their flowers held aloft like candles.  

In this painting the sculptural qualities of the banksia and the vase and the little sparkle of the silver sugar bowl contrast with the smooth softness of the pears and the cloth, resulting in a combination of textures and shapes that meld into an harmonious whole.