Agapanthus and Banksia Rose: Gardens: Fragments of Life and Loss

This painting seeks to convey the layered, often fragmented nature of how we experience gardens—as places where moments unfold gradually and where key elements are sometimes only glimpsed in passing. Much like a walk through a real garden, the viewer’s perspective here is intentionally partial and obscured. The glimpse of blue from the pool, a central visual anchor, is framed and partially hidden by the cascading banksia rose, the pool fence, and the agapanthus in the foreground, all of which act as visual barriers that shape and restrict the gaze. This sense of layered observation encourages a slower, more contemplative engagement with the work. The strong horizontality of the lower half of the composition is reinforced through the rhythmic use of light and dark tonal variations in the grass and the rocks that edge the garden bed, adding a sense of structure and depth to the scene.

This painting is from the exhibition and publication, Gardens: Fragments of Life and Loss – an artistic enquiry that systematically explores themes of memory, impermanence, and transformation through the motif of the garden. Drawing upon visual language and observational practices, the body of work investigates how natural environments serve as metaphors for human experience, particularly in relation to loss and regeneration. The paintings communicate knowledge by documenting and interpreting the cyclical processes of change and adaptation in nature, offering insights into how landscapes reflect emotional and cultural memory. This body of work contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues between art, ecology, and the human condition through a methodical engagement with site, material, and temporality.