Bush Gems – Square Canvas Print

Bush Gems is part of A Walk in the Wildflowers, a deeply personal exhibition by Helen Ansell that
celebrates the landscapes, wildlife and memories she shared with her father, Don Miller. Inspired by life
at Ululla and their many years exploring the bush together, the collection reflects the extraordinary
diversity and resilience of Australia’s arid rangelands.

The painting brings together some of the remarkable natural treasures of the outback, including honey
ants, emu eggs, cogla (Marsdenia australis), mulla mulla (Ptilotus species), everlasting daisies and
wattles (Acacia species). Honey ants are one of Australia’s most unusual native insects, storing nectar
within specialised worker ants that act as living food reserves for the colony. Cogla, also known as bush
pear or bush banana, is a native climbing vine that produces edible fruit, while mulla mulla and everlasting                                                                                                         daisies are among the colourful wildflowers that flourish after seasonal rain, bringing vibrant bursts of colour                                                                                                         to the desert landscape.

From Helen

Growing up at Ululla taught me that the bush is full of hidden treasures if you simply slow down and
look. We’d dig for honey ants, find cogla growing amongst the shrubs, and admire the wildflowers that
transformed the country after rain. Dad had an incredible knowledge of the landscape, and every walk
seemed to reveal something new.

Years later, while packing up Dad’s home after he passed away, I opened a cupboard and discovered
several emu eggs he had carefully kept. Seeing them again instantly took me back to those years in the
bush and reminded me how much of his love for the Australian landscape he had passed on to me. Bush
Gems brings together many of those memories and celebrates the remarkable treasures of the outback
that we discovered together.

Helen Ansell Fine Art Canvas Prints are available to purchase either stretched (gallery wrapped, ready to hang on the wall) or unstretched (with 9cm white border) ready for you to frame yourself.