Thanksgiving Flowers I – Square Canvas Print

Thanksgiving Flowers I is part of A Walk in the Wildflowers, a deeply personal exhibition by Helen Ansell inspired by the memories she shared with her father, Don Miller. This painting is the third work in a series created from the native flower arrangement displayed at Don’s funeral, each exploring the colours, textures and forms of the original bouquet from a different perspective.

The arrangement features Australian native flowers and foliage, including banksias (Banksia species), flowering wattles (Acacia species), paper daisies (tribe Gnaphalieae) and a variety of native leaves selected for their distinctive shapes and structure. Helen has also included a Scarlet Robin (Petroica boodang), a small insect-eating bird recognised for the male’s striking red breast and black-and-white plumage, adding another familiar Australian species to the composition

From Helen

I’ve always loved dried Australian native flower arrangements. Even after they’ve dried, they retain so much of their shape, texture and beauty, and I’ve often admired them as much as fresh flowers.

After Dad’s funeral, I kept the beautiful native arrangement from the service and it remained in my studio. Over time I found myself returning to it again and again, studying the colours, forms and textures. It became the inspiration for three new paintings, all featured in this exhibition, each exploring the arrangement in a different way.

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.