Description “There are over 173 varieties of Banksias in the world and over 60 of them occur naturally in Western Australia. When I returned from living in the UK for 3 years it was the Banksia plant with all it’s large, wild and dramatic shapes of leaves, flowers and pods that really drew my attention in wanting to paint them. And they have been one of my favourite flowers to paint ever since. In this painting I deliberately chose to limit my colour palette and to focus instead purely on the shapes and patterns. I have included both unopened Banksia seeds, flowering and post-flowering pods as well as some of the amazing variety of leaf shapes to really show off what an amazingly diverse plant this can be!” Helen Ansell This plant grows almost exclusively in Australia, and the 60 species recorded in southern Western Australia represent its greatest diversity. The flower heads are made up of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of tiny individual flowers grouped together in pairs. The colour of the flower heads usually ranges from yellow to red. Many species flower over autumn and winter. The fruits of banksias (called follicles) are hard and woody and are often grouped together to resemble cones (which they are not, as true cones are only produced by conifers). The fruits protect the seeds from foraging animals and fire. In many species the fruits will not open until they have been burnt or completely dried out. 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. Small – 40 x 40cm (16″ x 16″) Medium – 60 x 60cm (24″ x 24″) Large – 90 x 90cm (36″ x 36″) Helen Ansell fine art prints are proudly printed in Australia. *Please allow up to 14 business days for your purchase to be posted. Because each print is made to order just for you, we require time to print and post your beautiful Australian fine art print. To be the first to know about sales and events featuring Helen’s work contact Helen or join our mailing list!
