Flannel flowers and gum leaves 1928

Grace Cossington Smith’s painting of flannel flowers and gum leaves is like a joyful dance of colour and form. You can imagine her building up the surface with small brushstrokes, dabbing at the canvas, and letting the image emerge through a process of layering and discovery. I wonder what Smith was thinking as she painted these flowers and gum leaves? Maybe she was struck by the way light transforms everyday objects into something magical. The thickness of the paint gives everything a kind of solidity, but also a vibrancy. I love the way she captures the textures of the petals. There is an attention to detail that speaks to a deep appreciation for nature's complexity. Cossington Smith's work is part of a lineage of artists responding to the world around them, each finding their unique way of expressing what it means to be alive, to see, and to feel. Painting, at its best, invites us into this space of uncertainty, where multiple meanings can coexist and surprise us.