These plants were a gift from a friend, and came in a Petersham Nurseries paper bag. I painted them on a very windy day.. and had brought them in from outside to stop them blowing over. Having placed them on my work table, in front of the notice board I saw the beautiful patterns made by the flowers and leaves in front of the envelopes, notes and postcards I had collected and stuck on the board behind.

The petals appeared like paper; each petal printed and stamped with hundreds of tiny squares. I wanted to capture the different stages of the flowers opening and reflect the shapes and textures on the notice board so I used a selection ofpapers to create my painting surface. The “Petersham Nurseries’ paper bag hints at the original place of purchase and the antique envelopes are delicate and fragile like the petals on the flowers. The Letters were sent in around 1909 from exotic places, such as India and morocco to a man called Gilbert Pitman. I think he was a publisher . There is also a chance that he was involved in the invention of shorthand, which adds an imaginary element.. the marks and hallmarks on the leaves and petals almost appear as code, hallmarks or an another language. The flowers themselves look exotic, almost prehistoric.. and I love the idea that this bulb is ancient and holds a secret, just like theletters. It has evolved over hundreds of years, dividing and growing each spring with flowers that are the same but always a surprise.

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