Oil on canvas

Signed on the front.

Magnolia flowers from the Moon Tree

My neighbour has a gargantuan Magnolia tree that is studded with beautiful dinner plate sized flowers. Theres a beautiful contrast between the large waxy moss coloured leaves and the creamy flowers. During night time the petals catch the moonlight and look like hundreds of stars against the inky blackness of night.

Not only is this tree hauntingly beautiful but it's flowers reflect the moonlight and attract hundreds of native moths and night birds. We call it the Moon Tree because my son believes the flowers are "little moons". The glass amber jar in the painting is one I found on a hike in the Wombat Forest, it is very old and is thought to have contained settlers cough syrup.

It was a pleasure to paint these flowers. I used thick buttery oil paint in the impasto style. I believe art contains the energy of the artist and this piece was painted with happy memories of bird watching while sitting under the Moon tree.