Swamp Tea tree

I have these growing everywhere on my block in the Perth hills. At first I thought them insignificant, but on closer inspection, discovered the detail making up these tiny flowers. You can see the painted flower against the actual flower in the last image. A magnifying glass helped me recreate the detail.
Of course the ants love these native flowers, so I had to include a busy little one.
White flowers are particularly hard to paint because I want them white, but need to use colour to define the shapes of the petals.
Teatree is the common name for this Pericalymma ellipticum, which smells like the bush. The background of this painting helps to push the white flowers into focus.

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Delma considers herself a Contemporary Botanic Artist. Traditionally, Botanical art is executed in watercolour or graphite, actual size with a plain background. Contrary to tradition she paints in oils, on canvas, in full saturated colour. The plant must be readily identified and is always larger than life, even though the work maybe a miniature. The subject is always ‘in situ’, in reference to the larger ecosystem. Delma always locates the subject in its natural habitat. Delma paints intricate detail to be true to the beauty of nature. She doesn’t paint impressions of flowers. It is her purpose to capture the reason for its existence and how it looks and survives and its interactions with other plants and animals. I want the viewer to be fascinated by the beauty and uniqueness of Western Australian flora and to consider the environment. I want them to see and feel what I did when I found that little orchid glowing in the sun and its petals fluttering in the breeze.Going out bush to isolated places in Western Australia inspires Delma works in pastels of Rural Life. Her Still Life studies enable her to work in her studio on the effects of light on everyday objects.