Finally – almost – Living next door to Ellis is almost here. I have been busy making Banksia pieces, orchids, native flora and yes – Waterlillies and Dragon flies. Some are finished. Some are still in the kiln. Some are waiting to be glazed and it is all happening out in the shed.

The waterlilly piece that was voted the most popular will be revealed at the opening of the exhibition.

One banksia is on the invitation pictured above. The style is quite different from Ellis Rowan’s work but each piece was inspired by her story as well as her paintings.

In the early 1900’s Ellis, a petite English woman known as the Flower Hunter, made adventurous trips into North Queensland and Papua New Guinea to paint native flora. One of her collections is held at Qld Museum and this is the inspiration for my exhibition.

If too many of our Native Flora become extinct then the only record we will have of these species will be Ellis Rowan’s paintings and ceramic ware on which to serve up our explanations on what happened to our native flora.