The Gardens We Grow is a collection of original works by Thornbury artist Clare Whitney, depicting a different kind of family portrait — told through handpicked posies, winter garden blooms, fallen seeds and the vessels that hold them.
Gathered from the gardens of neighbours, friends and family, these small arrangements become portraits of people, place and community. Some gardens belong to those Clare knows intimately; others are simply admired from the footpath on her daily walks — watched quietly as they change through the seasons, are tended, grow wild, flower, fade and begin again.
Displayed in handmade and collected vases, the flowers and foliage are translated through Clare’s distinctive use of bold colour and abstracted form. Hints of shadow play with time and memory, capturing the fleeting moment between a flower being picked and its inevitable transformation.
At the heart of The Gardens We Grow is an exploration of the strength and tenderness of local community — the ways we nurture our gardens, our families, our friendships and one another. Each work is both a still life and a portrait: a small record of a particular garden, a particular moment, and the people and places that surround us.
Beautifully framed in a natural oak hardwood, ready for hanging.
Acrylic on canvas
44cm x 44cm
framed
