by birgit rhode
Watercolour
h: 29 w: 36 d: 1 (cms).
This plant is a cultivar of Pittosporum tenuifolium, a species native to NZ, that was selected and propagated for its distinctive variegated foliage. The rounded, wavy-margined leaves open white, then becoming dark green, speckled and mottled between the veins with white, often tinged pink in winter. The tiny, fragrant and deep chocolate-purple flowers are produced rather sparsely from late spring. We have this mature shrub in the garden and I have always found the contrast between the white-green foliage and the dark purple flowers a very attractive colour combination.
£250 (As exhibited.)
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by birgit rhode
Watercolour
h: 52 w: 65 d: 1 (cms).
Early explorers, sealers and whalers introduced potatoes (originating from the Andes in South America) to NZ in the 18th century. By 1800 and before European settlement, potatoes had become a staple food for Maori but were also used as a commercial crop. Maori potatoes are hardy and disease resistant. However, they produce fewer tubers which are also smaller and more knobbly with more deep-seated eyes than modern potato varieties. Testing has revealed their considerable nutritional benefits: they contain more antioxidants than modern potatoes, are richer in essential amino acids, minerals and anthocyanins, and the skins of all tested taewa cultivars are higher in protein, fat, minerals, and dietary fibre. I chose Maori potatoes as a subject because of their intriguing shapes and colours. I also wanted to portray them in a traditional kete (woven basket) as a nod to the part Maori cultivation played in preserving these original potato varieties.
£400 (As exhibited.)
Please Note: If you are overseas and interested in a purchase there will be additional costs for postage and packaging added to this price. Feel free to enquire about this using the button below. If no price is shown, the work is not for sale.