Dignity on Diamonds

The Magnolias in the Canberra suburbs are magnificent in Spring! And almost as big as dinner plates. I've chosen to depict the Grandiflora variety because it's glossy, golden-backed leaves are almost as glorious as the blooms themselves. And I wanted to play with subtle shading, taking on the challenge of depicting depth and dimension working with a single shade.
While the Magnolia commonly features in classical realism and oriental art, I wanted to give this one some modern-day appeal which I achieved with the geometric print cloth.
In Japanese culture, Magnolia flowers represent nobility, perseverance, purity and dignity. So I thought it fitting to borrow from these values when naming this dignified little blossom.
This 30 x 30cm canvas was painted alongside sister piece 30 x 40cm 'Perseverence and Pomp' painted in the same style and palette and also available on Bluethumb:
https://bluethumb.com.au/emily-roser/Artwork/perseverance-and-pomp
Dignity and perseverance make the perfect stylish pair.