Under the Rose Bush
When Lucy and I visited Araluen Botanic Park, quite possibly I whispered, “Look there, under the rose bush”, or perhaps she saw the splendid fairy wren first and alerted me to his presence. Either way we both have images of him on our cameras. And now he is a drawing and will be part of my April 2023 exhibition.
Araluen Botanic Park is my new favourite place. It is a 14 hectare developed garden set in 59 hectares of West Australian native bush in the Perth hills. So many birds work and play there; busy in the tall trees, at eye level in shrubs, hopping low in the leaf litter – birds and bush, birds and flowers. I go regularly for the good health of my soul.
Araluen’s website is https://araluenbotanicpark.com.au/
Lucy and her ‘Muv’ (me) with our cameras at Araluen.
Lucy and Farve (Matthew). Matthew has become an Araluen fan as well. (And yes, there’s a café.)
Afterword: 27 January 2023 – below are photos I took today of some other Araluen Botanic Park residents.
Julie Podstolski - Abstract Realism 
Lovely to see some of your family, Julie – as well as your beautiful drawings of course.
Thanks Brigitte, now and then a family member or two sneaks in!
Gorgeous 💗💗💗
Thanks Sue.
👍😍🦋🌸🌈🐝
Thank you Tina!
This one is a beauty! Just something about richness of colour I think … seeing the ‘floor’ in all its layers of leaves, twigs and greenery just adds to the story you are telling of this glorious little bird. Having good companions on your hunt must have been special too.
Thanks Anna. Something in me resisted starting this because of the complication of detail in the leaf litter but from the moment I began, I enjoyed it very much. There is a part of me that relishes detail despite my resistance. After five months of regular tripping to Araluen this is my first drawing to show for it.
I hadn’t realised this was the first from Araluen – more to come! It is a special one.
The first but not the last. I’m over that art funk I was whinging to you about; happily back into it now.
Hooray! Onward and upward!