Why wildflower?
Hello friends,
I’ve had a few people ask “why wildflower?”, and where the inspiration comes for the name.
I must admit, I had never really been a fan of wildflowers, even Australian natives. I never really thought they were particularly aesthetically pleasing. The only flower I liked was a pink lily, in a bunch, from the florist. I came across this “Australian Wildflowers” book at vinnies which piqued my interest. I discovered that Australian natives are actually full of colour; striking yellows, bold reds and subtle pinks and purples. More recently, you can’t escape Australian natives; they have exploded onto the art and design world and are very popular in dried florals, fabric, baby nursery decor, artwork, bed linen or even on cakes.
My interest in wildflowers grew (blossomed even? 😂) on a recent trip to Uluru and Kata Tjuta in Central Australia this year. I had never travelled to Central Australia and wow.. it’s hard to put into words what kind of experience it is. I almost felt embarrassing to be born and raised in Australia and not have experienced what the “real” Australia was. This millions of years old landscape and 10s of thousands of years old Indigenous culture that is so rich and valuable, it’s hard to put into words until you can see it with your own eyes. The incredible contrasting colours of the red dirt against everything else was nothing short of inspiring. I remember turning to my Mum and sister who were on the trip with me and said “I feel so incredibly inspired. Not sure what I feel inspired to do but I wish I was an artist or something because this needs to be shared”. Although I am only VERY new to embroidery, and am slowly learning and improving, I hope to incorporate more of these colours and flowers into my work 🧡
Have you been to central Australia? If not, you should definitely add it to the bucket list. Maybe you could have a look closer around your house, work, daycare, shops to see what Australian natives are around?
I hope you find something that inspires you.
Court x
