Artist Jenny Mace is immortalising the secret world of western Queensland’s wildflowers.

Story Fiona Cameron   Photos Louise Donges

Jenny Mace leans across her draft table, comparing the heart-shaped leaves of a native hibiscus to the palette of greens she uses to capture the chromatic harmonies of the bush. Sunshine filters into the studio at the back of her home in Barcaldine, Qld. The artist swipes water from her brush onto an old, button-down shirt and returns to her painting. “I love the gentle shading of colour,” she says as the leaf’s graduated detail emerges on paper. The meticulous illustration is part of Jenny’s florilegium – a collection of remarkable watercolours that record the abundant botanical landscape in which she lives. 

This story excerpt is from Issue #112

Outback Magazine: Apr/May 2017