Yvonne Zago - The nature of things

YVONNE ZAGO The nature of things

THE NATURE OF THINGS Yvonne Zago ‘The nature of things’ is a small showing of paintings that contain elements of botanical painting, landscape painting, and pattern design, arranged in the form of a simplified still life arrangement.

The botanical elements, all from the genera Orchidaceae, are of species native to Western Australia. Orchid hunting is a pastime originating in the Victorian era, when samples of orchids from tropical countries sent to London triggered ‘orchid fever’, and the demand for their unusual floral forms became a dangerous profession in the early 1900’s, and still captivates people today, including myself.

Western Australia has approximately 470 species that are endemic to the state, and many are found only in small, localised communities, with multiple species under threat from land clearing, weeds, and climate change.

For a decade I have been observing the emergence of species that flower in my region of the Perth hills, photographing them, taking note of their initial emergence and comparing it to previous years. The Perth hills flowering pocket, with the arrival of the ‘Hares’ (Leporella fimbriata) in May, continues until November. In other areas of the state, orchids can be found almost year-round.

These seven months of the year are represented in each of the following paintings based on that species’ flowering time. Some are from my local area, and others are from hunts further afield to Reagan’s Ford, Narrogin and Margaret River.

The vases that contain the flowers (an incongruity as picking orchids in WA is illegal) form the landscape element and tell the story of my finds. When I visit an area that I know as my ‘spot’ for a species I also photograph the surrounding environment, and this is depicted in recognisable delftware style renditions, using only Indanthrone Blue and white.

Creating patterns using florals and intertwined vines, insects, leaves and birds, in short, using elements from the natural environment, has a long history in fabric, lace and wallpaper design. Over the decades distinctive trends of pattern making formed, including the highly decorative chinoiserie, calicos and Indian chintz to more abstract patterns, reducing flowers and foliage to more formal, symmetrical elements. Versions of these highly detailed patterns form the bases for my still life’s, grounding the vases and providing a counterbalance to the realistic forms of the flowers. Some of my earliest memories are of following the lines and tracing the patterns with my eyes of the various fabrics and tiles my parents owned, and my choice of designs in these pieces is more about visual ‘rightness’ than conceptual distinction. Noticing patterns and feeling comfortable within the long process of creating highly detailed repetitive designs feels natural to me.

Pattern recognition is also fundamental to the practise of orchid hunting, where some species are only 3-5cm tall, highly camouflaged, and often hidden amongst shrubs. Visually locking onto the colours and patterns of the flowers is one of the key skills all orchid hunters will understand.

“When I was young, one of the first flowers I remember noticing was a Caladenia flava, a Cowslip Orchid. The intensity of the yellow petals and the intricately shaped labellum caught my attention.”

Scenting the Sun (Thelymitra macrophylla in a Wandoo woodlands vase) Oil and acrylic on canvas 153 x 112 cm $11,200

As the weather cools, we go visit the hares Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 76 x 58 cm $4,950

“Going immediately to pick it, I was pulled up by our family friend who had taken me on the bushwalk, and patiently told that Orchids were special flowers, and that we never, ever picked them, and that they wouldn’t survive in a vase like other flowers, they would die quickly. We had to enjoy them where they lived.”

Finding spiders in pockets amongst the canola Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 38 x 58 cm $2,650

“So, I squatted down in front of it and stared, looking at how hairy the stem was, and how strange it looked in the middle.

Somehow this lesson resonated with me, and through my childhood I always felt like spotting orchids as I played in our local bushland was like finding a tiny gift, they always made me smile when I noticed them. ”

Dancing in forests with only spiders watching Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 58 x 76 cm $4950

In the rain, walking with blue fairies Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 58 x 38 cm $2,650

Up until I was about 12 years old, seeing orchids in the bush was a regular occurrence during winter and spring.

After 12, and until my early 20’s orchids became a forgotten memory.

Careful where you step, lest you tread upon a queen Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 76 x 56 cm $4,950

We lived in the Perth hills by now, not on the sandplains of the Yellagonga regional park, and one day while bushwalking the floods of memory and nostalgia hit me like a wave as a colony of Diuris brumalis, Donkey Orchids, stood in front of me. I hadn’t seen an orchid in years.

I spent all day looking for the sun Oil and acrylic on cotton paper 38 x 58 cm $2,650

“ I don’t know why those waves of emotion hit me so strongly over a flower, but since that day every year is marked by the emergence of the Hare Orchids, Leporella fimbriata, where I then follow and take note of the subsequent emergence of the 25 other species that can be found in my area. It took me over a decade to find them all, devotedly walking through the hills on long hikes with my camera, documenting them all. Each year I go back and check the spots of the ones that are most special to me, to see if they’re flowering or not. I notice the years when lots of Pink Enamel’s flower, I notice the years when there are almost no Dwarf White Spiders, and I still get excited when I find a Crimson Spider. And there are still times I am a 6 year old child again, squatting in front of an orchid and just trying to observe every detail with complete and utter wonder.” Yvonne Zago 2024

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