Re-Awakening 1.4x6m [4 panels]

Original Artwork
Oil on Canvas
1.4m x 1.4m over 4 panels (5.6 to 6m total)

Australian wild flowers – Botanical Painting
Cotton Canvas over heavy duty stretcher bar

On Show at Ripples Dinning,
Chowder bay – Sydney NSW
Open to all to view – however if you would like one of the SOHO gallery team to accompany you for a viewing please don’t hesitate to contact us.

This mural is the 4th in the series and the last one. The first ‘Regeneration’ won the Gold Medal at the Florence Biennial and the subject matter celebrated the cycle of fire and regeneration of Australian flora. reflecting the trials and tribulations we undergo, the obstacles we overcome. allowing us to become more beautiful and mature in surviving them. purchased in 2010

The second mural ‘Revolution’ featuring repeating pods and other botanical elements – a metaphor for the repetition of events in our lives, and those who drift in and out of them. This mural, was also 4 panels each measuring 1.5 m x 1.5 m. The colours were a limited palette focusing more on oranges and turquoise with the Great Barrier Reef being the underlying inspiration for the colours. purchased in 2012.

The third mural ‘Rejuvenation’ turned to a brighter palette with more vibrant colours and some new flower species I was able to acquire through my contacts at “Seed” – a local florist who offered stunning specimens whenever she stumbled across them. I was working on this mural for more than 10 months when Robert Cusack contacted me about it, having heard of this piece through a colleague at St Vincents Hospital. Robert was the CEO of St Vincents Private at the time and asked me to consider having it installed in the Day Surgery on the 5th Floor (where it is now). St Vincent’s acquired it in 2014 . having witnessed the benefits art has on patients as a distraction, effecting a drop in blood pressure and anxiety when about to undergo a surgical procedure. So the mural was installed in the foyer that patients pass en route to procedures, and the result is that the anaesthetics administered, take better and quicker effect when the patient is less stressed.

This fourth and final mural is ‘Re-Awakening’. It is an explosion of colour celebrating a Wide array of spectacular of Australian Wildflowers. a pure enjoyment of the beauty our Australian natives provide us.
Another huge undertaking and the process was more complicated by the diversity and composition of flowers chosen to display. The extended time of almost an entire calendar year working almost solely on the mural whilst running my own gallery in Mosman. Untill now, due the I have had no opportunity to show this work – ReAwakening is currently is on display at Ripples Dinning  in Chowder bay NSW

The acquisition of ‘Re-Awakening’ will benefit the very subject it depicts as 10% of the purchase price will be donated to Animal Works International for their ‘Water 4 Wildlife’ project facilitating the installation of solar water pumps in drought affected NSW. Nafisa recognizes the importance of making the general public aware of such a donation which helps sustain our fragile indigenous flora and fauna, when they enjoy the beauty of the mural.

An Extravaganza of colour and beauty celebrating the unique flora of our nation is captured in oils on a 6 meter mural (in 4 parts) by Nafisa. This mural is now ready for acquisition.
Almost a year in the making, Nafisa has drawn inspiration from nature to create and combine elements of the corals found on Great Barrier Reef along with the flora found in our parks and wilderness, in creating this masterful work. The vibrant colours of the reef, with the almost architectural structures of some wildflowers, makes it uniquely and proudly Australian.

The creation was begun with a small pastel sketch, depicting the various species of Australian wildflowers to work in the composition that was to become ‘Re-Awakening’. Then Nafisa worked on many charcoal drawings of the individual flowers from life, with the use of a magnifying glass, as studies for the final work. The canvases were sketched out and the composition blocked-in with two colours: Cobalt purple ( as the underpainting for all areas of background ) and Alizarin Crimson (as the underpainting for all areas of the flowers). Then each panel was painted with many layers of colours layered one upon the other, working dark-to-light, giving the mural it’s depth of colour and vibrant beauty.  When the first panel was 70% complete Nafisa started working on the second panel.  When the second panel was 70% complete, she worked to synchronize the colours of both panels, unifying the final composition.  The final addition to the mural was made by suggesting a light source emanating from the centre of each panel, moving the eye of the viewer to the next part of the work. Glazing transparent colours into the shadows and sharpening highlights, Nafisa gave the composition dramatic tone and colour .

Now it is available in its completed form, each panel measures 54 inches x 54 inches…totalling almost  22 feet in length