WILD SILK. celebrating the wild flora of australia BY IAN DE SOUZA

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1 WILD SILK celebrating the wild flora of australia BY IAN DE SOUZA

2 wild silk highlights the exquisite beauty of the australian bush through the eyes of artist ian de souza and his oeuvre. selected images from the artist s thematic partnership exhibition have been transposed onto 100% silk crepe de chine fabric enabling everyone to share in our country s unique landscape. The WILD SILK Shawl Scarf Collection One is made of luxurious 100% silk crepe de chine and presents in two generous sizes, approximately 200x135cm or 170x110cm. The ultimate travel item, they can be easily styled into a sarong for wearing poolside, a shawl, business suit cravat, or halter neck top for after work drinks. They could even be worn as a fashion statement by men! The scarves are suitable for all age groups and could in their own right, be framed as an art piece, if you can bear to take them off! All scarves come delivered in a box, hand signed by the artist, making them the perfect personal or corporate gift. The generous and forgiving fabric folds into a discrete roll, packing away with minimum fuss. wear with pride

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4 Plant family: Haemodoraceae Floral Emblem of Western Australia [1960]. Location: Restricted to the south-west of WA, although the family to which it belongs also occurs in Papua New Guinea, South Africa and the Americas. The common name Kangaroo Paw, is derived from the appearance of the unopened cluster of flowers resembling the animal s paw. Appearance: A low sub-shrub growing from an underground stem, that grows to approx 1m in height. Broad leaves 30-60cm long, tapering to an acute apex. The stem and the bases of the flowers are usually deep red and covered with woolly hairs. The flowers are pollinated by birds seeking nectar. Habitat: Occurs naturally in a variety of habitats and soil types. Season: Flowers between August and October. Anigozanthos manglesii red and green kangaroo paw ian de souza ink on rice paper 140x70cm x detail

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6 Plant family: Myrtaceae Location: Western Australia, Central Australia into the Northern Territory. Appearance: A small, hardy, smooth barked tree with a white trunk. Dull light green to grey-green lanceolate foliage. Bears creamy white staminous flowers. It grows to a height of 15m and 10m in width. Habitat: Tolerates heavier soils. High tolerance of drought. Uncommon in cultivation. Not considered to be at risk in the wild. Season: Flowers November to March. Eucalyptus victrix coolibah ian de souza ink on rice paper 125x70cm x detail

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8 Plant family: Myrtaceae Also known as: Red capped gum, Helmet nut gum. Location: Perth, Wheatbelt towns in Western Australia and in South Australia. Appearance: One of the most spectacular of the eucalyptus when in flower, the flower may be 7cm across with four tufts of golden stamens at each of the corners and are in groups of three. The flowers are preceded by large rectangular scarlet buds and are followed by large helmet-shaped fruits. The foliage is dark green and the leaves are sickle-shaped. Habitat: Commonly grows on limestone soils and is well adapted to alkaline conditions. Season: Flowering occurs from February to April. Eucalyptus erythrocorys illyarrie ian de souza ink on rice paper 125x70cm 2009 detail

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10 Plant family: Fabaceae Floral Emblem of South Australia [1961]. Location: Fabaceae is confined to Australia, where it occurs in all mainland States except Victoria. Appearance: In its natural habitat Sturt s Desert Pea is a perennial plant with silky grey-green pinnate foliage arising from prostrate stems. The leaves are covered with downy hairs. The flowers are about 9cm long arranged in clusters of six to eight on short, thick, erect stalks. The petals are usually blood red or scarlet with a glossy black swelling at the base of the uppermost petal, the standard. Habitat: Arid woodlands and open plains. It is able to withstand the marked extremes of temperature experienced in inland deserts and light frosts. Season: Following heavy rains it flowers as an ephemeral. Swainsona formosa sturt s desert pea ian de souza ink on rice paper 130x70cm 2009 detail

11 Ian de Souza is of Portuguese, Malay, Chinese and Indian heritage. While in his youth he steeped himself in Western painting traditions, as a mature artist he is increasingly drawn back to his Eastern origins. With this merging of a traditional Chinese medium of ink on rice paper with his own inventive method of using it, he has found a way of painting that adds a deeply personal dimension to his creative expression. order your wild silk For further information or to order your scarf online, please visit or idesouza@iinet.net.au or phone ian de souza the artist Art Gallery of WA Shop Roe Street, Perth FOUND at Fremantle Arts Centre 1 Finnerty Street, Fremantle Share your WILD SILK style SELECTED WA STOCKISTS Linton & Kay Galleries Perth, Subiaco, Mandoon Estate #wildsilk Models: Ginette Hillman, Ros de Souza. Photography by Simon Cowling at Temple Dog, Bob Sommerville, Liesbeth Goedhart. Botanical Information Source: Australian Native Plant Society, Florabase, BGPA. WILD SILK refers to Ian de Souza s shawl scarf collection, not the course silk produced by wild silk caterpillars.

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