Hydrangeas have always held a nostalgic attachment for me.  Growing up in the Hawkes Bay they were as popular in the garden as a seal balancing a ball sculpture, or a swan made from old car tyres.  This was a time when a "Sunday drive" was actually a "thing".  We would jump into the Morris Marina station wagon & head out for a Rush Munro ice-cream, check our Marine Parade, & visit a relative.  Our relatives all seemed to have hydrangeas in their gardens - so they became known to our family as the "Sunday flowers" - this seemed pretty normal to us, especially as Agapanthus had already been re-named "motorway flowers". 

I first started painting hydrangeas as a nod to my early memories, which became a series of works titled "Sunday Flowers".  These days, between painting various still life subjects, I've started to see hydrangea's slightly differently.  The individual forms of huge sculptural blooms collectively create massive bushes, which are larger than I was a child.  I love the drama and depth created by light & shadow, and the beautiful palette variations from antique white & blushes through to brilliant poppy blues & pinks with rich textures & scale.    And they still take me back to those hot sunny Hawkes Bay days.