The little clumps of colour that allude to snapdragon flowers were created by collecting selected premixed colours of paint on the end of a flat ended palette knife and manoeuvred onto the canvas with a squiggle and a swirl to create the impression of a snapdragon flower.

I have spent my life surrounded by gardeners. In my childhood home my Mom would have flower beds of snowball trees, delphiniums, columbines, iceberg roses, fox gloves, white lavender and snapdragons to name a few. The gardens were fragrant and filled with butterflies and bees and as kids we played in that garden till the sun went down and we were called inside.

I loved playing with the snap dragons. They have a unique response to having their “throat”squeezed, which causes the “mouth” of the flower to snap open like a dragon’s mouth. It must be where I developed my passions for all things dragon!

And some random information I learned from my horticulturist father… When they’re alive, Snapdragons make beautiful flowers. However, when the seed pods die, something peculiar happens… the dead flower heads resemble miniature human skulls. Ancient cultures once thought Snapdragon Flowers held supernatural powers, and it was considered good luck to carry one around with you.