Catherin Bull

Barringtonia calyptrata
mango pine

2019, watercolour, graphite on paper
75.5 x 56.6 cm

Collected 1770: Islands of Cape Fear Lizard Island

Collected and observed 2018: Lizard Island Townsville

This artwork shows the complete life cycle of the tree, from flower and fruit, seed pod and seedling, through to the fallen leaves which are briefly bright red. Collected by Banks and Solander on Lizard Island, Barringtonia calyptrata is now a cultivated street tree in North Queensland. The dynamic and contemporary composition balances richly detailed and layered watercolour with a stylised background in graphite.

Eucalyptus platyphylla
poplar gum, dundurr (Guugu Yimithirr)

2019, watercolour, graphite on paper
75.5 x 57 cm

Collected 1770: Thirsty Sound

Collected and observed 2018: Cooktown James Cook University, Townsville

Eucalyptus platyphylla is one of the dominant eucalypts of the Townsville region, forming large stands on the coastal ranges, and common from Rockhampton north to Horn Island in the Torres Strait. The artist’s magnetic portrait focusses upon the tree’s distinctive smooth white bark and its broad almost round leaves, some of which are shed during the hotter drier months prior to the wet season. An abstracted patterned carpet in salmon pink alludes to the soil enriching leaf and bark litter and the tonal variation of the tree form.