Rod Eales has always been attracted to gardens and the flowers within them. Her two acre garden, which she planned and created, has been the inspiration for this series of paintings celebrating the flower in all stages of its life, from bud to full bloom, and the slow process of decline and decay. Rod has always collected, dissected and drawn flowers, either from books, her own garden, friend’s gardens or Botanical gardens. She researches during the summer months, planting, photographing, drying and drawing so that she has an abundance of imagery to work with over the winter months. The flowers are photographed at various stages of decay, to capture the play of light, surface textural changes and detail in the structure of veins, changes in colour, spots and other blemishes over time. Her paintings are built up through multiple layers of paint, sometimes up to 15 layers, to achieve the desired depth and luminosity. The images depicting dying flowers are representative of loved ones that she has lost, while others are reflective of impending global warming and the demise of the natural world. 

Rod Eales was born on the coast of the Bay of Plenty. Since graduating with a Diploma in Fine Arts, and Diploma in Kindergarten Teaching at Dunedin, Rod has pursued the dual career of painting and teaching. She has painted and exhibited regularly throughout New Zealand for more than 25 years and is represented in collections both nationally and internationally.