By Luke Voogt
The discoveries of Jill Shalless’s artistic treasure hunt are drawing shoppers into a central Geelong florist, whose owner took the risk of opening during COVID-19.
The oil and pastel painter of “40-something years” began searching for recycled materials eight months ago in a quest for something different to paint on.
“I found these beautiful trays that would have been used at an old Geelong bakery to stack the loaves,” the Newtown local said.
“A bit of metho and steel wool, gently cleaning the surface, and they were good to go.”
She then painted still-life fruit and produce, which jump out at the viewer from the wooden surfaces.
“They’re inviting you to taste, smell and be enticed by the fruit – even though they’re just still-life paintings,” she said.
The works now hang in the window of A Natural Bunch florist, as part of The Journey of Extraordinary Encounters arts trail for Geelong Design Week.
Owner Matt Hemphill, who operates another florist in Melbourne with his wife, opened the James Street shop when COVID-19 hit.
“Basically, it’s been a year without foot traffic,” he said.
“Cash flow has been a bit hard some weeks.
“The online portals that we use have kept us ticking and we’ve got a presence on social media, but that doesn’t always equal sales.”
The paintings drew several shoppers into the store this week.
“We put the art up yesterday and already four people have asked if they’re for sale,” Mr Hemphill said on Wednesday.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to get a bit more exposure and the art really compliments what we’ve got going on in the shop.”
Details: geelongcityofdesign.com.au/geelong-design-week
