Are the Thornfield meanings of flowers your art?

ANGELA, TE PUKE, NEW ZEALAND

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Question:

I am a painter and I have been painting flowers because they are beautiful but I love the symbolism of the flowers in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. Are these meanings part of your art or have the flowers always had these traditional meanings in Australia?

Angela, Te Puke, New Zealand

Answer:

Dear Angela,

Your paintings sound beautiful. The meanings I gave to flowers in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which is called the Thornfield Language of Flowers, were my own creation.

I was inspired by the Victorian language of flowers, and how people have used plants and flowers for thousands of years in Australia, continuing today. This is why in my novel, when Alice is on Pitjantjatjara Country, I include details of how Anangu use flora, the first language of flowers.

The Thornfield Language of Flowers was beautifully brought to life in my novel through the artwork of Edith Rewa.

Love,

Holly