By Tyler Wright
The intrinsic beauty of the Dandenongs is something Patricia Buoncristiani aims to capture in her oil paintings, which are now on display at the General Food Store in Emerald.
The wonders of the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, a fern gully at Grant’s Picnic Ground in Sherbrooke and daffodils on Patricia’s Macclesfield property are all pieces of art in her collection ‘Small Places From the Heart’.
“My late husband and I built [our property] about 30 years ago, and I still live in it apart from a few years where I went and lived in the United States,” Patricia said.
Prior to that we lived in the hills as well; we lived in Kallista for a little while, we lived in Belgrave for a while, so the hills have always drawn me back.
My intention is I should be taken out of the hills and possibly planted somewhere in the hills eventually.”
Patricia takes inspiration from photographs of the surrounding environment – one in particular extremely close to her heart.
“My stepdaughter was a very keen horse woman, and she gave her dad my, my late husband, a small cutting seedling of a gum tree, which we planted at the back of our property, and it has grown into this magnificent tree,” Patricia said.
“Sadly, my stepdaughter was killed in a riding accident in 2010 – so that tree has always been called Margot’s tree because it’s so strong and beautiful.”
This piece has already been sold, but her other works will be available for sale while on display at the General Food Store.
All twelve pieces of Patricia’s collection “Small Places From the Heart” will be on display at the store until the end of September.
The General Food Store is located at 377 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Emerald VIC 3782.
