Sturt's Desert Rose - with gold leaf

'Sturt's Desert Rose' draws from beauty of wildflowers in the Australian Landscape. Sturt's Desert Rose is the official floral emblem of the Northern territory- it has flowers in shades of pink with a dark centre.
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These beautiful blooms are set against Mount Sonder/ Rwetyepme in the NT.

The sun's light filters through the flowers and along the mountain edges, creating a captivating golden glow. This is metallic gold leaf gilding adding a touch of luxury. As the light shifts, the gold shimmers and dances, creating a dynamic visual experience. - it changes depending on the angle of the light/ and as you walk past it.
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This original painting is part of the 2026 Collection - Reflections of Mountains.
It is an international collection of mountains and flora in my distinctive ink brush and neutral backgrounds with gold leaf.
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The artwork features a beautiful interplay of light and shadow, achieved through layers of acrylic, ink, pastel and gold leaf on canvas.

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The neutral, warm palette of creamy brown, beige, and white with black ink evokes a sense of tranquility The loose brushwork adds an impressionistic touch, enhancing the overall sense of movement and depth.
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Australian artist Laurie Franklin (b. 1981) is an established, internationally collected painter known for her layering of paint and mixed media to create tactile works ranging from mountains, seascapes to florals and abstracted forms.

Laurie has sold 1000s of artworks since starting painting in 2002, artwork is displayed in hotels, restaurants and held collections in over 20 countries. Past hotel projects have included 200m of hand painted wallpaper and hundreds of original artworks for hotel suites.

Based in Melbourne, Australia she works from a large studio space allowing several artworks to be worked on simultaneously. She travels and undertakes Art residencies around the world, the changing scenery influences her unique approach to capturing the intrinsic character of the landscape . Her gestural style, tight color palette and use of metallic elements create tactile, intriguing artworks.