Valerie Parr, Camelia

Valarie Parr Camelia

The Artist

Valerie  Parr has left a little bit of a conundrum to the researcher.  We  know very little about this artist other than that she was active during the  1970s when the work of art in the University's collection was painted.

The Work of Art

This very simple but  extremely beautiful work of art depicts the  camelia  oleiferra  flower partly opened.  The petals are partly hiding  the yellow stamen  and the shading on the petals and the catch of light on the white petals  clash against the dark blue background.  The image is somehow rather  intimate and guarded.

The picture was painting using oil onto canvas and is believed to have been painted  in 1976 . It was added to the collection shortly after in October of that year.

The Camellia  which originated in China, is notable as an important source of edible oil obtained from its seeds. It is commonly known as the oil-seed camellia or tea oil camellia, though to a lesser extent other species of camellia are used in oil production too.