Bee eaters, Alpha 1884

In these sensitive nature studies, Neville-Rolfe is alive to the beauty of the Australian flowers and plants she encounters, as well as the great variety of insects and birds. She sometimes combines the genres of nature study and still life, as in Bee eaters, Alpha 1884, where a pair of beautifully coloured birds appear laid on a platter with delicately traced sprigs and bright yellow flowers. In Gum tree in flower 1883, the vivid blue sky behind the branch of the tree evokes sunshine and heat, while its long, arcing leaves suggest a rhythm different to any found in the landscape of her country of birth.