Epi Dakua Fijian Art

The Heliconia flower is part of the ginger family and gets its name from the Greek work Helikonios. Also known as  Lobster claws, wild plantains and false Bird of Paradise. 

If you take a ride along Viti Levu’s eastern side along the Kings Road, from Rakiraki down that corridor, Tailevu towards Suva; that is one of the greenest places in Viti Levu. The eastern side is very lustrous and has beautiful scenery and vegetation. If you sit by the window on a journey along this corridor, you will never miss seeing this flower, it grows everywhere. 

If you try to get a bouquet from a florist it will cost you handsomely, but if you take a trip down the Kings Road you can stop by anywhere and pick your own, growing wild. 

Epi said "I wanted to capture one of the many beautiful flowers growing around Fiji. I love this flower because of its beautiful colours, orange to red, how the colours blend. The tonal expression you can create. Some ginger flowers are orange all throughout, many are just red. Look at the bottom part and how it changes colour towards the upper edge, it changes from darkness to light in the Heliconia.

Notice how the petals are connected, along the middle spine. One branching to the left, the other to the right, it goes right up to the very top of the flower, connected in the centre. Every bunch of flower, the shading is done, the bottom is dark to the upper edge."