Kathleen McArthur · 1915–2000

‘When the mind opens,
the flowers bloom’

A selection of paintings, writings and photographs by Kathleen McArthur (1915–2000), Queensland wildflower artist, author and conservationist, compiled and with introductions by the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, Sunshine Coast & Hinterland Inc

Kathleen McArthur’s watercolour plate of wallum wildflowers, January 1958: pink hibiscus, yellow daisies, blue lobelia and wattle.
Kathleen McArthur painting outdoors. (open larger)
Kathleen at work

Explore her life and work

Five parts, each marked by one of her wildflowers. Every part opens with a short introduction, then a set of stories you can read in order.

  • Who is Kathleen McArthur?

    The artist, writer and Sunshine Coast Citizen of the Century.

    5 stories
  • Engage

    Painting with purpose, banding together, and writing for the newspapers.

    7 stories · 1 gallery
  • Educate

    Lunch Hour Theatre, Golden Beach State School and her books.

    5 stories
  • Energise

    Campaigns for Cooloola, the Pumicestone Passage and our beaches; past and future.

    12 stories
  • Sources

    Sources and acknowledgements for everything on this site.

    1 page
  • Galleries

    Her paintings, wildflowers of the wallum, and birds of the Sunshine Coast.

    4 galleries
Kathleen McArthur sketching on a grassy hillside.

New here? Read it like a book

  1. Start with Introducing Kathleen.
  2. At the bottom of every page, press Next page.
  3. You can always see where you are at the top of the page, and return here with Home. All pages lists everything.
Start reading

Look

Painting with purpose

38 of her wildflower paintings. Open the gallery and use the large arrows, or swipe, to move through them.

Open the gallery