Tulip artist has strong ties with this year’s themed flower

Tulip artist has strong ties with this year’s themed flower. Jill Alexander is an acrylic painter who is depicting the royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, on a tulip for this year's Ottawa Tulip Festival to commemorate their nuptuals on April 29 and their visit to the capital this summer. LJ Matheson

Jill Alexander is the selected artist to portray the couple… or rather the theme selected her. She says she feels like these creations have grabbed her and taken her down a new life’s path – one that is lined with tulips.

“I saw Will and Kate on TV and thought that would make a great tulip theme,” said Alexander from her home near Bayshore. “I made the call and they (festival organizers) thought it was a great idea, and here we are.”

This will be her sixth tulip and one closest to her heart, as her own son will be married just two weeks after the royal couple. Alexander says it’s about portraying a legacy – a family heirloom of sorts.

“As a mother of a groom, I feel it’s important to show that family bond,” she said, and added that even though Prince William’s mother, Lady Diana Spencer, is gone, she will not be forgotten.

“I know a mother’s pride and love,” she said. “She is very much a part of him… it never ends.”

Alexander took possession of the white fiberglass structure about a week ago and has already begun the transformation. As with past tulips, she’s interpreting Canada’s friendship with another country – this time it’s with Britain. Both flags will be painted around the flower’s stem like a twining vine. Some may recall this technique on her last tulip, called “Yes We Can” on which she painted United States President Barack Obama along with inspirational messages and the U.S. and Canadian flags.

“It started in 2002,” she said of her tulip-painting journey. “It was really the start of my becoming an independent artist.”

After much soul searching about 10 years ago, Alexander quit work as a designer and class co-ordinator for a specialty store and threw herself into her acrylic painting. “It was the right thing to do for me. Things started happening – for the good,” she said. “I knew I made the right decision.”

Since then, she has created a tulip in memory of memory of Ron Kolbus, and it shows Britannia Beach area at the turn of the century, along with the current view of Andrew Haydon Park. It is now on display at the Ron Kolbus Centre, Lakeside Gardens, located in Britannia Beach in the building that was renamed in his honour.

The second was also a memorial tulip. This one, called “Diane’s Tulip” is in memory of Diane Stuemer, a local journalist and author.

“My inspiration came from her determination to sail the world – she gave up her job and did what she wanted to do for four years.” Stuemer subsequently died from cancer and fundraising monies from the sale of this tulip went to the Northern Magic Fund for international development.”

The third tulip, “Colours of Spring” was a vibrant piece, painted black and slashed with colourful flowers, ended up stolen and sawn in half. The incident made headlines and a boat builder saw the story and was able to fix it.

Her other tulip was one commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Navy. It is called “Canadian Naval Centennial Tulip” and was last year’s piece for the festival.