After a slight change in plans, I’m happy to announce that my first fine art piece is currently available to view (or purchase!) at Quirk Gallery!
My piece, entitled A Compendium of Roses, is a part of a more extensive group exhibition called Roses are Red. It features works from artists in varied disciplines and media that incorporate plants, botanicals, flowers, and floral elements.
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It's been several months since I've released a new collection here, but not without good reason! Summer, while assumed to be an excellent time to slow down and enjoy time in the actual garden, absolutely flew by with custom, commercial, and wedding work. I'm not complaining! But I did feel guilty about the bounty of inspiration growing all around, and the lack of time available for me to translate that inspiration into paper.
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Upon the release of the University of Richmond Magazine, I received an email from a fellow alumnae whose daughter was about to celebrate her first wedding anniversary. She loved the idea of gifting her something that would be more like a combination of a Paperversary bouquet and a study.
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By far the most frequent things I'm asked are: "How long does it take you to make a flower?" and "Do you use a template?"
So today I'm going try to answer both of these questions with a bit of a demonstration and an inside look at my process.
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When I launched these studies in July, I made it my goal to post and list a new piece for sale every Friday. Well, today I'm breaking that streak! It's not that I didn't finish a study this week—I did! The difference is today I'm not going to sell it.
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Earlier this spring I conducted my first study with Lisianthus, and I fell in love. What's not to love? Bunches of Lisianthus are full of adorable trumpet-like buds and gorgeous blooms that I feel are a perfect cross between a rose and a tulip. Best yet—they seem to last for weeks in a vase! Whenever I see these at the market, I always pick them up. The problem with that is that they're only around for a short time during the year (or at least, they should be). Sounds like a perfect candidate for paper, right?
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Over the weekend I spent some time working on another paper anniversary bouquet! I can't wait to share this one, but it's going to have to wait another week or two so I don't spoil the surprise.
However, there's a reason I bring it up now…
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If it's seemed quiet this week—it's been anything but! Things are really picking up around here. I'm very close to posting the new fall collection, which I'm going to be documenting piece-by-piece here as so as it launches. I realized while I was photographing these pieces that more than anything these arrangements are one massive study. I truly believe it's my best work yet—and I'm excited to see it being so well received.
My Mom brought over another vase full of fresh picks from her garden early this week (a regular thing this time of year) and amongst the collection of black eyed Susan's, zinnias, and dahlias were the most striking color of blue blooms I've ever seen. I asked her what they were, and for the first time maybe ever, she didn't know! They were wild, and she thought that maybe they were catnip? Whatever they were, they were as pungent as they were pretty.
On Wednesday my Mom popped over with a pristine Magnolia bloom that she and her neighbor had plucked from a tree in her yard (that story involved golf clubs—don't ask). We had talked about how I'd wanted to try one of these for a while, but my neighbor's trees had all stopped blooming, and the photos I'd grabbed of their blooms were also infested with beetles (they've been a real problem out here this year!). So she knew I had been on the lookout for a good model–and boy did she deliver!
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Over the weekend my husband and I were wandering through the produce section of the grocery store wondering what to make for dinner that night (as we do) when my eyes started to drift towards the flowers (as they do). I quickly darted to the display to grab one lone little bundle of the most adorable dahlias—just sitting there neglected in a stray bucket. By far the best thing I've seen at a grocery store in a while!
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I'm not a huge fan of lilies—I have a fight or flight response to their fragrance, and because of that, I avoid them at all costs. Calla lilies have always intrigued me, but by association, I never pay them much attention. A custom order I'm working on called for a few, and once I dug in, I realized the fun I could have with their clean lines and a blank canvas.
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I often challenge myself by picking out fresh flowers at the market and seeing whether or not I can recreate them with my paper. When these experiments work out, I'm exhilarated—but then what?
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