I Must Have Flowers…always and always. -Monet

Flowers are such a fleeting treasure. I’ve always felt a strange sadness when beholding something so precious. A fading sunset between bare branches, a raindrop perched on the end of a leaf….something so temporary it feels like a great honor to witness it…and a great tragedy that no one else is there to see it’s splendor.

I guess that’s why I take pictures…to carefully grab those moments and place them in a gilded frame to be loved and admired by all.

Gardening began as a purpose for me– to nourish our family with vegetables, fruits, and herbs. But, it became a passion when flowers got involved. As an artist I discovered an entirely new canvas…and an endless supply of colors and shapes to fill my palette. I learned ravenously and experimented boldly with my new media, creating a bouquet garden that made me feel like I was in the pages of my favorite Mary Cecil Barker book. It was truly a work of heart and I do miss it dearly.

Every flower in The Bloom Collection started as a seed (or corm, rhizome, tuber, or cutting) in that garden, and was cultivated with care, nurtured, fed, and protected through the growing season. After long cold winters and dreary wet springs, the first unfurling buds of each plant were a treasure to behold. Before heat wilted and time withered, I tried my best to capture their glory on camera. In most cases, after the flowers were photographed, they were the showpiece in a homemade bouquet we shared with neighbors and friends.

Our garden was a magical place where I could paint with petals and hum with bees…and where every Dahlia, Cosmos, Sunflower, Peony, Zinnia, and Celosia was celebrated for simply blooming.

It feels like a great privilege to allow them to live on through my art. I hope you smile when you see your favorites, as I still do.