I added more work to my botany series, this time tulips ... Here are a few that I finished working on this evening ...

Inspiration: the sleepy sweetness of the hellebores - I love the nodding cup shape of the hellebores which begs to be looked at more closely. The natural beauty and antique colours of these flowers lend themselves as the ideal flower for vintage or loose garden arrangements and bouquets ...

I brought home a wine colour hellebore and took a few photos of this beauty ...


I scanned the hellebore as well, another for my botany set ...

Inspiration: Terrariums ...

These are the cutest mini-terrariums from the Botany Factory. Designed by Katie Goldman MacDonald in her San-Francisco studio, she aims at bringing plants to small indoor spaces. See more of her terrarium designs here.

{image courtesy of the Botany Factory}

Apartment Therapy lists the top 10 succulents and cacti and succulents for interiors.

This article Gardens in glass: make your own upcycled terrarium by Stephanie Rogers for ecosalon is helpful if you are wanting to make your own mini-terrarium. She offers different options for receptacles too ...
Mason Jar Terrarium – Craftzine
Inverted Jar Terrarium – Design Sponge
Wine Bottle Terrarium – Dr. Vino
Light Bulb Terrarium – Instructables

{light bulb terrariums by tiny terra}

Check out L.A.-based Machine Project's terrarium ...


I like the philosophy behind their gallery ... Machine Project brings "together artists, architects, designers, makers, scientists, programmers, plant enthusiasts, poets, and gaming nerds. Far from being a traditional gallery, Machine project could be described as an art-gallery-turned-mad scientist's laboratory used for collaboration, experimentation, classes , lectures, and for play. Perhaps what stands out the most is that no matter how serious the subject matter, Machine brings an air of effortless fun to the equation, making the work accessible to a large audience without needing to water down the ideas." (dwell)

Two more pictures from this past week ... one more from the Sirena series and the other from a new series I have been piecing together over the last year or so, inspired by botany ...

Kokedama are 'moss ball' bonsais ... I am thinking of trying my own ... If you find this inspiring, here is a tutorial with supplies required to make your own kokedama.

'Its cute round shape and tranquillity formed by moss creates a somewhat comical but quiet, wonderful but humble atmosphere. Every time I look at Kokedama I feel a sense of wonder. I love it.' SALA-SALA

{above photos courtesy of Hoa Mai}

String Gardens are simplistic and understated plant instillations. Created by Fedor in Amsterdam, these minimalist String Gardens take Kokedama a step further by balancing and suspending the bonsais from string. His collections are seasonal and help introduce natural elements as instillations in the urban environment ... Some of his work is shown below ...

Inspiration: Botanical drawings and flower stars!

I really love old botanical drawings ... so when I came across 'Floating Lemons' blog, I was impressed with her pencil crayon drawings of flowers and fruits ... Here are some of her works that I admire ...




I am a floral designer by trade, so I really admire other people's work and ambition when it comes to floral design ... Here are some inspirational pictures from amazing designers ...

{floral by: Floral Lab}

I love Nicolette Owen's natural style with floral design. Here is an article about her and her budding floral design career.

{floral by: Nicolette Camille Floral Design}

Another young designer that I admire is Bess Wyrick. Here is an article about her and her floral career. Her company Celadon & Celery is much more about teaching floral design and appealing to corporate culture.

Lastly, Mignonne HANDMADE is inspired by floral. Their Romantic Floral collection is my favourite. Here is a link to their ETSY shop. Just some of their many beautiful creations are shown below...

What a whirlwind trip to Toronto!!! It went by so quickly, I guess vacations always do ... I visited lots of little galleries in Toronto, but I really enjoyed the exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum ... Here are some of my favourite things I spotted at the ROM ...

Miniature room including silverware

Wallpaper from different eras

Displays of vegetation

Stairwell displays leaving the Museum

Art Nouveau flower vase

Nelson Mandela Doll

And what a way to end a vacation - the day before we flew home to Calgary, I received an email from The Daily Undertaker wanting to interview me and feature my artwork (series: Vanitas and Vanitas 2) ... I'll post the link to the article on my blog once it's posted ...

I am far more self-conscious about writing than I am about showing my artwork, but here goes ... Here are three lyrical-type poems I've written over the years ... I know, I know, poetry, but really I see it as another way to make imagery, just in minds and not physically on paper or canvas ...




Mateus - Swedish design and genuine Portuguese craftsmanship. What I love is this company's gallery ... their images, their table designs and their botanical inspired tableware amaze me ... Here are some of my favourites from their collection ...

Inspiration: Botanical names and illustrations. Here are some maidenhair ferns that I picked on our nature walk. I have scanned them, I like the light and dark effects created by scanning, especially with anything botanical ... Click on image to view ...

Adiantum capillus-veneris (maidenhair fern)

I am reading this book: 100 Flowers and How They Got their Names by Diana Wells. After all, "Weren't names designed to enhance the matter in which they referred? (Bernard Cooper, Maps to Anywhere, 1990, 4) I wish this were true - I am finding that most botanical and family names of flowers are Greek origin with mythological stories to match; which is interesting. Whereas the common names are often named after botanists and not relating to the flower's characteristics or habitat or cultural context; this is not so interesting.

However, the Foxglove's common name, it's meaning and history are not only interesting, but quaint. Wells (1997) writes:

Foxgloves, native to Britain and Europe, have always been considered fairy flowers. There are dozens of fairy names for them, as well as some more sinister ones like the Gaelic ciochan nan cailleachan marblia, or "dead old woman's paps". The name "foxglove" comes from the Old English foxes glofa, and the flowers do look like the fingers of a glove. Foxgloves tend to grow on woody slopes where foxes' burrows are often found. Foxes are wily creatures who may have needed magical gloves when they slunk out of the shadows and spirited away chickens... William Curtis, whose illustration of a foxglove was the frontispiece to Withering's book, compared the flowers to spotted wings of butterflies, which "smile at every attempt of the Painter to do them justice"... (77-78)

(Foxglove -photo courtesy of Old Varieties)