Art with pressed flowers
Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you will enjoy looking at my prints of pictures made by hand using pressed flowers and leaves. The process is quite elaborate: First, I pick interesting flowers and leaves and press them for several weeks in heavy books until they are completely dried. Then, I create a picture with them and, when I am satisfied with the arrangement, I glue the pieces in place and scan or photograph the finished work. Finally, I process the photo on the computer to prepare it for printing. All told, I spend about 50 hours on each picture. This procedure allows me to make intricate designs that will retain their form and color long after the original flowers have faded and crumbled to dust.
After retiring in 2011 from a 35-year career as a professional opera singer (the reason this American moved to Europe and now lives in Baden-Baden), I found I needed another creative outlet. I returned to my childhood love of wild flowers and now feel as passionate about this work as I did about my singing. I hope that viewing the beautiful perfection of nature in the small flowers (often "just weeds"), will awaken in you feelings of joy and awe. It is not only wonderful to take time to smell the flowers, but also to look closely at these miracles of nature!
A short video about my work: