WE HAVE MOVED!!! 

We are starting a little floral studio in Toronto - BOTANY {floral studio}. I'll keep this blog up, but I'm switching over my postings to BOTANY's blog ... Like BOTANY on facebook to receive amazing weekly coupons ... xo

But here's a final post ...

Inspiration: still lifes and botanical drawings from the following two blogs ...

1. Still Life Quick Heart

2. Scientific Illustration

{Illustration by Ernst Haekel via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by Charles Harper via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by M. Pagaut & P. Vigier via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by M. Pagaut & P. Vigier via Scientific Illustration}

{Illustration by Jacob Marrel via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Illustration by Filippo Arena via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Edzard Dietz via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Anneke van Brussel via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Vernon Ward via Still Life Quick Heart}

{Painting by Simon Verelst via Still Life Quick Heart}

I am busily preparing for my show at Cafe Koi. My artwork will be showing from May 31 to June 25 ...
I have sent my images to the printers. They are being printed in very large format, the smallest measures approximately 4 x 2 feet ... The images I selected are all from this series - Vanitas II

If you're interested in knowing how I do the portraits and the meaning and inspiration behind my work, here is an interview I did with The Daily Undertaker on this series.

Hope you have a chance to see my work on display.

Leaving you with the latest addition I made to my botany series, it's a Tree Peony ...

Inspiration : Flowers

Florals are everywhere in design and the arts & crafts right now, re-inspiring florists and crafters alike, and even retail designers, like this enormous paper flower is hanging in Calgary's Anthropologie ...

{photograph courtesy of Blair Marie}

Some of my favourite flower sayings:

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. ~Chinese Proverb

With daffodils mad footnotes for the spring,
And asters purple asterisks for autumn -
~Conrad Aiken, Preludes for Memnon, 1930

God loved the flowers and invented soil. Man loved the flowers and invented vases. ~Variation of a saying by Jacques Deval (God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.)

I really love my job, being surrounded and creating with beautiful flowers everyday, so much of what surrounds me inspires and shapes my own arts & crafts, like a back and forth dance between the two ...

Here is some new work for my botany series ... I am trying to get things ready for my show in June. I love these roses, it looks as if they are blushing ... they are the largest, most stunning roses I have seen ...

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 ...