Garden of 100 Blooms

$12,000.00

The simple idea of creating one bloom a day until I had one hundred, is the seed from which this magnificent piece matured. I began the project on New Year’s Day of 2022 as a manageable way to commit to my art practice consistently. Each bloom became a true reflection of the day it was created, determined by whichever muse of inspiration presented itself at the time. Sometimes the inspiration was based on the weather or season, a favorite object or just observing how materials fell together at random to create visually pleasing combinations. I found dipping into that creative state of mind regularly kept me centered and I remained open to how the project may evolve along the way. Remarkably, the simple act of creating a little bit each day multiplied all of the work generated from my studio exponentially.

I chose the window screen as a non-traditional surface for displaying the blooms in order to explore the concept of a window flower box. The screen was ideal for its size, flexibility and ability to view the blooms through an indoor/outdoor garden perspective. The modular nature of the blooms allowed me to affix them to the screen easily and play with their arrangement. For several weeks, I got to know the blooms and how they interacted with their neighbors in different configurations and color groupings. A particular sense of movement and harmony let me know when the blooms were in their rightful places and ready to be framed. I envisioned a floating shadow box frame that could be displayed vertically or horizontally, encasing the window screen between two pieces of plexiglass, surrounded by an elegant wooden moulding. I collaborated with local master framers, who were able to accommodate the large screen dimensions and make the vision a stunning reality. It took fourteen months to lovingly cultivate the “Garden of 100 Blooms” and it is truly an oasis of beauty, contemplation and a testament to the ripple of small actions making a big impact.