Garden of Life

0.00

Sold

I put this piece together in the summer of 2018 after studiously collecting both inspiration and materials for a long time. During that period, extensive international travel was at the forefront of my life and creative possibilities were marinating in the background. I had the idea for this piece about four years before it came to fruition, while I was still living stateside and had been handcrafting similar style fabric flowers as pins and hair clips. When my family and I moved from the US to Europe, my exposure to art and design was abundant and nourishing for my spirit. We moved from Europe to Asia next, where my exposure to art and culture continued alongside the availability of luxe and sumptuous materials. The piece came together in S. Korea, where it felt incredibly rewarding to use my hands to create again. The work is a deeply personal one, wherein each individual flower tells its own story based upon the materials used to create it and where or who they came from. Overall it communicates the combined tales of a long journey. It is never too late to go back to doing the things that you love and this collage pays homage to the culmination of two decades worth of experiences, memories, and relationships.

Garden of Life is composed of 47 individually hand-crafted flowers grouped by size and color. The number of layers per flower ranges from 8-12, although a few have more and some have less, depending on the thickness of the materials. The flowers are created by cutting concentric circles out of paper and fabric and securing them together in the center with a piercing tool and a brad. In total, 47 brads were used to secure 432 layers of paper, fabric and trim. I worked on one color group at a time over the course of a few weeks. Particular attention was given to combining color, texture and pattern to create volume and richness. Progressing through each color group, I could return to previously assembled flowers, remove the brads, and add, remove or substitute layers as needed. This allowed for a fluid ebb and flow in the process that yields a balanced harmony in the work.

The materials used include:
Remnants of clothing and accessories that belonged to family members
Dismantled wall hanging components
Thrift shop finds
Gift and gift wrap items
Artisan papers hand selected in the US, Europe and Asia
Aviation map from over 20 years ago
Subway ticket from Athens, Greece
Pastry wrapper from Florence, Italy
Receipt from Kyoto, Japan
Countless odds and ends that captured my interest with their potential and aesthetic appeal