Dried Flower & Autumn Leaves Collection

This collection consists of various dried flowers and leaves found at the Amsterdam Flower Market, and in the Dutch village of Broek in Waterland. 

“Wonder at your feet”

In 2018 I was privileged to exhibit and sell my work in the ‘Kunstmuseum’ in the Hague. At the time, the museum curated an exhibition of Art Nouveau in the Netherlands. The idea of dried flowers arose from combining Art Nouveau and a Japanese drawing style. Together with my friend, Aico Lind, we bought dried flowers at the flower market in Amsterdam and headed to his studio. We started experimenting with several different backgrounds and lighting and eventually designed this new series.

Flowers and leaves are remarkable in their vulnerability and level of detail. Nature is amazing and so perfectly put together, yet we hardly ever look at it in great detail. This project opened my eyes to the world of botanical gardens and forests. It also strengthened my newfound curiosity in strange natural compositions. I marvel in the fact that inspiration can come from anywhere.

The autumn leaves series originated when my son and I collected pretty coloured leaves for an Herbarium; a book of dried autumn leaves. After hours of strolling through several forests I understood the true power of this natural product. Leaves perfectly capture the imperfectness and degradation of life. We usually don’t take the time to think much about leaves lying on the forest floor, but there is a whole new world of wonder right at our feet.