Creating Fine Art with pressed Florals from Celebrations
of the most Important Special Occasions in a Life.
Welcome.
Entrust your Special Occasion Flowers to me to preserve them and create a collage with the pressed florals that will stir memories for many years to come.
They too are marking Special Passages; Keep them.
Process.
It is important that you get your flowers to me within the optimal 3- 7days (Bouquet pickup possible in Asheville/WNC area), but I've taken in very tired flowers and made a beautiful piece, so enjoy them and pass them on when you are ready.
Instructions are available for shipping the flowers to me.
I will immediately press them, some whole and some deconstructed. Two - three weeks later I will un-press and create a collage that represents the spirit and visual structure of the fresh bouquet arrangement. I will photograph it before sealing, for future reproduction if you wish (notecards are popular). I then seal the piece to remove the oxygen (a color fader) between glass or acrylic and I will (mat and) frame as agreed upon.
Many flowers and greens press and seal well, lasting for many years, while others don’t. Whites often turn warm beige and brown, as do many greens. Others hold colors forever. There will be changes in the pressed flowers from the fresh, always pleasing in their own beauty.
The contract you will be asked to sign will state that you understand and accept the uncertainties and unknowns.
Flowers to be treasured are not always predictable like wedding bouquets. I hold space for unpredictable flowers, as well as schedule the predictable ones. I know we can work together to schedule local pick up or delivery/shipping.
Prebook to ensure getting on the schedule. You will be asked to sign a contract and make a 50% non-refundable deposit when pre-booking. Otherwise, contact me whenever you know a date, or have flowers in hand. If flowers are ‘in hand’, the quicker they get to me, the better.
Projects.
Commissions.
Size and Price
9”x12” : $400.00
11”x14” : $500.00
(Some negotiation regarding size and frame materials is possible.)
The size is approximate of the image unmatted.
Original art will be sealed with a UV-protective acrylic or glass and professionally framed (necessary to ensure seal) with either a Walnut or Maple frame (see examples below) or metal frame (available at lower cost). An optional surrounding cream mat of 1.5” on larger pieces, and low-reflective glass are included with frame.
50% Deposit due at booking
50% Remainder is due upon delivery of pressed artwork or prior to shipping.
Shipping to/from is not included.
Shipping finished art is approximately $60.00 UPS: includes packing, insuring, shipping.
A final contract will be issued when scheduling, along with an Information sheet. Payable in advance; no returns; collage will be sealed and framed as agreed when contracting. Final art to be delivered / shipped within 2 months.
An item may be included in the collage, such as a ribbon, a picture, a card. I reserve the right to crop as inspired, unless you indicate otherwise.
When available, please provide a photograph of the flowers in their original fresh bouquet as inspiration for final collage. The bouquet will be photographed by me upon arrival, but often that stage is not ideal.
All photographs are the property of McChesneyArt and may be used for marketing PetalPassages unless you indicate otherwise.
Some flowers will remain unused in the collage; they can be returned to you if you wish.
A.F.
” …we are hugely impressed with the quality; Thank you!”
Amanda
“It arrived in perfect condition and looks AMAZING!
Thank you for all your hard work and communication. We will definitely cherish this piece.”
S.B.
“Perfect for the bridal shower gift!”
The Artist.
“I marvel at the unfurling of a petal, the opening of a blossom pod, a seed head flinging its bounty. The transformation has always sparked wonder in me, since being sent as a child of a farm to the garden to pick supper. I find creative inspiration and joy in the flow of being from seed to blossom to …
Layers of translucent colored pencils, chalk pastels on a gritty surface, watercolor in soft washes. Pressed petals playing.
Flowers, landscapes of color and texture, the unfurling of petals, bouquets, abstractions of all these things:
All are before me.”
Susan McChesney
Having drawn flowers and landscapes all my life, my vision shifted to include pressing flowers and leaves from Western North Carolina flower farms and collaging them into landscapes, using the petals like strokes of a brush.
So many of the same elements come into play: color, shape, texture, value, composition… but transformed by the fragility and variety presented by the natural materials.
Now, I not only marvel in wonder and awe at the physical elements I collage to represent the landscapes around me, but am also blessed to work with people's bouquets that are precious with memories of Love, preserving them in pressed flower fine art collages for them to enjoy for the years to come.
This is my true HeartWork.
Surrounded by Flowers, I am grateful for their bounty and honored to be in communion with them.
Visit www.mcchesneyart.com for more art by Susan McChesney.
