Wedding Floral: Nicole + Paul

I have been so amazed by all of the great clients I've had the privilege to work with since discovering the world of floral design. Paul and Nicole were yet another wonderful couple who I was delighted to meet, and we talked flowers over oysters at Westward. They came to me with, "whatever you come up with will be beautiful, so just do what you do."

This sort of freedom leads to the best results time and time again, as design decisions are then dictated solely by raw inspiration and product at its peak in the season. 

Photography by Sean and Melanie Flanigan.  

Collaboration of Five Women

I mentioned the idea of doing a floral portrait shoot to Diane, asking her if she'd like to model. She then gathered three other incredibly talented women, and what ended up happening was a creative explosion. Each of us brought our best to the table and we played all day until we were out of natural light. I brought three large floral head-pieces along with a few buckets of flowers, then continued to experiment, making more crowns, bouquets, and garlands as we went along. In our last look, a nude shoot, I was taping flowers directly to Diane's skin.

The whole day left me with enough inspiration to last quite a while. It was a true honor to experience a magical day with these four amazing women:

Model: Diane Bolme of Heffner. 

Wardrobe Stylist: Charity Rose Thielen

Makeup and Hair: Katya Gudaeva

Photography: Genevieve Pierson

Art Show at The Little London Plane

I will be doing a solo show during this September's First Thursday Artwalk on 09.03.15 in Pioneer Square. Stop by to see my most recent series of paintings called An Abstract Study of Nature. 

Wedding Floral: Brian + Autumn

A glowing bride is an astonishing sight to see, and even more, witnessing the love that Autumn and Brian share is really something; when you say to yourself, "Wow, they were made for each other." This was my favorite photo from the day, just before she walked down the aisle in her crown of anemones. 

“It’s so strange, I see my mother in this smile. She used to do the crinkled nose, lots of teeth, invisible top lip smile. It makes me feel like she was there that day....smiling.”

Makeup by Chelsey Matley. Photography by Magniflora.

Clementine Daily features Magniflora

Clementine Daily, a lifestyle website which "celebrates the beauty of today’s multi-faceted, modern woman," asked me if I would like to contribute a simple floral DIY to their daily posts. At the same time, photographer Mallory MacDonald approached me about setting up a shoot for a project of hers on the subject of entrepreneurship. We were all able to combine our creativity and here are some of Mallory's beautiful photos as well as a link to Clementine Daily's post on Magniflora.

Take a moment to visit:

Mallory MacDonald Photography 

Clementine Daily

Linked article by Clementine Daily. Photos by Mallory MacDonald.

An Abstract Study of Nature

This body of work was put together for an alumni show at George Fox University where I earned a degree in Fine Art. These mixed media pieces study a handful of the many plant varieties that I am particularly drawn to, merging my love for botany and painting.

While there is challenge in aiming for the precise and exact (this is my tendency), it takes a greater amount of effort for me personally to move away from the tailored and meticulous to a process that is free and non-calculating. The more playfully I applied the paint onto these birch panels the better they were executed. In this series, I also made a point to migrate towards more saturated colors, rather than muted tones and pastels, in which I usually rest. 

Peach Icelandic Poppies. Acrylic on birch panel. 12 x 12 inches. $245.

Café au Lait Dahlia. Acrylic on birch panel. 6 x 6 inches. $160.

Silver Dollar Eucalyptus. Acrylic on birch panel. 6 x 6 inches. $135.

Smokebush. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic and oil pastel). 13 x 20 x 3.75 inches. $325.

Dusty Miller. Acrylic on birch panel. 6 x 6 inches. $145.

Snowberries. Acrylic on birch panel. 40 x 30 inches. $580.

Echinacea. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic and ink). 5 x 5 inches. $140.

Yarrow. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic and oil pastel). 12 x 12 inches. $225.

Maidenhair Fern. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic and pressed fern). 5 x 5 inches. $145.

Nigella. Acrylic on birch panel. 12 x 12 inches. $230.

Scabiosa Pod. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic, oil pastel and ink). 6 x 6 inches. $150.

Flowering Oregano. Mixed media on birch panel (acrylic and oil pastel). 14 x 18 inches. $290.

Cyclamen. Acrylic on birch panel. 27 x 20 x 3.75 inches. $450.

Japanese Anemone. Acrylic on birch panel. 6 x 6 inches. $155.

Cherry Tree. Acrylic on birch panel. 5 x 5 inches. $105.

Black Icelandic Poppies. Acrylic on birch panel. 12 x 12 inches. $250.

Portrait Session with Gwen St. John

It is a great thing that Gwen St. John has at last opened her own private counseling practice. To friends and family of Gwen, this is an obvious gift of hers and one of the many things she was made to do. Even the time spent with her during our portrait session was pleasant and inspiring. I know that those who see her regularly will benefit greatly and I would encourage anyone who has been thinking about enhancing their life with some counsel and perspective to see Gwen.

“I believe in the process of counseling, that sitting for fifty minutes a week with someone who listens, responds, and remembers can be healing and redemptive and life-giving. I have seen many people engage in the counseling process and come through it with brighter faces, more robust dreams, deeper compassion, and a more kind and encouraging voice inside their minds. And in my opinion, that is a big deal.”

Read more about her story and passion for what she does at her new website.

Wedding Floral: Meghan + Gavin

Yet another wonderful bride to work with whose design taste I connect with. Meghan is a working stylist and visual merchandiser at American Apparel. For her wedding floral, we went for a neutral palette (my favorite) with lots of interesting texture. 

She and her love from England were married in December on Bainbridge Island on a strikingly beautiful overcast day, captured so perfectly by Stephanie Severance of Sevlynn Photography. 

Photos by Sevlynn Photography. Dress by J.Crew. Suit by Ted Baker.

Wedding Floral: Charity + Matt

What an incredible experience it was to combine creative forces with Charity's esthetic to envision the floral design for her and Matt's July wedding at Wind Mountain Ranch in the Columbia Gorge. It involved hours of planning, preparing, and working with the best Portland floral suppliers. Then, getting to work on-site at the foothills of glorious mountain ranges was too much to take in.

It was an honor to witness such great love between Matt and Charity and all of their family and dear friends. The celebration was beautifully photographed by the talented Nirav Patel, who, as Charity put it, is "a seeker of light and moments that mean something."

Photography by Nirav Patel. Hair by Shandra Koehler of Derby Salon. Makeup by Donna Cicatelli of Jimmy Kimmel Live. 

Featured on Once Wed.

Wedding Floral Preview: Meghan + Gavin

Yet another wonderful bride to work with whose design taste I connect with. A little preview of the floral ingredients of Gavin and Meghan's wedding this past weekend, going for a neutral palette (my favorite) with lots of interesting texture. Photos of the day to come soon...

Wedding Floral: Sarah + David

Sarah and her exceptional right hand matron of honor Kelley were a delight to work with. They had a vision for the floral design and it was a pleasure to actualize their ideas. They wanted subtle provincial Beauty and the Beast undertones to meet lush garden roses and frosty greens. We incorporated cloches, antique teacups and stirling silver teapots with silk-tie floral crowns for the bridesmaids and rosemary boutonnieres for the groomsmen.

Wedding Floral: Tyler + Danielle

It is so wonderful when you have great photographers with a similar esthetic capture your floral design. Josh and Ali of Jaylee Photography (the funnest husband-wife photography team, with whom I had the pleasure of working one summer -- check them out) caught the golden hour just in time for some stunning photography.

The bride and groom, Danielle and Tyler, gave me that full freedom that designers desire: to come up with whatever struck my fancy, simply noting that they have a love for wildflowers and would be happy with anything seasonal (me too!). I had a great time at the Seattle Grower's Market selecting flowers from the summer harvest of passionate farmers, based on colors and varieties that caught my eye and made me imagine a hike among wildflowers: echinacea, yarrow, strawflower, amaranth, caramel millet and chocolate lace. 

Photos by Jaylee Photography.

J.Crew Wedding + Magniflora Flowers

What a joy it was to participate in this jubilant celebration! Timmy and Erin have a touching love story and their gratitude for one another is continually evident. I had such a great time designing their wedding floral with emphasis on lots of greens and white, incorporating ferns and succulents with an Old World vibe. With spring in the air, I felt inspired by young cherry blossom branches, narcissus, newly blooming hellebores, and ming ferns. When I delivered the bouquet to Erin, she was thrilled and her bridesmaids exclaimed, "That bouquet screams Erin!"

Music to my ears.

J.Crew then featured Erin and Timmy's wedding on their Real Weddings page, as one of their white gowns was practically made for Erin. See that beautiful article and read more about their wedding day here.  

Wedding gown by J.Crew. Hair styling by Brittany Gresset. Photography by Jeremy Leffel and Benj Haisch. Wedding planning and coordination by Annie Alldredge.

Wedding Photography: Matt + Leesha

So adorably in-love, these two, married on a gorgeous day in June.

What a pleasure to be there and witness their lifetime commitment to one another and see it all through my lens.

Here is a handful of favorites.

Makeup by Chelsey Matley.

Floral + Freya Project

There were so many wonderful things about this photo shoot, bringing together two of my loves, flowers and photography. Freya and I had been wanting to do a photo project for a long time and since adding floral design to my repertoire, we decided to do a portrait session that centered around flowers. I experimented with making a crown of dahlias, garden roses and yarrow, a floral collar of yellow poppies and lysimachia, as well as a garland that fastens to the back of the head, using red poppies and white sage. The one and only Chelsey Matley absolutely nailed the make-up before Freya and I set out to the rivers and plains of Snohomish. It was a breath of fresh air to get out of the city bustle and into the beauty and quiet of the countryside. And add time spent with a dear friend, and it was my most inspiring photo session to date. 

Makeup by Chelsey Matley.

Portrait Session with Andrew

This was one of those portrait sessions that photographers hope for each time -- getting the freedom to play and explore and laugh with good company, all the while entering that "creative zone" where you see everything in a frame and can't stop clicking the shutter button. Andrew and I enjoyed a fun afternoon, beginning in his home where he works on independent graphic design projects. From there, we took a quick detour in Ballard before catching the last of the day's light with some shots at Golden Gardens. You will soon see an example of Andrew's work in my new Magniflora logo. 

Album Cover Session with Amy T

Amy came to me wanting to set up a photo session for her very first album titled This Joy. With the cherry tree blossoms bursting forth in all their glory at the University of Washington quad, we decided that this setting would fit well with the album's theme. Along with a few hundred other admirers, we took in the beauty of the flowering branches. Thankfully, Amy's husband Dan (also a hip hop artist stage-named Barnabas) came along with us and we dodged the crowds by having Amy climb a tree, and Dan let me sit on his shoulders so we could get a shot eight feet above the ground. He also did a great job of making his wife laugh, bringing out her beaming smile.

Art at Ludlow Home

I have the privilege to be the featured artist at Ludlow Home in Phinney Ridge, Seattle, currently through the first week of May. A friend of mine told me about this boutique last year and when I stopped by Ludlow for a visit, I left inspired, as I always do when I get to see how others are expressing their passions for design and detail. I was so excited when James, the owner, said he'd like to hang up my art, and we both agreed that it adds a nice feminine touch to balance the more masculine feel of the shop, or "mantique," as he laughingly called it.

Stop by Ludlow in the next couple weeks and take some time to browse this treasure-filled space. They have beautiful mid-century-modern housewares, linens, and even re-purposed shoulder bags made out of vintage sport coats. I bought some strawberry rosemary sipping vinegar that I'm going to try and acquire a taste for...

Bridal Session with Chelsey Matley

This photo session with my dear friend Chelsey made for such a beautiful afternoon. It was on one of the first semi-warm days of March with that crisp fresh air and the scent of daffodils that fill you with nostalgia of springtimes past.

I assembled some "scraps" from a recent wedding (those photos to come soon...) into a bridal bouquet, using cherry branches, ming fern, anemones, tulips, ranunculus, lisianthus, and one of my favorites, the woodsy hellebore flower. Chelsey put her wedding dress back on from almost two years back this June, did her makeup (she happens to be a talented makeup artist as well), and we set out in search of some enchanting back-drops. 

Admire Chelsey's makeup artistry at chelseymatley.com.

Wedding Photography: Nick + Claire

Nick and Claire are crazy about each other and it was so fun to be a part of their wedding day. They both have the most delightful personalities and compliment each other beautifully. There was 100% precipitation forecasted for January 11th, and though it does tend to rain in Seattle, these were some impressive torrential downpours. That led us to a treasure of a backdrop at a local art gallery, and the rain put no damper on this joy-filled celebration. 

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Makeup by Chelsey Matley.