Preserving Color

Like many during the pandemic, my world became very small. At the time, we lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia, surrounded by working farms, and picking zinnias weekly with my young children became my anchor. The vibrant bursts of color we brought home filled my heart during such uncertain times.

I knew those colors wouldn’t last forever, nor would that specific season of life, but I wanted to see if I could make them stay. As a creative outlet, I began incorporating preserved petals into collages, curious to see what they might become. What started as a simple experiment became a way to hold onto the fleeting. Even today, I’m not sure if I was trying to preserve the color of the flowers, the memory of that time, or the hope of freedom. That curiosity remains the guiding light in my creative process.