Bloom & Wick                   

Why flowers? I remember the bright plant-laden corners of my grandparents' greenhouse where as kids we held secret meetings and peered into baskets of garden paraphernalia. Plant stakes and orchid food, worm poop and Hollytone nestled up like old friends alongside pruning implements and terracotta pots. These items gave us much to consider for hours of imaginary play. In warmer months well past the resting phase of potted plants, glossy orchids greeted us from the ceiling of the sun room upstairs. Citrus trees and perfumed buds in myriad colors held court with my grandparents as they patted the dogs and asked us about school. I still see beauty in mysterious places and in objects that form the backdrop of a visual story or an unfolding narrative. An abandoned building whose scampering vines are staging a coup, a rusty scaffolding with chipped magenta paint or a wilting dahlia, its inner layer pleading for attention. 

-Alisa MacNeille Kuhn