Creating the Flowers Collection

Creating the Flowers Collection.  A couple or a few times a year, I create a collection of cards and art.  I used to just create a card and bring it to the farmers market or shows.  It was random, just boom, new card!  But over the last few years, I’ve been organizing myself to create collections instead of random card drops.  So here’s how it happened this time…

Creating the Flowers Collection

I create cards.  Lots of cards.  And most of the time now, I create them in collections.  From all those collections, I think I should admit that this one was my favorite ones to create.   It started in 2020.  You may be aware, 2020 was a very odd year.  As the world attempted to move forward, art shows were scheduled, then cancelled.  As the 2021 spring season approached, it didn’t look as if art shows would happen yet.  So I decided that I’d create a bright and happy collection of cards for you.  I thought it would be a great substitute (I know, not much can substitute for a great art show).

I started the collection in early December – since all my December shows were cancelled – with the hope of releasing it the end of January.  So I gathered all my inspiration together and got to painting.  But then all of a sudden, there were show opportunities and I had to go!  So it got delayed just a bit until May.  Ok, so four months is more than just a bit, but I’m happy it happened!

How to choose from so many options!

Doing a flowers collection gave me a pretty broad selection of what to choose from.  Of course I would do desert flowers!  But which ones?  If it’s a flower, it’s my favorite but I had to narrow it down to around 20.  Not much is blooming in the desert in December. The nights are too cold even when the days are nicely warm so I had to rely on the inspiration pictures I’d been hoarding, er, collecting.

Starting with my favorite cactus flowers…

I’m sure you’ve seen the Mexican Bird of Paradise if you’ve been to Arizona.  With it’s bright green foliage and vivid red, yellow and orange towering blooms, they’re hard to miss.  They are truly a heat loving plant and refuse to even discuss growing until it’s hot.  Like really hot.  But once that optimum temperature is met, watch out because I’m pretty sure you can see them grow day by day.  I’m so enamored with the plant that of course I had to include it in the collection!  And I just had to add a little bumble bee love to it too.  You can find the Bees Desert Flower Blank Card HERE.

Another one of my favorites is the pincushion cactus.  It comes in many sizes and thorn lengths but the most amazing thing about them is that ring of delicate flowers around their heads.  I have a few in different colors and sizes and I can always depend on them to add some color to my world.  This particular one is my favorite.  It sits on my back patio table where I spend a lot of time and always graces me with a flower or a few.  You can find the Pincushion Cactus Flowers Birds Blank Card HERE.  You can also find it on canvas and prints.

Even narrowing it down, there are still so many!

We walk our neighborhood every night and I was thrilled to see that one of the saguaros on our route had an arm that was perfect for taking pictures of those fantastical blooms that come around just once a year.  My rendition of them isn’t quite as spectacular as the original but I think you’ll get the point.  Well, not the literal point, just the artistic one.  You can find the Saguaro Cactus Flowers + Buds Blank Card HERE.

Sometimes I like to be very whimsical with my cactus.  Most of them are round.  Or tubular.  A lot of them are much the same shape but with different colorings, spines, or flowers.  So to do something different, I thought a bouquet of cactus flowers would be fun and what better occasion to use them to celebrate with?  Mother’s Day of course!  Even though Mother’s Day is not for a few more months again, you’ll want to check out this bouquet inspired by the amazing Torch Cactus.  Find it HERE.

I finally had to add some non-desert flowers – right?

You’ve probably heard more than a few times that I’m a transplant from the Midwest.  And that I gardened.  I find myself talking a lot about gardening both now and in my beginnings.  So when I started to put together this collection of flowers, it seemed natural to add in my favorites from my first gardens back in Illinois.  I know that most anything can be grown in Arizona with the right amount of knowledge and attention but these are less common here than our cactus beauties.  Even so, I thought these flowers touched not only my soul, but many of yours so I thought they were a great unexpected addition to all my cactus.  Besides, I really really needed to paint these.  I especially loved the sunflowers so much that they’re on the closet door in my studio.

CLICK HERE to see the Flowers Flowers Flowers Collection Box Set of 6 cards for sunflowers, zinnias (of course!), coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, the garden gate and a jar of wildflowers.  A little touch of Midwest from the desert.

 

 

Creating the Flowers Collection was a lot of fun – I hope you love it as much as I do!

If you want to see ALL the flowers I created with this collection, you can find them HERE.  You’ll find not only cards, but stickers and canvases and prints and box sets and a new tote bag!  Go check it out – you’ll be glad you did.

 

This post is about how I created a collection but I’ve blogged before about how I create my cards – you can read about it if you CLICK HERE.