Today we’d like to introduce you to Lea Gray.
Hi Lea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my journey with paper as a medium almost ten years ago when I discovered Origami. After creating many types of modular Origami pieces, I found myself bored and needing something more expressive to work with. Years later, I was commissioned to do a bouquet out of paper with the idea of making the flowers look as real as possible. After figuring out how to make this bouquet, I knew that it would be an extraordinary journey through materials, mediums and disciplines in making nature in a hyperrealistic form. I found that finding materials and implementing dye techniques to exemplify real color formations started becoming a true passion that connected my love for nature with the challenge of recreation. After creating many bouquets, I moved onto creating succulents, Orchid plants, Bonsai trees and many other botanical forms that expanded my study of nature. I have now graduated into creating large wall gardens filled with a collection of plants and flowers that emulate light coming out of the dark.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Every exhibition has its challenges and its through those experiences, I learn the most. I have dealt with gravity issues in the past. My work can be a lot heavier than realized in the creation process, and so it takes a lot of hardware and proper adhesions to secure each paper flower or plant to ensure that it won’t detach or pull away from the actual garden. In some cases, I have had to research and develop new ways of attaching each plant so that over time it does not move or change in presentation.
My work has also been damaged by people touching it before. The pieces I create are very durable and can stand up to UV exposure and moisture, but it is still a bit delicate due to the medium itself. So sometimes, the integrity of the work can be compromised if someone wanted to pull very hard at some of the pieces. In normal gallery environments, this would not be allowed, but because I have chosen to show in public spaces that are involved with outdoor and indoor gardens, most people do not realize it is art that should not be touched.
Other challenges have to do with projects that happen simultaneously where I have no control over deadlines overlapping. I am very lucky to be able to have a team of people who assist me in the process of creating my works. They operate the machines to cut shapes, installation, assembly and checking all of the work before it is sent off for exhibition. When deadlines happen all at once, I am able to separate all of the tasks between everyone so that all projects are finished on time. In the past, I was tasked with doing all of the work on my own and sometimes would find myself in the studio for up to 15 hours almost everyday. When you are stressed and overworked, your creative flow is not as steady and pieces do not come out as amazing as you would like. Delegation is key to a successful outcome.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a fine artist specializing in creating hyper-realistic paper plants, flowers and trees. I studied Origami and Kirigami primarily but eventually decided to take on making paper botanicals from the need for passion, challenge and expression in my work. Each piece is incredibly detailed and refined, utilizing special products that emulate real textures, color formations and patterns that are found in the plants and flowers I am recreating. The obsession with working towards the most realistic outcome is what drives my work and sets it apart from other paper floral artists.
One of the most proud moments in my career was when my work was displayed on a TLC network show called ‘Dragnificent’ in 2019. The producers contacted me in order to create a bouquet for the bride to be and it was filmed while it was being revealed to her for the upcoming wedding. It was an unforgettable experience and I was delighted to have my work on a nationally televised show. I did receive a lot of orders after the show aired, and it was wonderful to know that my work impacted some of the audience that they too wanted a bouquet for their special day.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I am ever so grateful to be able to not only have a creative passion for a living but am able to do it as a sole income source. While creating and working on new pieces is never-ending and keeps me intrigued, I also have a side passion of taking care of plants. I have a large collection of indoor plants that lend to my pathway in life of recreating them, and it makes me happy everyday to be able to live with them, study them and notice when they grow, bloom and thrive in my space.
Contact Info:
- Email: lea@paperbloomsdesign.com
- Website: www.paperbloomsdesign.com
- Instagram: paperbloomsdesign_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperbloomsdesign
Image Credits
Lea Gray, 2019, Lea Gray, 2019 Amy Ann Photography, 2018 Lea Gray, 2018
