Souls Are Flowers
In the summer of 2023 I was spending my days as the creative director for an online retailer. It was unsatisfying creatively, but it kept the lights on and the kids fed. During any downtime I could find, I indulged my never-ending quest to bring the things that I saw in my mind out into the physical world. As ever I always had a lot of irons on the fire. At the time, I began meticulously planning a project that, unbeknownst to me, would take three years to complete.
In early August 2023, I began making studies for a series of floral-inspired abstract cut paper compositions which I planned to scale up during a few dedicated days of making on an upcoming getaway to a small cabin on Eagle Island, Maine. This would be my second excursion to the island. My previous visit had been creatively fruitful, and I was hoping that lightning might strike again.
In the weeks leading up to the trip, I filled a small drawing block book with studies made from hand-painted paper cut to specific sizes that would allow me to create components that I could stack and layer at will to build compositions. This gave me the proof of concept I needed to move on to the next phase of the work. I spent many of the subsequent evenings taping down and painting over one hundred large sheets of paper. From there I cut all of the paper down to the size that I needed to build the scaled up pieces. In late August, armed with my paper, many glue sticks, and two large drawing block books, I set off for a week on the island.
Images: Maria Alexandra Vettese
Eagle Island is a special place; beautiful, serene, and untouched but for ten or so dwellings. I spent the first half of the week with family and friends, patiently waiting for when they would take the boat back to the mainland, leaving me to do my work. Once I was alone, I got straight to it. I had outlined a detailed process. Each book would hold eighteen pieces, and I was determined to fill them both.
On day one I set out all of my paper swatches and worked out the palette for each of the thirty-six works. This took the majority of the day one, the whole deck of the cabin, and a variety of rocks to keep the paper from blowing away. On day two, I cut all of the shapes I would need. Then on day three, I glued and glued and glued. The next day I departed the island with my mission accomplished; two full books, thirty-six pieces, and an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction.
Once I came home, it was back to the corporate grind, parenting, and such. The books were filed away and covered by the mountains of new things that I was on to making. I would return to the books from time to time, telling myself that I needed to put the work out into the world. In spring of 2024, I managed to photograph the pieces and make efforts toward digitizing them with the hope of making prints. By the summer, my momentum was tanking as Maria, my missus, was becoming increasingly ill with the condition that would eventually cause her stroke that October. My focus had to shift. I had no choice but to take a break from my personal creative endeavors to focus on the obstacles at hand. In August things went from bad to worse. I was laid off, and then had to enter the hellscape of searching for a job.
It is now the summer of 2026. My family and I have weathered a time of great crisis. I am just now feeling like I am getting back into the spirit of exploration and creating. Before I go making new things, I am working to finish up some of the past work I started and set aside. So here I am, picking up this project again, ushering it to completion. I have titled it "Souls Are Flowers," a phrase I heard a mystic say on some podcast. I don't know why it's right for the project. I just know it is.
Souls Are Flowers prints available in four sizes.
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