Marguerite Alpert

I am a lifelong gardener and have spent many years with my hands in the soil, watching the marvel of the plant cycle. Inspiration for my art springs from many influences beginning as a young girl in the garden with my grandmother. I have been making art out of pressed plants for over 40 years; I first began pressing flowers and leaves inside heavy books and was delighted to see the transformations that happened after the pressing and drying process. I now use five beautiful handmade wooden presses by my husband. I grow plants from seeds, harvest from generous friend’s gardens, and collect by roadsides throughout the northeast. I often deconstruct plants into their component parts to reveal shapes and colors that are not always evident with the fresh, whole plant. This opens a new way of seeing nature for me – a view from the inside out. These tiny, vital parts add an unexpected dimension to my designs and unveil exquisite parts that remain mostly unseen. Clarity and simplicity of line are most important at the design phase. I want the observer’s eye to travel around the colorful shapes as well as the negative space and experience the magnificence of nature’s work. It pleases me when the viewer experiences an element of surprise or wonder when they see my work. I hope my artwork invites the observer to pause and take a closer look at this novel view of nature.