Ann Wood creates stunning botanical art made using paper. Directly inspired by historical botanical prints, she manipulates paper and wire, using drawing and cutting with sharp embroidery scissors. Utilizing fine cuts, she achieves realistic details such as petals and flowers—a work that is delicate and direct with a nod to traditional craftsmanship.
According to Wood, her process was learned from trial and error. “I didn’t look at any tutorials, I made it up my way — how I saw things,” she shared in an interview with Lia Griffith. Having studied fine art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and with years of experience in the development of transforming materials into objects, her paper flowers relied on this same creative vocabulary. “My background is in a variety of mediums such as mixed media sculpture, wood carving, embroidery, and painting,” she noted.
According to her website, she came to nature as a subject because it is universal. “We pause to look at a flower, pick up a feather, touch a leaf, or comment to a companion about a particular specimen,” she reflects. “Nature’s beauty is fleeting and ever changing in its magnificence. My work speaks to the notion that everything is temporary.”
For inspiration, she looks at botanical identification guides and photographs, her aim being: to capture the variety and essence of the real but with the outcome being a heightened reality where the viewers stop to take a second glance. “The world of plants is huge, so I try to stay away from trends and follow my own path,” says Wood.
