Ann Wood: Paper Flower Artist

Creating works of art is such a personal expression for the artist. Viewing different artists’ work is like a window into who they are.

When it comes to Ann Wood of Woodlucker in Minneapolis, Minnesota, her love for and knowledge of the botanical is evident in each of her paper creations.

Her father, who was a farmer, was the one who inspired her the most. When he passed away she found it difficult to keep creating. However, on his last day he made a comment on the beauty of the plants outside. That was the motivation she needed to keep going. 

“I used that key bit of information that I got from him to start thinking about plants.”

She says growing things was always part of her life and she really took to heart the things her father taught her.

“…by making this work, it was kind of like healing the grief…there’s just a lot of positive feelings around plants…”

Much of her botanical work comes from actually putting her hands in nature. She will find flower specimens and dissect them so she can be more familiar with their structure as she creates. In this way, she’s connecting more with her subjects.

Her whole goal of creating these works of art is to help others be as connected with the plants as she is.

For Ann, there is no shortage of inspiration she gets from the natural world. She says cutting open a flower and seeing what’s inside is worth sharing.

“The complexity of plants and nature is endlessly fascinating to me.”

For more information about Ann and her works of art, visit the Woodlucker website. You can also follow her on Instagram.

This episode was filmed by Charlie Pierson. Music is by Lane King.