flower power - rosarette

for as long as i can remember, flowers have always been a passion and a constant source of inspiration. 

i have always been a lover of flowers. as a child, i would draw and paint them for hours on end. i would pick flowers from my mother’s garden and ‘cook’ them, when we play house.

i would also pick flowers and offer them to the blessed virgin, during a month-long festival called ‘flores de mayo’

as an adult, i marvel at their existence. growing and tending flowers is an important part of my daily life. 

as soon as i had my own space to garden, i immersed myself to not only picking flowers but also growing them. i read books about plants and flowers and earned my calluses from hands-on gardening. a flower in my garden draws from me a prayer of thanksgiving, awe for the creator and a sense of commitment to nature.

i am drawn to flowers because they are symbolic of the most powerful of human emotions: love, life, passion, also color and fragrance. i try to accomplish the same with my images. if one of these paintings can evoke an individual smile, tear or memory, then my body of work, comprised solely of flowers, has continued to blossom, 

in my rosarette line of handbags. made from upcycled fabrics, the rosettes are meticulously handsewn by the rural women of san juan and san nicolas, in my hometown, baao, camarines sur.