Look closely: the photos you see before you aren’t of plants and insects; they are handmade pieces, made entirely out of paper. They are the product of paper artist Ann Wood, made in her personal studio situated in Minneapolis.
Inspired by historical botanical prints, Wood manipulates paper and wire, using drawing and cutting with sharp embroidery scissors. Utilizing fine cuts, she achieves realistic details such as butterfly wings, feathers, and flowers. These sculpted creations are then hand sewn on to wool and velvet backgrounds then framed in vintage frame stock.
Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Wood was surrounded by nature, plants, and gardens – constant themes throughout her work. She now treats her backyard garden in Minnesota as a primary source of inspiration, studying her plants as though they were specimen and then recreating them using paper. “I’m an intense observer of forms,” Wood admitted in an interview with Design Sponge.
“I wanted something more connective, to connect outward to a wide range of people,” Wood went on to say. “Seeing my dad’s response to plants showed me that there is a vehicle that I can really get on and feel that connection to people that might not normally connect to art. But gardening — people love gardening. So that’s where I really started with the whole idea. I thought, I’m going to try making plants and I’m going to share them on Instagram and see what happens. With the daily build-up of sharing pictures of my work, it’s spurred me on to keep exploring and refining this desire.”
She now shares her botanical works with more than 124k followers on Instagram, proving that people indeed love gardening (whether it’s organic or handmade). Take a look for yourself:
