STEP 1 : Gather a range of flowers to press . Flowers can be harvested from your home garden , a friend ’ s garden , or purchased . “ Think about the colors you love ,” Murphy recommends , “ and include a variety in your pressing .”
STEP 2 : When selecting flowers , it ’ s important to consider the thickness of the flower and how much moisture it holds . “ If the center of a flower is very thick and moist , I pull the petals off and press them individually from the stem , stamen , and leaves ,” says Murphy . “ That results in consistently flat materials that can make the collage mistaken for being a painting .”
STEP 3 : As the petals , leaves , and stems are readied for pressing by being laid out on absorbent paper , the process of imagining how the colors and textures might be used in a collage begins .
STEP 4 : “ A question I ’ m often asked is whether I press the flowers into the design that the viewer sees in the final artwork ,” says Murphy . “ In some ways , it would be great if that were possible ! However , once pressed , each petal needs to be separated with care from the absorbent paper . Oftentimes , the botanical material is as fragile as rice paper once all of the moisture has been removed . Then I have the shapes and colors with which to create the collage .”
STEP 5 : To properly pull out the moisture while retaining the color of the flowers , they should be sandwiched between two pieces of paper towel before they are placed in the press . The two paper towel pieces should then be surrounded by two sheets of acid-free paper , and two pieces of corrugated cardboard should be placed around the acid-free paper sheets to complete the sandwiched layering process .
STEP 6 : A thin paintbrush can be used to paint details on the paper or matboard with watercolors or acrylics , which enhances the piece and add to its flow and vibrancy . “ I often subtly incorporate different mediums to emphasize the natural attraction of botanicals ,” Murphy says , “ I want to showcase the organic beauty , not override it .” In addition to pressed materials , watercolor paint , pencil , acrylics , and papers can be found in Murphy ’ s works .
30 VERMONT MAGAZINE