In Bloom

• Prize
  Silver in Fine Art/Portrait
• Photographer
  Bella Kotak

Art has the ability to save and give you life. My passion for flowers was born from my passion for photography. To create pictures I would rummage through the bins of my local florist, befriend the sale assistants at a local garage to collect all their discounted flowers, and whenever possible, collect leftover wedding flowers from venues. If I was ever running low on flowers but had an idea in my head bursting to come to life I would then look to the world around me, bushes on the side of the road and in the front gardens of the neighbourhoods I’d drive in would then become my canvas. I began to think of these as little pockets of magic hiding in the everyday. Soon how I looked at the world changed. Even a rainy grey day was beautiful for the softness of the diffused light dancing on luminous wet leaves. For me, the beauty of flowers is the strength they emit, their resilience in the changing weather, the delight they bring, all within a short life span. Frail but powerful. I could relate. I would spend my evenings after work creating and capturing scenes that reflected my heart. Soft at first, and with a little work, some nurturing, a little like a warrior, until I began to recognize the queen within, accepting the flaws and the strength gained because of them.