Illinois Extension and the Champaign County Master Gardeners are proud to present Using Dried Flowers in Art on September 26, 2023, at 7 pm in person at the Champaign Extension Auditorium, 801 N Country Fair Dr., Champaign, IL 61821. Cris Hughes of Secret Gardens of CU will present the program. Using dried flowers to make interesting designs can be a fun way to get more use out of our gardens once we pass the traditional bloom season.
In this program, you will learn:
- Tips and tricks for drying flowers and other botanicals
- The process of creating a balanced collage
- Approaches to ethical foraging
- Ideas for how to get started making your own natural portrait.
Cris Hughes of Secret Gardens CU works with foraged natural objects and garden flora to create 3D "natural portraits." As a scientist in her everyday life, an aesthetic has emerged that unites her seemingly disparate interests in art and scientific observation: collage work using the traditional tools of specimen display. Cris will discuss her process for drying flowers, tips and tricks for drying flowers and other botanicals, her process for creating a balanced collage, approaches to ethical foraging, and ideas for how to get started making your own natural portraits. She will also discuss her experience with the community art project she developed and led over the summer of 2023, partly supported by an Urbana Arts and Culture grant.