Hi! I’m Inga
Creating lifelike, highly detailed botanical sculptures from paper, paint, wire and glue is my passion. I love the magical feeling of starting with simple tools and materials and ending up with a beautiful, realistic, inspiring work of art. Each piece is crafted with great care, using premium crepe papers and professional grade paints, creating original artwork to be enjoyed by collectors and nature enthusiasts all over the world. My projects range from single bloom studies displayed in a bud vase or large bouquets, to botanically accurate shadow box specimens and larger than life wall mounted flowers.
Most of my art practice centers around instructing others how to create beautiful blooms of their own. I absolutely love teaching and I offer workshops in-person in the Portland, Oregon metro area, or via Zoom anywhere in the world - view my upcoming workshops or contact me for booking a private event or public workshop at your venue.
More About Me:
I have been creating art since I was a kid. I loved drawing and would spend hours working on detailed pencil drawings, creating handmade books, making doll clothes, and painting my bedroom furniture with elaborate fantasy landscapes. I loved going to natural history museums and would become mesmerized by the detailed dioramas of wildlife in their habitats. I loved spending time outdoors, exploring the field and forest near our family home in Michigan.
I went on to study fine art (drawing, painting and scientific illustration) and later on design (industrial and graphic) and have spent time living in San Francisco, the Northern California Coast, and now Portland, Oregon.
When I began to include floral still life painting into my art practice, I realized that I needed a way to create long lasting still life subjects that wouldn’t wilt before I finished a painting. I started experimenting with paper flowers and quickly discovered that I wanted to spend all of my studio time creating and designing three dimensional botanical art. I love spending time in nature, looking for interesting specimens to study, photograph, and recreate in paper form.
Artist Bio:
Inga Peterson is a Portland, Oregon based paper artist and instructor specializing in crepe paper flowers, plants, and insects. She received a BFA in drawing and painting from the University of Michigan, and a BFA in industrial design from the California College of Art. Her paper sculptures are a unique blend of craft, fine art and design, using hand painted details and intricately hand cut shapes to capture the natural beauty of botanicals. Her tutorials and workshops have been featured with The Posey Box, Lia Griffith, Cartefini Crepe Paper, Mendocino Art Center, and Wildcraft Studios, and her paper art has been shown in galleries throughout Oregon.
How to Care for Your Paper Flowers
For best results and long life of your flower, keep away from moisture and prolonged direct sunlight.
Stems and leaves can be repositioned by gently bending the wire that runs through the center.
To remove dust from your flower: give a light shake upside down or use a hair dryer on the low setting to blow the dust off. A feather duster used with a light touch may also work well.
For flowers displayed in a bud vase: if desired, fill the vase part way with dry, uncooked rice or a bit of crumpled paper to help keep the flower stem positioned to your liking.
For flowers and plants that come with a pot: push the bottom of the wire stem into the foam or rolled cardboard in the pot, until the stem is held securely in place.
Have other questions? Feel free to contact me!