Years ago, I was a floral designer in New Haven, CT, having studied at the New York Botanical Gardens and based my designs on the practice of Ikebana or Kado - the flower path. My approach was intentionally minimalist and one could appreciate the individuality and beauty of each blossom. The floral design work was very popular. It was simple! A client gave me a book of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photos of flowers…and I promised myself to put together a body of work that inspired me as much as those photos. Orchids particularly appeal to me because of their variety, spectacular colors and markings, distinctive forms, longevity and their purposeful consideration in the scientific exploration of evolution. I went back to school to study photography and graphic design and closed the shop around 2000. Professional portrait and commercial product photography was a great learning experience although not very enjoyable. Photographing flowers in earnest for over ten years and considering the maturity of my “straight photography” efforts, the time is opportune to explore. This past semester, during a portfolio development class at Southern Connecticut State University, our professor encouraged me to "go big" and it felt natural to create digital montages of macro botanical elements. Inevitably the result was very similar to how I designed with real flowers over twenty years ago. Each piece starts with a single element and then the landscape blossoms. Flowers make people happy...