Resilient Blooms

Resiliency Blooms—Pansy, 2026

16x20, collage on mat board, paper, latex paint, watercolour, and pencil crayon.

Late Bloomer—Blue Aster, 2026

11x14, collage on mat board, paper, latex paint, watercolour, and pencil crayon.

Through cutting, assembling, and layering materials, this new collage series extends my textile practice into a more immediate format while maintaining a commitment to craft and decorative art traditions. I began making this series after moving to Toronto’s densely populated downtown core.  Missing the quiet, tree-lined streets of my old neighbourhood, I started a practice of seeking beauty wherever I could. On walks, I admired rambling front gardens, I noticed with new interest the decorative architecture of Victorian row houses, and I began searching out the intricately carved stone buildings that sit among corporate towers. The act of looking for beauty became a way of reading the city against its dominant logics. These works bring architectural ornamentation into dialogue with late-season flowers observed in city gardens and roadside rambles.

The flowers featured, pansies and blue asters, carry their own symbolism and cultural histories. The pansy has a charged queer history as a symbol of effeminacy, yet pansies are resilient. They’ll survive a frost, bouncing back from even single-digit temperatures. If the blooms wither in the cold, the plants will often stay alive to bloom again. The blue aster is a late-blooming meadow flower, flourishing at the margins of cultivated space. Together, these flowers serve as emblems of blooming amid harsh conditions and queer resilience.

Each collage is created by layering coloured paper, painted paper and drawing. The materials include handmade papers, latex paint, watercolour, and pencil crayon. I drew inspiration from botanical illustration and snapshots of Toronto houses and buildings.