A lifelong passionate gardener and trained landscaper, I have developed a technique of botanical pounding in which I place plant material - flowers, buds, leaves and herbs - on watercolor paper, covers them in wax paper and pounds the flora with a hammer, imprinting the pigment into the watercolor paper permanently.

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I found it to be a mindful experience in which I discovered new aspects of flowers and non-flowering plants. For example, flowers from woody plants, such as roses do not pound well and have none of the vibrancy of the flower. Bright plants with strong pigment that have stained my gardening clothes, such as day lilies are too moist and when pounded, create nothing but a big wet splat! I grow my own flowers and colorful non-flowering plants, or pick weeds, herbs, tree seedlings and tree blossoms, therein creating the term botanical pounding.

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Take a look at some of my Compasspoints: Maxims for Clearing the Chaos in Our Cages and Botanical Poundings to get a better idea of the type of work I do. If you’d like to learn more about my collections or a specific piece,or book me as motivational speaker or trainer,please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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(More about Aleka)

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