Collaboration with Sister Golden

Introducing our gowns in order to create artwork from existing artwork was extremely exciting and impressive to be able to witness such masterpieces.

It has been an honor to have collaborated with Vicki, such a talented artist, who showed utmost devotion in her artwork and inspiration in her talent. It is absolutely alluring to see that artwork that is preserved and sent back to where it has come from, creating such symbolism for humanity.

Vicki Rawlings has shared her experience with us and we can not be but more excited to share it with you as well.

I’ve been a professional artist for over 35 years, but just started working with foliage about a year and half ago. I grew up with a mother who was a professional floral designer, and I’m a “master gardener wanna-be” as a hobby, so it wasn’t a real stretch to start working flowers into my art as a medium!

I fell in love with foliage art for its sustainable and therapeutic qualities. Every piece is foraged from Mother Nature. No glue, tape or anything else is ever used to adhere the foliage to a surface, so the pieces of foliage and flowers are just delicately balancing on one another until I get the look I want. I keep all the windows closed and try to NEVER sneeze when I’m working! Sometimes total blow outs of parts of a piece happen because I’ve dropped something while trying to place it and everything starts rolling all over!

I start each piece by foraging for foliage outside, on foot and sometimes going by car to places I’ve seen while out. I’m always carrying a bag and pair of scissors in my car! Ha! Living in the Midwest calls for flower shop runs sometimes too! Once I’m organized I sort everything out on a table, usually using a mix of old foliage I’ve kept, as well as fresh flowers. I just did a piece out of all my old dried flowers that took me maybe 45 minutes to do, but most often it’s much longer. Some pieces take a couple hours and others can take a couple days, I just may have to refresh the flowers if they are fading. Once I have what I like I take photos, followed by even more fussing before the last and final photo. Then everything goes back outside, or I might keep bits and pieces for the next work.

I love that the work isn’t permanent, It’s just a moment in time and then recycled all back into mother nature.

When Galia Lahav first reached out to us I was just blown away by their dream dresses! My first thoughts were, “oh my gosh, how can I do the dresses justice?!” But just like all my floral work, it’s not about “recreating”, that would be impossible! Working with foliage I learned quickly that I needed to go for creating an energy or feeling, and “duplicating” exactly wasn’t something I should try and get from the flowers. They have their own feel and beautiful energy, so I can fuss and move them around all I want, but because they are fresh and delicate I let them steer the process and what the final piece looks like in the end.

It was so much fun using the GL dresses as inspiration, I just kept thinking this is every girl’s dream! I think my favorite was working on the Cinderella and Ballerina dresses. I’d kill to be able and wear the Ballerina dress at any point in my life!