Love is in the paper flower
- Clare is paper florist who handcrafts realistic paper arrangements
- She specialises in one-year wedding anniversary creations, celebrating paper
- She is a former secondary school art and textiles teacher
Clare Davies is a former secondary school art and textiles teacher turned paper florist. She designs and sculpts exquisite paper flowers and bouquets entirely by hand, with no cutting machines or computers involved. Clare discovered her craft while searching for flowers for her wedding. Averse to the idea of the flowers from her special day dying and the waste involved, she tapped into her textile design background and settled on paper as her chosen medium. Clare’s bespoke one-off creations are about bringing flowers back to life in a lasting form to treasure. She works on a commission basis and specialises in recreating wedding bouquets for couples celebrating their first-year wedding anniversary, which is marked with the theme of paper.
Interview
- How did you discover paper sculpting?
- I wanted to create long-lasting flowers for my own wedding day, so I started to research how I could create the flowers myself. I discovered paper flowers on Pinterest and that is when I began experimenting. I instantly fell in love with the process.
- How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?
- I use traditional tools and materials to bring flowers back to life from paper. Continuing to work with hand-crafted techniques rather than using cutting machines adds a truly unique and bespoke nature to my work. It means no two petals or leaves are ever the same.
- What materials and techniques do you use?
- I create my flowers and foliage using crepe paper in different weights and colours. I mainly work with a white double-sided German crepe paper called doublette. I then paint and dye my papers with watercolour paints or acrylics. I add details with watercolour pencils and use florist wire for the stems.
- What impact does your craft have?
- Happy customers who share their wedding photographs of my paper flowers is so special. It really completes the creative process for me, knowing they will treasure them long after. I love it when I receive comments about people not realising my flowers were made of paper!
Clare Davies is a rising star: she began her career in 2016 and she started teaching in 2018
Works
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Clare Davies
