Bio
Luann creates her art using several techniques and mediums. By combining handmade paper, botanicals, and glass, she makes an assortment of functional and decorative pieces.
Luann's work starts by gathering wildflowers (a year round task), when the blossoms are at their peak condition. She makes handmade paper from recycled, household fiber of her family and friends. She uses a variety of recycled materials including: computer paper, junk mail, paper grocery bags, tissue paper and paper towels.
The first steps in Luann’s papermaking process are to hand shred and soak the fiber. The fibers are then separated with a kitchen blender. She gathers flowers and plants, adds them to the paper soup, and pours the resulting soup onto a screen. Then, she allows the paper and flowers to dry in the sun, on the screen. Once dried, the final step is to cut the new sheet of paper into bookmarks, note cards, or backgrounds for glass paperweights and magnets and then package them for sale. This completes the preserving process and stabilizes the fragile flowers and plants. She is able to retain much of the flowers’ natural colors by using her original techniques and handmade equipment.
Luann's vision is to capture and preserve the natural beauty of Kentucky’s wildflowers so that they can be enjoyed for years.