This pressed fern piece is a celebration of the variety of inherent shapes and patterns in ferns. It is amazing to simply ponder all their tiny details. Many were collected in neighborhoods from my hometown of Portland, Oregon. Others came all the way from the cloud forests of Costa Rica.

Ferns speak to me in so many ways. I appreciate the way they unfold from within, and how their symmetry and precision reflects the order of the universe. I also love the variety of greens (and reds!) they wear, and the fact that they are fragile and resilient all at once. Collectively, I love the way they all flow together in this piece, yet never compromising their individuality.

Making this piece served as a meditation after my mother died. The original is now hanging on the wall in the community where she last lived. Like ferns, my mom was beautiful, and also fragile and resilient. Finding the perfect place for each fern helped me process my mom’s loss somehow, as if I was carefully laying her to rest with my own hands. In this way, the ferns were like a connection to her – a portal. Thus it’s name, Portal of Ferns.

Original: 22″ x 30″

Print: 22″ x 30″, $175 (Actual size is 22.75″ x 30.8″.) To order a print or a custom piece, please see the PetalAndSoulArt page.