The Florist's Daughter

Erin Bodfish Artist Statement:

Growing up in the floral industry, my education was built through intergenerational exchange of knowledge from my grandmother, to my mother, to me. My family’s flower shop in Eastern Oregon has been open for almost 80 years now, first started by my grandparents, Patrick and Helen Fitzgerald. My mother grew up here with her siblings, as did my cousins and I. I learned to draw, to paint, to be curious here. It will always feel like home. These works are a reflection of that upbringing by placing together encaustic wax and dried flowers collected on my family's property. They are playful in nature to capture that essence of the young girl who once made watercolors and small bouquets into the late afternoon hours.