Linda Hamilton

My name is Linda Hamilton. I am an artist who makes plants and flowers out of paper. My home studio is in Almonte, a beautiful small town in Ontario, Canada. 

Ever since early childhood, I have been making things with my hands. I love working with paper, glue, scissors, and paint. Flowers are my major passion. I grow them in my garden, and I hunt for wildflowers in the forest. My background as a florist means I have lots of experience designing with fresh cut flowers as well.

Over the years I have developed my own unique style and techniques for replicating plants in paper. First I observe the flower and its leaves carefully. I take pictures, make drawings, trace the leaves, and if I can, I pick and press the flower for use later. This is so helpful in the long Canadian winter when I don’t have access to fresh plants!

Once I have studied the flower, I make my design. I often make templates out of plain copy paper first. I choose my paper weight and texture based on the characteristics of the plant. Sometimes I layer paper many times to get the right thickness. I also paint or dye the paper to get the colour I need. For petals I usually use crepe paper because it is so strong and stretchy. Building the flower is a process of cutting, gluing, shaping, and assembling. I usually mount the finished flower inside a shallow shadow box. The boxes protect and show off my flowers really well. 

My creativity and inspiration come from nature. A walk in the forest, or time spent gardening, always results in new ideas. With my art, I am trying to capture and reveal the beauty of the natural world and what it means to me. I love that flowers evoke meaning and bring about memories and emotions for those who see them. I am continually fascinated by the complex shapes and beautiful colours found in flowers. Making flowers out of paper is a wonderful way to honour their magic. I only wish I could capture their scent as well!

People always ask me what my favourite flower is. It’s hard to choose because I love them all! But blue Centaurea, also called Bachelor’s Buttons, are very special to me. They bloom right around my birthday in June and formed a part of my wedding flowers as well. I love their colour and the shape of the flowers too. I have made them many times.

I create paper flowers under my business name, Daydream Flowers. I also create custom flowers for clients around the world and also participate in exhibits and sales.  I use all sorts of paper and paint, along with glue and wire, in an effort to accurately recreate plants and flowers. I know that many people have a strong emotional connection with flowers, and this is something I continue to explore. I mount my finished flowers in shadow boxes as this isolates them and presents them as a botanical sculpture. My future goal is to create more larger shadow boxes that incorporate multiple species “growing” together. This year I was invited to be a member of the Paper Artist Collective, a group of 100 paper artists from around the world.

Web Address: www.daydreamflowers.ca

Instagram: @daydream_flowers