white dawn designs * Botanical arts studio
For more information, please contact:
Lisa Dawn White
whitedawn@gmail.com
White Dawn Designs botanical arts studios is located in Chester County, Pennsylvania,
USA
Like many, I have always sought and found solace in nature. Through scared geometry, the blueprint of life in our universe, we learn that we are all connected — in the unfurling of a fern frond or the seed patterns in a sunflower, we observe the Fibonacci sequence and the spiral symbol of our very own galaxy. When we look to nature, we can’t help but be reminded of who we are, how we all connect, and if we follow the thread far enough, maybe even remember why we’re here.
When I create, I spend what can feel like an eternity sifting and sorting for the perfect specimens and then arranging and rearranging plant matter until I can feel the harmony in the composition. Like the Japanese Ikebana (living flower) artists, my goal is always to reveal the intrinsic beauty of the flowers I’m working with and through them, I seek to conceptualize an organized universe. Now popularly called the “flow state” the creation process for me is meditative, therapeutic, and imperative to staying grounded. The excitement of gathering plant materials is another vital ingredient in my creative recipe. The sense of discovery and wonder I feel when perusing forest, fields, and gardens for inspiration is the fuel that feeds my designs. The foraging and cultivation process gives me permission to enter nature’s classroom with a playful sense of “what will I find today?”
Through my work, you may catch a glimpse into the unseen world of nature — the realm of the nature spirits. I jest lightheartedly that the flower fairies help me with my work, but all joking aside, whether they are my muse or I am their unwitting channel doesn’t really matter – the point is that life is teeming outside the bounds of this three dimensional box — all we have to do is remain open, curious and attentive, and nature will gladly meet us wherever we are at. I encourage the viewers and wearers of my pieces to become earth keepers, and to remain open to nature’s magical realms — whether we access them deep on a solo quest in the forest or by caring for a houseplant, starting a compost pile or creating a sacred space to display artwork in our home that serves to connect us to nature’s powerful medicine.
With academic and professional backgrounds in the social and biological sciences, horticulture, and with a European certification in homeopathy, my pursuit of the botanical arts serves as a bridge to continue to explore the way that humans use plants for food, fiber, medicine, art, decoration, beautification, purification, exploration, and healing. My botanical arts line began in 2006 with mixed media botanical collages and expanded into a line of art nouveau inspired pressed flower jewelry. Most recently, I have been exploring the world of ecoprinting — a sophisticated form of contact printing onto fiber with plants that is comprised of equal parts art, science, and........magic.
I have exhibited at many juried regional art shows and over the years have had my work sold at more than 100 shops, boutiques and galleries throughout North America. I've also designed exclusive lines for catalogs, and have had my work and stories published in magazines. Although I continue to stock my work locally at a handful of shops, in 2019, after a decade hiatus, I reopened an Etsy shop called LinenandLotus. In 2022, I began to teach my craft locally, and decided I loved it, which led to a new project for 2023 -- opening a store and studio called Muse Artisan Boutique. The boutique, studio and classroom is located in Glenmoore, PA (Chester County). For more information visit: museartisanboutique.com
Hope to you see you there!
With gratitude, Lisa Dawn White