Belgian wedding photographer ANNA DOSHINA captured the creative process of farmer & florist Emily Avenson – also known as FLEUROPEAN. Emily is a Californian living in Belgium who has succeeded in growing her own exquisite Californian florals while constantly fighting the rainy and cold Belgian climate. She describes herself as a nature enthusiast and uses everything that nature has to give for her work. Indeed, in addition to her flower passion, Emily creates the finest silk ribbons that she hand-dyes with home-gathered organic materials.
Anna tells us, “Destiny brought us together and I offered to go and shoot Emily’s creative process. How lucky I was to be able to take part in her little world – it’s so serene and harmonious! Imagine a big farm house hidden among green Belgian hills with lanes of lush colourful blooms just outside the door. Every flower in Emily’s garden has its own story. Some are very demanding yet manage to grow so easily in Emily’s hands others more obedient suddenly become stubborn.
After collecting her harvest, Emily brought me to her secret inspirational place – her attic. This open space has all the essential ingredients to her magic: ribbons, ancient vases, jars, vessels of different types and textures and above all a sea of flowers. The gloomy light and the wooden ceiling ideally completed the intimate creative atmosphere we were bathing in. There is something extremely moving about watching an artist being swept away by his or hers ideas. My aim was to capture these emotions and tell the story of Emily’s passion through my lens.“
