In 2020 I began wandering through postal code area 1064, gathering flowers and plants. The result is a florilegium — a Latin term for a treatise on flowers and ornamental plants, and a tradition dating back to the 17th century, when wealthy patrons commissioned artists to document the exotic plants arriving in Europe.

Florilegium Amsterdam 1064 is not only about the flowers and plants I find, but also about where I find them. It consists of 42 hand-coloured cyanotypes in A6, twelve cyanotypes of 19×28 cm, and nine cyanotypes on A4 handmade paper.

In 2020 I began wandering through postal code area 1064, gathering flowers and plants. The result is a florilegium — a Latin term for a treatise on flowers and ornamental plants, and a tradition dating back to the 17th century, when wealthy patrons commissioned artists to document the exotic plants arriving in Europe.

The word florilegium — I used to call my work herbarium art or botanical art, until someone pointed out that what I was actually making was a florilegium. The rise of botanical illustration as an art form grew out of books printed with images of medicinal plants and herbs for apothecary use, originating in the 15th century. At its heart, it is the art of portraying flowers and plants. Today, florilegia often document the flowers and plants of a particular place, or those threatened with extinction.

Florilegium Amsterdam 1064 is not only about the flowers and plants I find, but also about where I find them. It consists of 42 hand-coloured cyanotypes in A6, twelve cyanotypes of 19 by 28 cm, and nine cyanotypes on A4 handmade paper.