Amy Rice Images

The theme of “Bloom Where You Are Planted” reflects my own creative journey. Although I grew up in lowa and spent many years working internationally in public health, it wasn’t until l settled here in Maryland that my artistic practice really began to grow. In 2020, quiet walks through my neighborhood rekindled a lifelong love of photography as I documented the changing seasons.

That renewed creative practice soon blossomed into other forms of expression - printmaking, 3-D flowers, & surface pattern design.

Maryland’s changing seasons, colorful neighborhood gardens, and wide-open landscapes continue to inspire my work. I am particularly drawn to GIANT floral displays—massive fields of sunflowers, vibrant rows of tulips, and gardens where thousands of plants create intricate patterns of color and texture. But I also find joy in the smallest details in a single flower or an unexpected color combination. Together, these sources of inspiration shape the bold forms, expressive color, and graphic compositions that define my work.

My small, colorful works invite viewers to pause, step closer, and rediscover the beauty growing all around them. Inspired by the optimism of spring and the joyful abundance of summer gardens, I celebrate color, pattern, and a sense of wonder.

Through my art, I hope to remind others that creativity, like a garden, flourishes wherever it is nurtured —and that hope, too, can take root when given room to grow.