Derek Slevin, founder and creative of Full Bloom explains the concept behind the company and shares where his endless passion and inspiration for his works comes from.
What is the concept behind the Full Bloom?
The concept behind Full Bloom is to introduce creative and original floral pieces of art. Featuring evocative and creative poetic pieces that will translate into beautiful and inspiring wall displays.
Deep within every flower, Derek Slevin sees a beautifully intricate and delicate set of constructs evolving with each moment. Slevin’s portraits quite literally stop time, capturing these magical moments — allowing people to connect with and appreciate the true magnificence of these beautiful, gentle giants of nature — some of which are only the size of your thumb.
“I have spent my whole life walking past a world hidden from me but always in plain view. It sounds strange to say and share, but when I awoke to the existence of flowers, it was like a whole new world was in front of me. I was a traveler exploring a strange, fantastical world for the first time. The beauty, colors, shapes, and elegance of these botanical wonders I was photographically exploring, amazed me. I gazed in wonderment as the flowers I photographed withstood wind, rain, cold, heat, and human interaction, bending gently with grace and untold strength to with stand harsh conditions. They are a home to insects and fauna who seek nourishment, but also garish lairs where insects hide to pray on unwary victims drawn to their florid beauty. Flowers suffused with life, they are Gentle Giants in a hidden, magical world. One doesn’t have to go far to experience wonder.”
How do people relate to your work?
“It’s a world of wonder.” When viewing Slevin’s work many comment that the flowers appear as though they came from another world. Slevin finds great solace in this, noting that this “other world” lies directly before our eyes, yet it is so small and frequently so fleeting we cannot perceive it solely with our senses.
It’s why Slevin focuses on representing flowers in a way where people can recognize what masterful achievements of architecture and nature they are. In turn, many find his images are nothing short of a journey into the unknown.
Explain the uniqueness of the creation a floral portrait.
Staying true to nature is central to Slevin’s work, and why he is a naturalist when it comes to lighting his shots. This distinguishes his work from others, as Slevin uses no color filters or artificial light sources, such as flashes, strobes or light cans. He exclusively works with natural sunlight, using a masterful eye to find the perfect balance point between light and shadow.