My Bio.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, Jessie Chui earned a BA with Honours in Psychology from York University (Toronto, Canada) and a LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, Ontario). After the death of her aunt in 2014, she turned to paper flower art as a way to cope with her grief. In time, she began to explore colour and light through photography as an extension of her creative expression. In 2016, after seven years as a lawyer and expecting her first child, Jessie embarked on a life long journey exploring art, beauty, flowers, and the cycle of life.
In addition to making art, Jessie teaches at local and international workshops and through her online educational platform, Crafted to Bloom. She is the author of two best-selling books: Paper Flower Art: Create Beautifully Realistic Floral Arrangements (GMC Publications, 2019) and Paper Flowers (GMC Publications, 2022). Her work has been published in numerous online and offline publications and exhibited in various shows and galleries. She also co-hosts a podcast called Paper Talk.
Jessie resides in Mississauga, Ontario with her husband and two young sons.
About me.
For as long as I can remember, I knew I had an affinity for making art, but I felt rudderless. I had not yet come across experiences that would change the way I see the world.
I didn’t discover flowers until later in life.
When I did, it was after experiencing two deaths just a year prior - my grandmother’s and my beloved aunt’s. Both times, I had to prioritize my career over my grief. Like a switch, something changed in me. I was overwhelmed by the realization of the fragility of life. In truth, up until then, the cycle of life and death was not something I was particularly familiar with.
About a year later, my body prepared itself to welcome a child into the world. As the months went by, and I could feel the child stirring inside me, I gained a much deeper appreciation for the giving of life. The idea that I could grow something from seed and hold it in my hands filled me with awe. I began to pay more attention to the flowers and plants in my father’s garden. The sounds from the birds and the buzzing of the bees became music to me. I celebrated living in the moment. I gave myself more grace. I began growing flowers of my own.
The discovery of flowers has shifted the direction of my life.
Now, the change in seasons carries more meaning for me. Spring now means the arrival of budding tulips, daffodils, and muscari instead of rain. Summer roses remind me to tell my husband I love him. Glorious peonies, wth their short blooming season, urge me to spend more time outside with my children. As dahlias bloom, I’m reminded of the passing of the summer and the approach of cooler days. When my hellebores begin budding, I know another year has begun. I look forward to hearing the chorus of robins chirping with excitement.
Flowers and fauna of all kinds are like friends to me, each with their own unique personality. I hope that through my art, I can fully express their inner spirit in colour and light.
White Peonies with Strawberries and Honey, 2022
About my art.
My work explores the transient nature of life through floral and fauna narratives in sculpture and photography. The realism of my sculptures challenges one’s perception of what is real and what is an illusion, while the painterly quality of my photo-based work pays homage to still life paintings.
I first create objects from the natural world in three-dimensional form. I focus mainly on flowers, fruits, and plants, as well as insects and birds. It is a laborious process and reflects the intricacies and complexities of the natural world.
During this process, I am transported to a place in my mind where time stands still. In the past, this was a place for me to deal with my grief. Now, it is now a place where I can fully immerse myself in meditative self-discovery. It is also the closest I can ever get to uncovering Mother Nature’s wondrous secrets. Springing from this process is a reinterpretation of an imagined natural wonderland. This manifested daydream of florals suddenly occupies the same spatial dimension as me.
What is next is an attempt to capture one moment in the fictional life cycle of my inanimate floral and fauna representations. I compose my sculptures with other objects (they may be painted, man-made and/or natural) to create narratives that explore the passage of time and the fragility and wonders of life. Then using my camera, I transfix their beautiful and fleeting existence into a 2-dimensional still life. Although loss and death is inevitable, I hope to show a world that is hopeful and wonderful.