You take photos of your flowers. But have you ever considered scanning? You can scan them with the scanner on your desk. In 2007, I gave it a try but didn’t do much. Craig Cramer, a friend and ACNARGS* Member, found that it was “the medium which would combine [his] passion for art, technology, and gardening.”

Craig posted scanned images of flowers on his blog Ellis Hollow for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Through Facebook, I discovered that Cornell would be hosting an exhibition of Craig and Ellen Hoverkamp’s work as well as some student work. They have a class named The Art of Gardening that “helps students of all disciplines to consider plants as both a subject of art and a material or artform.” Imagine this!)

The exhibit Sweep Of Light at Cornell’s Mann Library ends on the 31st of March, so I had to hurry if I wanted to see it. The roads and skies were both clear this past weekend, so I drove there. These images were taken by my phone. Please excuse the reflections and glare in some images. They should give you a good idea of what can be done with this technique. The captions include the description given by the artist for each image.

Craig wanted me to view this particular image.

Craig Cramer’s “Naked Ladies”. October, 2009. Autumn Crocus is a three-variety Colchicum fallale . The flowers are sometimes called “naked women” because they appear in the fall, long after the leaves had died in the late spring.

I gave Craig some colchicums a decade or so ago. Now they’re part of a show!
The following images are my favorites. I love narcissus as well, and I have collected colchicums for many years.

Craig Cramer’s ” Spring Mandala “. April, 2016. April, 2016.

Craig Cramer, ” May Day Blossom”. 2016. May Day is a day to be celebrated for many reasons. It’s peonies, epimediums and frettilarias that are pushing up in my garden. Also, Virginia bluebells, summer snowflakes, and frittilarias .

Craig Cramer, ” New Years Eve Cyclamen “. December 2012. The florist’s cyclamen is usually a short lived gift plant found on supermarket shelves. This plant continued to produce flowers well beyond its lifespan. I was able to capture the flower growth in one scan.

Craig Cramer, ” No escape”. June 2015. This four-pane picture is a thicket of garlic scapes that’s impossible to penetrate.

“Snakeroot Et. “Snakeroot Et. 2012. There’s never a shortage of blooming plants in the garden during late summer and autumn. There’s enough to fill a scanner: Cimicifuga lyonii, Phytolacca america, Vernonia spp.

Some of Craig’s photos have been sliced up and dragged to the point that the plants are abstract shapes and patterns. Craig describes here, how he manipulates images.

You can’t scan with the lid on. Ellen Hoverkamp uses a dark cloth draped across the scanner while Craig uses a black one. Maybe that’s why Ellen Hoverkamp’s scans look more three-dimensional.

Ellen Hoverkamp, “Woodland Vignette”. The lush woodland garden at Rocky Hills, Mount. Kisco, New York. Asiatic Primroses Featured: Ferns and Moss

Ellen Hoverkamp’s ” Treasures On the Vine “. Late season fruits are sculptural. Trout Lily Farm is located in North Guilford Connecticut. These include: Koshare Yellow Banded Gourds, Tennessee Spinning and Daisy Gourds, as well as Cape Gooseberries.

“Cornus Contemplation” by Ellen Hoverkamp. Flowering Dogwoods, gesturing in a diagonal direction, and grounded by river stones. Cornus florida “Cherokee Brave” and Cornus florida “Appalachian Spring”.

Ellen Hoverkamp’s “Beauty and the Feast”. The garden produces a lot of beautiful and delicious food. Okra, Kale and Chard are featured, as well as Heirloom carrots, Chioggia beet, Onions. Cherry Tomatoes. Watermelon. Tomatillos. Pea Shoots.

Ellen Hoverkamp’s “Autumn Gleanings”. Foraged souvenirs found on Duck Harbor Road, Wellfleet Massachusetts. Beach Rose, Bittersweet Virginia Creeper Oak Moss and Oak Leaves.

“Herbaceous Peony Denouement” by Ellen Hoverkamp. This image captures the fleeting thrill that comes with herbaceous, spectacularly sensual peonies. Big Ben, Bowl of Beauty and Sarah Bernhardt Peonies are featured.