Birthday Roses with Ron Nicole (2023)

Birthday Roses, a celebration of blooming between Tommy Lei, lens-based artist, and Ron Nicole, plaster relief artist.

Time is the main ingredient in the making of this series. What started off as a phone call led to a 3 month long project of capturing the beginning and end of rose season. Roses also happen to be the flower for June, our birthday month.

From hundreds of photos, Ron Nicole meticulously sifted until we arrived at six photographs. Each archival pigment print was made on Canson Infinity Aquarelle rag paper, as a limited edition of 2, accompanied by pastel floral illustrations.

The intention was not capture perfection but rather how imperfectly perfect each individual bloom came to be. It’s such a beautiful exercise in letting go and allow nature to take its course. While others were just starting to bloom, some were withering after blooming. A delicate reminder that we all bloom on our own timeline.