Congratulations to member Martha Starke who has been featured in the artist spotlight in the May/June issue of Simply Saratoga Home & Garden 2017. (Find her feature on pages 25 & 25, as well as on page 154.) All of Martha’s work is garden-inspired. As a handmade paper artist, Martha makes “seed bombs,” which are balls of handmade paper pulp embedded with wildflower seeds. They can be used as wedding favors, teacher gifts (great as a classroom lesson to grow plants) or as a birthday present for a gardener. Simply plant in the garden, keep moist and watch seeds sprout as the paper decomposes. In recent years, Martha has expanded her work into pressed botanicals, creating Petal People. These whimsical figures are made entirely from pressed flowers, leaves and herbs grown in her garden in Saratoga. You can find framed original pieces at Valley Artisans as well as prints of Petal People on greeting cards. Her seeds bombs and plantable paper items are available in her Etsy shop.
