This KY Artist's Pressed Flower Arrangements Will Blow You Away

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." -Pablo Picasso.

Amber Snyder is an Artist & Floral Preservation Designer based in Lewisport, Kentucky. For about six years now, she has been designing and painting banners, custom sports balls, and unique party decor. "And pretty much anything my clients throw at me," she said.

Her newest creative venture "blossomed" from that. Amber told me, "A friend lost someone very special to her and had so many floral arrangements she didn’t know what to do. She told me that she wanted to do something with them and sent me a picture of a floating pressed flower arrangement. I took the challenge."

Completely self-taught, Amber learned extremely fast. She pressed around 300 flowers within a span of three days! Some of them whole, some of them dissected petal by petal. "I watched video after video and followed all the expert advice on Facebook groups. I gathered my information and pushed myself past self-doubt."

I don't know many people who make this kind of art because it's more than "just art." It's science too! "I studied press floral art like it was a master's final exam. I lived and breathed it for several months. I learned about glues and glass, and about moisture and mold."

She has even dabbled in Oshibana, which is the Japanese art of using flora to create landscapes and other life-like designs. Amber explained, "There are very few people who do this because of the intense, quick work that has a high chance of discoloration, mold, or mistakes."

A lot of times, the flowers she is working with are one-of-a-kind or irreplaceable if they are from something important like a wedding bouquet. "When people think of pressed flowers, they think of putting a flower in a book and leaving it till it's dry." What Amber does takes a lot of patience and meticulous work. "It's not as simple as people may think."

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When the flowers dry, sometimes they change colors, so it can be a challenge to predict the outcome. "It is exciting, like opening up a mystery bag of goodies. You can guess, but you never know how it will turn out." She said, "I take pride in my ability to preserve such vibrant colors."

As she should! When I first saw the photos on my newsfeed, I was blown away. As a creative person myself, I have tried to make dried flowers sooooo many times. They don't look ANYTHING like Amber's. lol! More like an experiment!

Some folks may know Amber from her work as a nail tech. Her other art has always been a side hustle, but she is grateful for enough business to be able to paint and press flowers full time now. "This gives me the freedom I need to be able to raise my three boys and be there for them without needing to ask permission or use vacation time."

She is even planning an art show for next year where you will get to see some of her Oshinaba flower art in person. More on that to come. For now, she is getting ready to launch a new website. "I've blown up in the past few months. My most popular clients are bridal and funeral, but I am here for any special occasion."

Until her website is up and running, you can reach out to Amber via text at 270-922-9666.