THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM by Ashley Woodson Bailey

Ashley Woodson Bailey was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, before earning a BFA in Art History and Art from the University of Texas in Austin. She worked as a floral designer for two decades in Dallas, Houston, NYC, Savannah, Atlanta and Austin. After a car accident in 2012 left her physically unable to continue as a floral designer, Woodson Bailey taught herself to use a camera to capture her new ideas for flower arrangements. Her modern floral still lifes are inspired not only by the sense of peace and reflection that flowers impart to their admirers, but also the power they instill. “A lover’s hand delivering a bouquet of flowers after a fight. A coffin covered in the deceased most cherished blooms. A birthday surprise from an old friend. All of these moments are powerful and peaceful yet fleeting, just like flowers and just like our lives,” states Woodson Bailey.