Notes From My Studio

Matching Floral Tapes with PanPastels

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 04:12:41 GMT

Let's match floral tapes to PanPastels

How many green floral tapes are in your collection?

I invest considerable time perfecting my leaves and petals, but when it's time to assemble everything, I often rush to complete the project. In that haste, I tend to grab whatever roll of tape is at hand. Sound familiar?

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using any tape to finish your botanical creations, I believe the tape’s color should harmonize with the calyx and leaves. A mis-match can divert attention away from the meticulously crafted bloom you've spent so much time to create. For instance, if you made your leaves a vivid bright green, your delicately colored flowers would be overshadowed by that striking hue.

When I’m working on commissions or pausing to create something for myself in my studio, I take care to select tapes that complement the green of the botanical. I choose the closest matching tape and then use a corresponding PanPastel to seamlessly blend the transition between the clay and tape. It’s important to note that the intent isn’t to dust the entire stem , but rather just the area where there is a noticeable color difference. The transition.

Sometimes I find myself without a matching color, either for a tape or a PanPastel shade. In such cases, I wrap my stems with white tape and use dirty green brushes to color over the white. A heavy hand isn’t advisable here—lightly dusting is key. No worries if you apply too much; you can either dab it off gently with a paper towel or use a matte fixative to set the color. Generally the sticky tape needs nothing else to hold on to the color.

Which colors and tapes have you paired in this picture, Pooja?

I buy supplies from all over the world when I can which means I have a lot more shades of tapes than the overage Amazon shopper. That's why my color names aren't important. Your collection of floral tapes and PanPastels will differ from mine. Just do your best to match what you have available. If it helps, jot down the name of your matching color on the inside of the tape roll - maybe even the source of that tape. With a bit of pre-planning, you could mix the clay to match the tape you plan to use. Problem solved.

I get my PanPastel at Blick.

Remember the ultra useful floral tape cutter - Effortlessly cut the tapes to half width without needing scissors.

NEW: A short list of recommended color are now available as a class list with Blick!

Both online and in-store. Ask for The Art School at Old Church - Polymer Clay Flower class list.

Or click this link.

These are recommended colors, ones I use myself. You are under no obligation to buy.

The Met: An Unexpected Floral Photoshoot

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:09:02 GMT

Behind the Scenes: My Floral Photography Session at The Met

I had planned it for weeks. I wanted to go... no. I NEEDED to go and see the original Van Gogh Iris painting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City before my workshop at NYBG. What an adventure it turned out to be.

The Van Gogh flower exhibition is currently on at the New York Botanical Garden through the end of October. Sunflowers fill the garden in front of the Haupt Conservatory while sculptures and vibrant graphics fill the inside, along with roses and other flowers that he painted. It was too late to see the Irises in bloom this year at the Garden but I went to the Presby Memorial Iris Garden in NJ to see the most gorgeous colors towards the end of their peak bloom season. NYBG asked if I would teach the sunflower or something else, I chose the Iris for a lot of reasons. Mostly because, to me, a bearded iris it is the most artful out of the three I could have taught.

Are bearded irises really blue in real life?

They're blue in the painting but Blue Irises aren't common. A bit of research online suggests that over time and with restoration of the original paintings, the hue may have shifted from a blue-violet to more blue. I'm going to talk to an art historian at some point about that because that same bit of research also mentioned the colors he used for those paintings. Colors like Cobalt and Manganese which might need their own blog post to explain. My purpose for making the trip with my flowers to the museum was to match the colors as best as I could. My brother has some fancy cameras and enjoys photography so we went together.

They wouldn't let me take my flowers inside!
Security was insistent that flowers cannot go inside and they would hold them for me to take back when I exit. I tossed my bunch on the floor and said they're not real, you don't understand, I came all this way to do a photoshoot with my flowers. The security guard made a silent "Oh" and said wait here. Supervisor, higher supervisor and somebody on the telephone from somewhere higher than the super supervisor gave the green light after I pulled up my workshop listing on the NYBG website . There was a condition. I wasn't allowed to carry my flowers to the gallery. And so a docent/guard held my flowers as he walked us to the gallery to behold the masterpiece!

Now I was both excited and laughing as the security guard got teased by other guards who clapped him on the back and said "Congratulations man" as he held the bouquet in front of him. Cute. We got to the gallery and got to work trying to catch some unobstructed pictures while the gallery was full of people. The guard was helpful, he said "WAIT!" and tucked my hair away from my face. Lol.

So. Did my bunch of hand made flowers match the painting?

Absolutely not! Maybe one petal did. So I went shopping. And I began mixing. This is prep I enjoy before every class, every workshop. My process needs to be a certain way, for me.

I later went to see my classroom at the NYBG Watson Continuing Ed building and got a little tour. One week to go for the workshop and a few seats are open. If you can't join me, I hope you will share the link with a friend.

I didn't know it at the time, but if you look closely at the first picture in this blog where I am holding the flowers in the gallery; my apple watch woke up and shows a photo. From a gallery of 24 images that rotate on my watch face, that one at that moment is of my grandmother.

Link to register.

A Dream in Bloom: Teaching at the New York Botanical Garden

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:58:32 GMT

A Dream in Bloom: Teaching at the New York Botanical Garden

I am absolutely honored and delighted to announce that starting this fall, I am teaching at the prestigious New York Botanical Garden ! This milestone is one I’ve been working toward for a long time, and it would never have been possible without you—my students, my family, my friends, my fellow faculty members, and the creative peers who have cheered me on at every step. You’ve each been a part of this journey, whether by taking a class, sharing my work, or simply believing in me.

Today also carries deep personal meaning. It would have been my grandmother’s 104th birthday . She passed away just 24 days ago, and I know in my heart she would be brimming with pride at this news. Announcing it today feels like a way of honoring her—a celebration of her fierce spirit and the joy she inspired in me.

A Van Gogh-Inspired Beginning

My first workshop at NYBG will be in collaboration with their current Van Gogh exhibition . I’ll be teaching Van Gogh’s Iris—a vibrant, bold flower to complement the garden’s artistic displays of sunflowers and sculptures inspired by the master himself. The two-day workshop will take place in October, and there are more exciting workshops ahead in sync with other exhibits (I can’t wait to share those soon!).

How This Bloomed Into Reality

Flowers have always been a part of my life, but something shifted the moment I started making them. I’d visited NYBG for exhibits—the dazzling Holiday Train Show, the breathtaking Orchid Show—but three years ago, one visit changed everything.

Standing in front of those orchids, I was overwhelmed by their beauty. That day, I became a NYBG member. Seeing flowers up close—not just in photographs—transformed my art. I began moving toward botanically accurate creations, petal by petal, day by day. NYBG, with over 130 years of history in celebrating and preserving plant life, became an unspoken mentor to me.

Last year, during the Orchid Show, I stopped at their “touch table,” where visitors could smell and explore orchids with a horticulture staff member. We started chatting, I showed her photos of my work, and she smiled and said, “Why don’t you teach here?”

It felt like a sign.

Persistence in Full Bloom

I applied. I didn’t make it past the resume stage. I followed up by email, by phone, offered to send samples, even to visit in person. Still no luck. How could a resume possibly capture the magic of what happens in a workshop? You, my students, know that what we create together can’t be reduced to bullet points.

That’s when I decided to channel my grandmother’s sass and courage. I made a bouquet of my handmade flowers, wrote a personal note, tucked in my resume, wrapped it in tissue and ribbon, and hand-delivered it to the head of Continuing Education.

A few days later, I got an email inviting me to discuss teaching at the Garden. I nearly fell off my chair.

The Roots of This Journey

It all began in 2019, when my friend Sarah was getting married and I became curious about sugar flowers. I practiced every single day that year. Even with my beginner’s skills, I applied to teach at The Art School at Old Church. They took a chance on me, scheduling my first class for March 2020—only for COVID to postpone everything until November. Since that first workshop, I’ve never looked back.

I am deeply grateful to the administrators who believed in me then, and to the students who kept returning, spreading the word to their friends, local libraries, and other art schools. A special thank-you to Teri Lieberman, Marjorie Copeland, and Barbara Grapin for being my champions.

This next chapter at NYBG feels like the perfect blend of passion, persistence, and community support. It’s a dream come true—and proof that bold moves, a little patience, and a lot of heart can lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.

Thank you for being here.

Pooja

Click HERE for the workshop link.