North Texas Daily

Denton artist Lauren Woody, 39, walks across Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center in search of elements for her latest piece. As she makes her way across the preserve, she occasionally bends down to pick flora and fauna that catch her eye.

While most might prefer big, bright flowers like roses and cosmos, Lauren said she gravitates toward dandelions and wild grass — the little details that are often overlooked.

“I like the overlooked things,” Lauren said. “I feel like they deserve more.”

Lauren uses these forgotten blooms in her pressed flower glass art sold through her Etsy shop, WoodLoreFlorals.

Lauren first got the idea to make her flora and fauna hangings in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, she would often take her son on hikes where they would pick flowers together that she would later press and preserve at home. Her sister later suggested Lauren start trying to frame them in glass as she had always been artistic.

“I’d always drawn with like ink and pencil, so this was brand new to me,” Lauren said. “It was a challenge […] Like, how can I make this look really cool? How can I make it my own?”

After months of practice with cutting and soldering her glass pieces, Lauren made the decision to open up her own store.

In December 2021, Lauren was able to quit her job as a veterinary technician to pursue her art full-time. Her husband Matthew Woody, 30, said it has been really rewarding to see Lauren successfully navigate her passions into a business over the past year.

“It’s been so fulfilling because she always wanted to go into make a living out of art,” Matthew said. “I think her work speaks for itself and is readily evident of her talents and overall attention to detail. It shows what she has to offer.”

When making each piece, Lauren said she tries to highlight every layer and detail placed within the glass. She believes her work looks the best when others can form all of a piece’s components into one pretty picture.

“I want it to look effortless,” Lauren said.

All of the flora and fauna used for WoodLoreFlorals have been picked from local trails and country roads by Lauren or have been gifted to her by family and friends. She said she will never commercially buy flowers for her work as it is one of the most personal aspects of her art-making process.

“It just goes against what makes me happy about it,” Lauren said. “There’s just something really cheap about ordering them because part of the reason why I love it so much is that I remember where I got every single flower that I use.”

Lauren said starting WoodLoreFlorals has helped her grow into a stronger, more independent space, both as an artist and overall person. She said her art gave her the ability to work through a negative period in her life in order to learn more about herself.

“It just made me feel really in touch with a part of me that I didn’t know I had,” Lauren said.

Lauren’s sister, Janelle Tohill, 41, who first encouraged her to experiment with floral art, said she hopes others can see Lauren’s work as a source of inspiration. She said seeing what she’s been able to accomplish through her work could help encourage others to find their confidence to pursue their own passions.

“I feel like it’s inspiring for other people to have something of hers hanging in their house to look at know a bit about the story behind her and her shop,” Tohill said.

Lauren said all she hopes for others to get out of her work is for them to pass their window, look at her work and smile. She feels that being a personal part of someone’s day and home is a special privilege she has as an artist.

“I have a piece of stained glass that my grandma made that always hung in the kitchen window when we were kids,” Lauren said. “Then, my mom gave it to me when I got my house and now I have it in my own window. Just the thought that maybe something I make could be passed down like that and be an important part of someone’s home is an honor.”

In the near future, Lauren hopes to continue to experiment with her art and expand WoodLoreFlorals. She said she hopes that by knowing her own story, other artists might be able to branch out and realize their true potential as creatives.

“I just hope more people can get over [their fears] and realize you can learn anything you want,” Lauren said. “If you just try and you want it enough, [then] go outside your comfort zone because you never know what could come out of it.”

Featured Image: Lauren Woody works ] in her home studio on Feb. 10, 2022. Photo by Julianna Rangel