Artist Spotlight: Kalvin Valko

Kalvin Valko is a botanical artist who grows epiphytes (plants that grow on the surface of another plant or material, aka. “air plants”), primarily Platycerium (“Staghorn Ferns”) and Orchid species in his indoor garden. He has an MFA in botanical art and bio active ecosystem design, is a member of the Vancouver Orchid Society and works at Frondly Plants as its fulfillment coordinator.

Handmade by Kalvin

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Connecting you with to nature.

Kalvin’s objective with growing plants in a pseudo-naturalistic way is to illustrate how the plant would typically be observed growing in its natural habitat with the intention of reconnecting the viewer with the natural world.

Botanical influences from around the world.

Kalvin’s inspirations stem from contemporary botanical artworks by Daniel Kwok (fellow VOS member and multiple AOS award winner known for his artistic orchid displays), Takashi Amano and Yusuke Homma (Aqua Design Amano), Park Woong Taek aka Sac (Biotope Gallery), from historical Zen garden landscapers like Sōami (b. -1525) and Mirei Shigemori (b.1896-1975) as well as from his visits to botanical conservatories in Czechia, Japan, and USA.

Follow along

You can view Kalvin’s botanical life on Instagram @kalvins_extraordinary_forest.

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