Esther Davis' intrigue with flower drying began years ago when she, a child of 10 years, dried a rose from her mother's garden using sand from a nearby creek and instructions in a National Geographic magazine. Although flower drying didn't become a full time practice and vocation for her until years later, it was that first successfully dried flower that planted the seed. A graduate of Washington State University, Esther continued her education in art at Oregon School of Arts and Crafts and Marylhurst College. An award winning artist, her work was represented by the Attic Gallery in Portland, Oregon. In 1988, she moved to the Virginia's Roanoke Valley, where her art took on quite another form. An avid gardener, she began a scientific study of the use of mediums as flower drying agents. Years of work enabled her to develop an in depth understanding of how to turn a fresh flower into a perfectly formed dried one, and April of 1999, her book about this process, Sensational Dried Flowers, was published and is the most comprehensive book on flower drying with mediums published to date. Esther's training as an artist is evident in her finished work. Although she primarily designs floral pieces for residential interiors, her expertise with flower drying has also allowed her fill a need in the floral industry for bridal bouquet preservation. Esther, devoted to sharing her knowledge of the process, lectures and gives workshops. She has appeared on Discovery Channel's Home Matters and has had a bouquet featured in The Bridal Guide magazine. She continues her practice, which includes educating flower enthusiasts on the possibilities desiccant dried flowers afford and elevating this process, in every way she knows how, to the art form that it truly is. Esther, a resident of Salem, Virginia, also has a farm in Roanoke County.