Luisa Cotardo originates from Lecce, a small town in the southernmost area of Puglia, where a diminishing and elderly population to this day create Catholic effigies using the ancient craft of Cartapesta Leccese.

An intricate process, Cartapesta was originally developed for creating church statuary and architectural detail. It was there that she was taught by some of their most renowned teachers.

Applying the skills learned and those inherited through generations of those before her, Luisa creates roses of the most exquisite beauty. Each rose is individually crafted using papers found through her travels, some previously discarded, some painstakingly made by hand, some dyed then left to dry in the sun.

The paper is never cut, only carefully torn thereby allowing the irregularity of the texture and weave to organically flourish under her fingers – after all nature does not have straight cut lines.

Although fragile in look, each rose is infact remarkably resilient and will last for many years to come. This is because of the ‘ponnula’ used, the ancient recipe for glue made out of flour and cupric sulphate (a very mild and non-toxic solution) – just like the Madonnas to be found sheltered from the baking sun, in the centuries-old churches found atop sleepy Italian hilltop villages.

• Porcelain Blush (white)

Limited edition especially commissioned for The Lazy Environmentalist. Each measures approximately 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm.