Dariana Dervis is deeply inspired by nature, mining beauty from the ordinary to create the extraordinary. Papers, found objects, ephemera, and thread are given new life and meaning as they are incorporated into mixed-media collages. A visual dialogue and juxtaposition of past and present elements creates a piece greater than the sum of its individual parts. Her artwork explores the ways we are connected to the landscapes in which we live and also to one another. Of her work she says, “Nature is restorative and full of wonder. There is magic in a moth pollinating flowers by moonlight, the filigree pattern of a decaying leaf, and a spider weaving its delicate web.” With a BFA from the University of Montevallo, Dervis currently works as both a fine artist and graphic designer in Birmingham, Alabama.