Modern Pressed Flower was founded by artist and educator Tricia Paoluccio, whose lifelong relationship with flowers began on her family’s almond farm in Modesto, California. Surrounded by gardens, wildflowers, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Paoluccio began pressing flowers as a teenager using a press built by her brother, one she still uses today.

After moving to New York City to pursue a career in acting, Paoluccio brought her flower press with her, selling pressed flower cards and unique collages on handmade paper in boutiques and on the street to support herself. Even while performing on Broadway, she continued to make pressed flower art and teach paper and collage techniques, always returning to flowers as both practice and refuge.

In 2019, after decades of refining her technique, Paoluccio’s work went viral on Instagram, sparking widespread interest in her process and unique style. When the pandemic halted her growing collaborations, she devoted her energy teaching her flower-pressing methods online. At the time, very few people were teaching pressed flower techniques in depth, and existing tutorials rarely addressed the challenge of preserving color, an issue Paoluccio had spent decades refining. Hundreds of students signed up for her first Zoom classes, forming the foundation of a global community that still exists today.