A small bouquet of pastel-colored flowers, including pink, white, and blue, on a pink textured background.
A watercolor painting of three colorful leaves on a blue textured paper, with a paint palette in the background containing red, purple, and black paint.
Comparison of two flowers with the labels 'real.' on the left and 'paper.' on the right, showing the real flower as a wilting purple flower with green leaves and a paper flower as a flat, colored paper version.
A person is analyzing a plant specimen on a sheet of paper with sketches and notes about the plant's features. They are holding the plant with one hand and using a pencil with the other. The notes and sketches include details about the plant's leaf s
Assorted artificial flower petals in shades of purple, blue, and pink, a small artificial yellow flower with white and yellow stamens, and decorative ribbons, all laid out on white textured paper.
A collection of arts and craft supplies including scissors, glue, paintbrushes, a scissors, tape, a foam pad, a small dish, and paper flowers on a white surface, with a black box labeled 'BOUQ Paper Flowers' partially visible at the top.
A hand holding a bunch of wilted, colorful flowers and stems against a plain wall, with some flowers missing petals and a caterpillar on one stem.
A person holding a blue and purple tissue paper flower with yellow stamens, near a paint palette with blue and purple paint and a piece of matching tissue paper.
Artificial dried flowers with purple petals and green leaves against a plain background.

Unfold the Artistry of Paper Flowers with Catherine Oxley
May 8 - 10, 2026

Black Cat Farm | Boulder, Colorado
15 Students
No Experience Necessary

REGISTER
Gray decorative leaf illustration

The heart of this retreat is observation – discover how to capture a flower’s visual details and recreate them using fine Italian paper and watercolor.

Catherine’s workshop invites us to see flowers in a new way, not just as subjects for paper form, but as living expressions. We’ll observe their qualities ~ the curve of a petal, the veins of a leaf, the subtle color variations ~ and learn how to reproduce their scale, shape, and movement. Using watercolor on fine Italian Carte Fini crepe paper, we’ll explore how different paper weights shape texture, depth, and translucency, bring our botanical studies to life. We’ll challenge ourselves to think about what draws us to the natural world, and how this might be skillfully recreated through our own creative language. This is more than a workshop. It’s a meditation on beauty.

    • Make a beautiful botanical stem each day of the retreat, complete with blooms and foliage, with one day devoted to learning how to pattern and recreate a fresh flower of your choosing from paper

    • All materials provided; including specialty Italian crepe papers by Carte Fini to make the finest paper flowers

    • Catherine’s favorite professional tools as part of your take home toolkit

    • Custom workbook from ‘moments that matter. X BOUQ Paper Flowers’ for note taking and journaling your experience at the Makerie

    • Fresh farm-to-table organic meals

    • Handcrafted tea blends each day

    • The energy of growth and renewal of being on a working farm

    • Gentle body movement session 

A bouquet of various pastel-colored flowers, including pink, white, and light purple, arranged against a soft pink background.
Arrangement of three flowers with green leaves against a light pink background
A woman with curly hair wrapped in a patterned gray and black sweater holding a bouquet of pink, orange, and yellow flowers in an open grassy field with mountains and blue sky in the background.
A simple illustration of a leafy branch with green leaves and small buds.

About the Artist | Catherine Oxley

Catherine Oxley is the founder of BOUQ Paper Flowers, a studio devoted to the art of creating life-like paper flowers. With more than a decade of experience, Catherine has developed a distinctive approach to botanical artistry, working with fine European crepe paper that she hand-cuts, sculpts, and shapes. By employing tinting, dyeing, and washing techniques, she creates flowers with a remarkably natural and organic appearance. 

Catherine’s artistry has been featured in campaigns for respected brands such as Veranda Magazine, Shopify, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Winners, and has appeared in publications such as La Botanica (NY | Milan), Wedding Bells (Toronto), and Food and Drink Magazine (Toronto). Catherine’s expertise was also highlighted on Canada’s leading morning program, Cityline, where she demonstrated the versatility of paper flowers in transforming wedding venues. She creates bespoke installations for high-end venues and private residences across North America, offering an elegant and enduring alternative to fresh florals.

Beyond her own creations, Catherine is passionate about sharing her techniques and inspiring others through teaching. She has established a global community through her online school, where more than 2,000 students have learned from her ever-expanding library of tutorials. Catherine welcomes students at all skill levels, especially enjoying guiding beginners and watching their creative transformations as they develop confidence and discover the joy of paper flowers.

Catherine believes that “the completed work is a direct reflection of the quietness of one’s mind and the power of their observation”; an insight that continues to shape her teaching and her own artistic journey.

bouqpaperflowers.com
@bouqpaperflowers

Several servings of rice wrapped in banana leaves on floral plates, arranged on a wooden tray.
A smiling man and woman standing together outdoors on a farm or garden, with the man holding leafy plants. The man is wearing a wide-brimmed hat and apron, and the woman is dressed casually. There are trees, a small building, and a hill in the background.
Outdoor gathering at Black Cat Organic Farm during sunset, with a rustic barn and string lights in the foreground, and a covered patio with people seated at tables in the background.
Silhouette of a beet with three leaves extending from the top

The Venue: Black Cat Organic Farm

Black Cat Farm ~ a place where all are welcome and the seeds of hope surround you. Nestled among the rolling fields just outside Boulder, Colorado, this rustic working farm is home to our Black Cat Makerie retreats. Tucked away from the rush of the world, time stands still. The beauty here isn’t curated, but rather defined by the ever-changing seasons and the pulse of growth and possibility at every turn. No matter where you are coming from or which season of life you find yourself in, you’ll feel the embrace of something so grounding and deeply authentic you might not ever forget it.

Using Black Cat’s Certified Organic farm as a source of creativity, Chef Eric Skokan creates an award-winning cuisine vibrant with seasonality. The kitchen draws heavily from the farm’s more than 250 varieties of organic vegetables, legumes, grains, herbs and flowers, as well as its large flock of heritage sheep and its robust population of heritage pigs, paving the way for a limitless palette of flavors, colors, and textures from which to build each food experience. The farm team devotes hours every day to harvesting ingredients, and then crafting them into outstanding dishes that mirror what is thriving in the fields. We can’t wait for you to experience it all for yourself!

A collection of colorful pressed flowers, including pink, white, and purple blooms, arranged on a pink background with a decorative black border.
Minimalist illustration of a plant with five beige leaves.

Retreat Schedule

Friday, May 8th

8:30am to 4pm

Saturday, May 9th

9am to 4pm
6pm to 9pm (Optional Black Cat Farmstead Dinner)

Sunday, May 10th

9am to 3:30pm

 

A simple illustration of a leafy branch with small round buds

Retreat Experience Pricing

$2,295

includes

3 full creative workshop days
(18 hours of instruction)
..
all workshop materials
..
handcrafted herbal tea
..
three morning snacks
..
three farm-to-table lunches
..
three afternoon snacks
..
online class page with all the details and inspiration about this retreat
..
special gift

..
* optional Black Cat Farmstead dinner + $200

REGISTER

Questions? See our FAQs. We’re happy to work with you on a custom payment plan; email ali@themakerie.com.

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