Releases

The Artistry of milly acharya: Behind Our Fleur de California Labels

Aug 16, 2023

For close to 30 years, milly acharya (milly preferred her name not to be capitalized) called Ithaca, New York home. A member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, she exhibited extensively, and won several honors and awards, including the 2011 Diane Bouchier Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in botanical art.

Born in Patna, India in 1951, milly graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University in 1969 with a BA with Honors. In 1978 she was accepted into Syracuse University and graduated with an MA in Education in 1991. She found her love of illustration while working at Cornell University & Ithaca College, illustrating for their publications.

The immensely talented artist saw every detail of the botanicals. milly’s watercolors are so technical, and offer so much information, that she would sometimes have her guests at shows look through a magnifying glass to see the level of detail.

Hippeastrum striatum

Amaryllis

10″ x 18″, 2018

When we were looking to revamp our Fleur de California labels, Mindi came across milly’s art and we knew we had to reach out to see if she would allow us to showcase her artwork on our bottles. She was just as kind as we imagined and now we have the label we have always wanted, thanks to her and her skill.

We are saddened to report that milly (Urmila) acharya, passed away at home February 27, 2019. We are so grateful to have received permission from her to have the ability to view her art everyday on our labels.

View more of her stunning pieces on her website. Her artwork is available for purchase.