Growing up all over Minneapolis, Irene spent her childhood exploring nature on her bike and walking the neighborhoods, grandpa in hand, looking at the flowers. The world felt like a magical jungle then, and she hopes it always will.

That sense of curiosity has shaped both her art and her work with plants.

Irene studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) as a painter. She loves color and giving familiar imagery an unexpected twist. Her body of work includes commissioned paintings, murals, and many signage displays. She especially loves projects that allow her to bring someone else’s memories or stories to life through a custom piece. And big botanicals! To expand her horizons, she currently studies and practices the art of rosemaling as a way of connecting with her Norwegian roots in primarily Gudbrandstal and Telemark styles.

She also completed Minneapolis College’s Herbal Studies program in 2019 headed by Erica Fargione. She has continued learning from mentors ever since within specialized fields of flower essences, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Western Herbalism, Ayurveda, Reiki, and Ortho-Bionomy. She considers plants among her longest-standing teachers and believes nonhuman teachers have just as much to offer as human ones.

Irene is always seeking ways for herbalism to become art and art to become herbalism. She cares deeply about the Earth and our environment, and incorporated this value into both her herbalism products and art by using nontoxic materials and creating in ways that do no harm. She founded Arose Herbals in 2024 to help people connect with the vast amount of medicine that plants so generously offer us.

Ultimately, Irene dreams of a more peaceful, beautiful, and connected planet for all its creatures. She hopes that creating openly and learning from the natural world together is the brightest way forward.