Ecaterina Leonte started her project, "Lula's Petals," during quarantine. In given moments of stillness, contemplation can result in what Ecaterina calls "fruition when there's no alternative." She goes on to talk about the development of the project, "Familiar objects tend to become part of the landscape after a while, overlooked as if they were invisible. While you notice their absence, you disregard their presence. Flowers used to be my invisible object, and I was determined to transform them from familiar to foreign: bathed in natural light yet reflecting unearthly colors. As the light set-up got more complicated 'Lula's Petals' became 'Aurora Florealis.'"
Ecaterina was born in Romania. Having grown up in a Communist country, she never took the idea of freedom lightly. She studied psychopedagogy at university and, immediately after school, began working as a psychologist. At the age of 26, she decided life was too short, and upon making such a decision, she packed her bags and left for Peru to visit Machu Picchu. She stayed there for 8 years. Currently, Ecaterina lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.