Florotica -
A Gallery by Lila Sterling
Intimate Floral Portraiture | Mixed Media Photography | Berryville, Virginia
Florotica is the signature body of work by photographic artist Lila Sterling, mother of 8, whose evocative imagery explores the sensual, emotional, and symbology of life . Rooted in intimacy and transformation, Sterling’s work goes beyond botanical photography—it is a deeply personal and poetic meditation on the soul’s unfolding.
Working exclusively with her iPhone and digital enhancement tools, Sterling creates richly layered images that are at once ethereal and grounded. Each image captures not just the outer form of her subject, but the inner world it evokes—its curve, color, and composition becoming metaphors for longing, resilience, death, and rebirth. Her pieces feel more like visual poetry than documentation, inviting viewers to feel as much as to see.
The name Florotica reflects the heart of Sterling’s vision: a fusion of nature and eros, tenderness and power, the sacred and the sensual. These aren’t still lifes—they are living portals. Through light and shadow, through reflection and texture, Sterling explores the complexity of human emotion, cycles of feminine becoming, and the quiet wisdom of beauty.
Her creative path began unexpectedly. Introduced to photography by a partner, Sterling soon discovered a world behind the lens that mirrored her inner journey. Following a series of personal upheavals—including the loss of her family home, the ache of empty nesting, spiritual awakening, and the shattering grief of heartbreak—she turned to creative release as both muse and medicine, to find her way back to herself.
Sterling draws deep inspiration from Georgia O’Keeffe—not only in form but in spirit. Like O’Keeffe, she uses flowers to speak to what cannot be said directly: intimacy, desire, loss, renewal. But while O’Keeffe painted, Sterling photographs—capturing her images in the wilds of life. Her studio is wherever presence is evoked into existence.
Florotica has gained a devoted following through word of mouth and online sharing. Viewers often describe her work as:
“enchanting and magical” – Z. Phoenix
“a language beyond words” – K. McKenzie
“portals beyond the canvas” – E. Centner
“Your art is living—Georgia O’Keeffe, eat your heart out” – I. Howell
Sterling’s images linger. They beckon us into stillness, intimacy, and wonder—reminding us the of the essence and the cycles that shape all living things.
Through Florotica, Lila Sterling invites you to slow down, look again, and let the images speak. Each image is a soft opening, a mirror, a love letter from Life herself.