Meet Karey

Back in 1965, I fell head over heels for flowers. My grandmother’s backyard was a secret garden bursting with geraniums, daisies, violets, and even peaches.

I can still smell that sweet mix in the air.

When I was just five, I boldly announced I was going to open my very own flower shop. For years after that, I spent all my free time crafting “bouquets” out of anything I could find—magazines, scraps of fabric, and even my “Fun Flower” maker (which, let’s be honest, was probably a fire hazard). Every bouquet came with an anonymous note from “Karey’s Flower Shop.”

Artist Karey Bancroft wearing a floral dress, holding a camera in one hand and touching a bouquet of colorful flowers with the other, inside a room decorated with plants and wooden furniture. (Photo by Harmonie House Images)

Artist Karey Bancroft in her studio, wearing a white embroidered shirt and blue jeans, standing in front of a bookshelf with cameras and framed photos. (Photo by Harmonie House Images)

That love for making things never went away.

I was always knee-deep in some kind of creative project. Whether it was mosaics, fabric-covered country art , or sparkly crystal bracelets, I was always up to something with my hands. I even ran my own hobby magazine, Jewelry Crafts.

While working in magazine publishing, I fell in love with photography and the magic of the darkroom. Eventually, I took the leap and launched Karey Miller Photography in The Woodlands, Texas, where I specialized in senior portraits. It was such a wonderful chapter—I loved my studio and the amazing people I met along the way.

Fast forward to 2020. I’d moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be closer to my three adorable grandsons. When the pandemic hit and everything slowed down, I turned to gardening. It started small—planting tubers and bulbs—but before I knew it, I was growing hundreds of flowers from seed. In 2023 alone, I grew 600 different varieties!

Naturally, I couldn’t resist pulling out my camera to take “portraits” of my blooms.

Soon, I went down the rabbit hole of trying to make my photos look like paintings; even attending art school. By 2024, I was creating hand-cut paper collages from my floral photographs. On a whim, I entered a piece in the prestigious Charlotte “ArtPop” competition—and to my total shock, I was selected as one of 20 artists whose work was displayed on billboards all over the county…and even in Times Square on a 96-foot billboard!

These days, I spend my time doing all the things that fill me up: gardening, photography, and making collages.

I get to live close to the three guys that call me Kiki, and I’ve even taken up mahjong. My husband and I are soaking up a slower pace and planning plenty of travel adventures. I feel so grateful for this season of life.

My biggest hope is that other women discover just how rewarding it can be to dive into something they love, no matter their age. At 66, I’m just getting started—and I have big plans for what’s next!