Paul Busse, founder of Applied Imagination, grew up admiring his mother Jane's talents.  She was a gifted artist, best known for her elaborate textile & rug weaving. She worked alongside famed weaver, Peter Collingwood, developing advanced techniques still used today. Her work has been celebrated at institutions like The Smithsonian and The Cincinnati Art Museum.

Jane's hand-hooked rug "Liberty Tree" was awarded Grand Champion at The Ohio State Fair in 1966.

This abstract geometric woven rug by Jane was part of the Smithsonian's "Craft Multiples" exhibit, which toured the country from 1975-1979. The rug still resides in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection.

As a young boy, Paul was encouraged by his mother to create his own art, coloring books were never allowed!  

His parents inspired his love for the arts, most notably, his love for architecture, gardening and model railroading.

Carson Mansion is regarded as one of the highest executions of American Queen Anne Style architecture, the house is "considered the most grand Victorian home in America."

Jane was so inspired by Carson Mansion, that she built her own model, which Paul admired as a young boy.

Jane's HO model of the Carson Mansion stands just over 8 inches tall. Built in 1949, the year of Paul's birth, and constructed primarily using illustration board and matchsticks. 

In High School, Paul created a pen and ink illustration of Carson Mansion, highlighted with watercolors, which hung proudly in his parents' living room.

In loving memory of his mother Jane, and with the help of the artists at Applied Imagination, Paul decided to pay homage to Carson Mansion one more time. Standing 54 inches tall, every architectural detail of the elaborate mansion expressed in the natural textures & shapes of dried plant materials.