Jennifer Bové of Drift Perfume (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

Profile: Something wild took root in my soul when I was young and has flourished ever since. Growing up in mid-Missouri, my younger sister and I loved exploring. From the fruited branches of a mulberry tree in our backyard to "remote" reaches of a wooded neighborhood park, we were always out scouting untamed corners of our suburban stomping grounds.

Jennifer and her younger sister growing up wild in Missouri (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

Best of all were the sweet summer days spent canoeing and swimming in the Ozark rivers a few hours south of home. I felt free as a fish, and I wanted to stay outside forever. Fortunately, my mom loved to travel, and she made it a priority to introduce my sister and me to wild wonders around the nation. Acadia, Chincoteague, the Smokies and Rockies, Yellowstone—no matter where we went, I longed to linger and learn the secrets of each new forest or shore.

Always the "drifter," Jen grew up dreaming of the west (note the Colorado t-shirt) (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

My desire to follow the path-less-traveled manifested as a degree in biology from the University of Missouri in 1996, where I met my husband. Together, we high-tailed it west and landed on a small island wildlife refuge in Washington's Straight of Juan de Fuca. For one glorious year we served as caretakers (and the only human residents) of the refuge, reveling in the company of seabirds and seals. The island experience launched a series of seasonal jobs counting snakes, snorkeling with salmon, and recording sandhill crane breeding behavior as a field biologist. Then, in the blink of an eye, I fell headlong into the uncharted territory of full-time motherhood.

Jennifer and her kids near their home in Gunnison, Colorado (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

With three babes in tow, we settled into a cozy farm in northern Arkansas in 2006 and reared our offspring among wooded hills, gardens, an orchard, and a friendly flock of chickens. During this time, I forged a new career writing for my local newspaper and national outdoor magazines, and I published a trio of anthologies featuring fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Success in writing fulfilled a lifelong dream, but I found myself yearning for deeper creative expression …

Jen's second anthology, A Mile in Her Boots: Women who Work in the Wild

Out of the blue, I was struck by a memory of my mother's antique dresser when I was a child. I remember peeking into the top drawer, a mysterious cache of satin and lace, and finding a slim compact of scented waxes. They weren't the acrid spritzes I knew as "perfume." Rather, they evoked rich, resinous aromas of forests, fields, and faraway places. That scented compact, one of the Sweet Earth series created by Coty in the '70s, represented a beguiling interpretation of nature that I carried in my subconscious for years. Suddenly, all of the smells that marked the moments of my life came rushing to me—riverbanks, forest floors, summer rain, seaweed, kitten ears, baby skin, my husband's beard—each scent could be intimately linked to a memory or a tangible sensation, and I knew the direction I wanted to take: natural perfumery.

Never miss an opportunity to stop and smell the lupine flowers! (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

I officially launched Drift after relocating to Colorado in 2012 (yes, we pulled up stakes and "drifted" west again). High in the Rockies, I reawakened to fragrances of aspen and fir that begged to be interpreted as perfume. My niche began to take shape as mountain meadows and forests kindled inspiration that unfurled beyond the flower garden. Wilderness became my muse.

An aromatic morning filled with fir in the Colorado mountains (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

Crafting both solid and liquid perfumes with  all natural elements has become, for me, a way to tell intimate stories without the clutter of words. My perfumes are derived exclusively from nature's fold: the essences of petals, grasses, buds, roots, wood, and honeyed comb. These are the sources of scents that awaken instinct, lush and raw. After all, the most exquisite parfumeuse in the world is Mother Nature herself. Her innate fragrances have enchanted us from the beginning of time, stirring the sweet ache of memory and the embers of passion, embellishing the paths of our lives. At Drift, I seek to invoke these earth fragrances and set them adrift to others who revel in the romance of the wild.

 

Jennifer  Bové crafting perfumes in her studio (Photo:Jennifer Bové)

On American Perfumery: I see a beautifully brash trend emerging in American perfumery, and it's exciting to play a part. True to the spirit that founded our country, this new breed of perfumer is brave and intrepid, unafraid to strike out independently and blaze a trail. Like others of my ilk, I have no formal training beyond my own extensive research into the use of natural materials in perfumery. While this admission inevitably opens the door to skepticism from perfume traditionalists, I believe that my pioneering approach is an asset. Free of preconceived notions and the compulsion to compare my creations to the classics, I am inspired to invent and hone my own palette, working by intuition rather than rote. Like any explorer, I forge my way into frontiers of fragrance and stake claim to scents I love. I can only hope that others will follow my footprints and share in my wonder.

 

American artist Pen Brady Night Wings

Favorite American Artist: One of my favorite American artists is Pen Brady. The singular style of her acrylic and ink paintings sings to me, and I feel a kinship with her despite the differences in our media. Pen's style, refined throughout her lifetime in the arts, has crystallized into an exquisite distillation of nature. As a rapt student of flora and fauna, she captures the very essence of her subjects. Her wildlife paintings exhibit movement and spirit with refined forms, stripping away mundane details to reveal the lithe clarity inherent in all creatures. I have a lovely little collection of Pen's work, including Circus Arborius (you can see a glimpse of it in my studio photo above) and Night Wings. Each print reminds me of my own aspiration to represent nature in her purest form.

–Jennifer Bové, Founder and Perfumer of Drift Perfume, Certified Member of the Natural Perfumers Guild

Thanks to Jennifer, we have a worldwide draw for one CaFleureBon reader

5ml Drift Perfume Aube liquid  fragrance, my new floral fragrance capturing the luminosity of wildflowers at dawn

-or-

.25oz wooden box of Cirrus solid perfume, inspired by Colorado's alpine wildflower meadows

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Sample Selection: 4 solid Cirrus, Flourish, Caliu, Moondance and 4 liquid perfume Rose, Tourmaline, Aspens and Aube samples from Drift Perfume

To be eligible: Please leave a  detailed comment about what you found fascinating about American Perfumer, Jennifer Bové of Drift Perfume and your choice of either Aube liquid perfume, or the Cirrus solid perfume or the eight Drift perfume sampler of solids and liquids and let us know where you live. Draw closes 7/19/ 2014.

Editor's Note: Jen's Drift Perfume artisan company is a finalist in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards in the Beauty category. You can vote for her here

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