Hello, Flower Friend
April Flower Thoughts
Welcome to our April {Flower Thoughts}. This month we are sharing some highlights from this year’s Melbourne Flower Show, the exceptional talents of Bart Hassam and news of upcoming design activities that you can be a part of.
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Design of the Month - A Displacement
Displacement designs seem to have gained momentum recently - and we are featuring one elegant and refined example as our April Design of the Month, created by Bart Hassam.
The style has become more prevalent and practiced, most likely because displacement offers opportunities for interesting creative expression, and possibly more so because it allows the exploration of asymmetry in an exaggerated way. Displacement designs are about moving the main area of interest away from the point of origin, or as Bart defines it, “working away from the container”.
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Bart’s composition incorporates two components that have become somewhat signature elements for him, especially when used and presented in such a sophisticated manner:
- Firstly, there is the use of multiple containers, forming a grouped foundation that is the design’s point of origin.
- Secondly, Bart interweaves a disc of Steel Grass (Xanthorrhoea australis), crafted using the ‘Tatami’ technique - similar discs made of various line materials can be found in many of Bart’s works.
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Melbourne Gets Inspired by Monet
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The Great Hall of Flowers was once again a visual feast for visitors to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show this year (19th to 23rd March). I had the privilege of judging the entries in two categories of the floral competitions - and the competitors presented my judging companion, Megan Parker, and I with a demanding task. Both categories, staged in the historic Royal Exhibition Building, took direction from the Show’s overarching theme, ‘The Future of Floristry: An Innovative Break with Tradition’. Each section then interpreted a different key characteristic attributed to the artistic pioneer, Claude Monet, and his transformative impact on art through Expressionism.
The sumptuous hanging installations worked to express ‘Colour as Emotion’, while the main floral design displays interpreted ‘Atmosphere and Mood’. There was a lot to consider and communicate when staging an exhibit, including a strong focus on sustainability. The use of plastic-based floral foam was not permitted.
Here’s a selection of entries in the Floral Design category:
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The show was a composite of competition entries and many individual and spectacular displays, including this one by Bart Hassam (below). It contained some of the most extraordinary stems of Phalaenopsis Orchids - so perfect and consistent they appeared almost artificial at first glance.
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Here’s a link to images of all the floral entries and the final competition results:
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Inside the Mind of a Master: Bart Hassam’s Brisbane Floral Series
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We have further refined our plans and made our project with Bart Hassam in Brisbane more focused - narrowing it to a three-day program: a two-day hands-on workshop and a one-day Floral Leaders Seminar - each offering an amazing opportunity to learn from the unique talents of one of the world’s best.
Modern Floral Numeracy is the title of our the two-day workshop experience with Bart - each day with a different theme and focus:
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Day 1 - Confident Placements - Bart will share with you HOW to place flowers to gain maximum effect, especially when working in more minimalist, contemporary styles.
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Day 2 - One from Two - Explore techniques and design principles that allow you to unite two vessels into one harmonious arrangement.
I am particularly excited about the Floral Leaders Seminar, which will be made up of multiple sessions - we’re calling it Principles, Techniques, Process.
A session to anticipate will be a real time display of Bart’s creative process in action - walking and talking us through his design decisions and choices from a composition’s inception, the initial idea, through to the completed design. It will be a rare and intimate glimpse into a creative mind - an activity that can provoke us each into refining or improving our own design processes.
The program spans 16th to 18th June, hosted at Southbank TAFE, conveniently located in central Brisbane, and will be right after the National WorldSkills Competition (held next door, 12th to 14th June).
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Want to know more? Follow these links for further details and registration: |
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Follow Bart and his adventures with flowers here:
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Petals, Principles and Possibilities
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It’s only a few weeks until our next One Container Five Elements program begins. It’s a fantastic learning opportunity that allows you to unleash your creative talents through one vessel.
In the program:
- You’ll grow your critical thinking skills
- Reinforce your understanding of how interconnected design elements are
- Sharpen your comprehension of the principles of floral design
Pick a container - whether it's an old reliable favourite, a tricky new shape, or something you've never worked with before - and join me. You'll create five floral designs of your choice, each one focusing on a different element of design. Work at your current level of experience and with techniques you know or want to explore.
We'll review each arrangement through the lens of various floral design principles, and I’ll guide you along the way with examples, suggestions, and live or recorded discussions.
For the examples pictured above, I used a spherical, glazed ceramic vase with a small mouth that I “rescued” from an Op Shop!
You can enrol now, with the first introductory session (live or recorded) accessible on 1 May, with the program running through to the end of July.
You can find more information via this link:
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Participating in a previous One Container Five Elements, a black and turquoise glass vase provided Kath Shaw (UK) with so much inspiration and so many creative possibilities that she responded with NINE exploratory designs. An amazing effort and great learning. |
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Thank you for reading our April thoughts. I hope to see you and your curious, creative mind online, in Brisbane or beyond. |
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