The art of flower arranging
Trust me, florists are artists, and flower arranging is art
Ain’t that purdy / Vera Buhl
Hello friends. How about a little artsy flower action? I came up with the idea to write an article about the art of flower arranging on minimal hours of sleep (due to an overdose of Tim Hortons’ coffee), so let’s see how this goes.
I personally think the people who arrange flowers in those deeply artistic, bountiful bouquets are not only huge champs, but also artists.
When I set out to interview some local florists, nobody in Regina wanted to talk to me about flower arranging as an art. Perhaps they thought I was insane (which is likely) or perhaps they thought my questions would be too hard-hitting for their little flower brains to handle (which is also likely).
Nearly in tears, discouraged, and ready to throw some of my pottery mugs along with this article against my wall and watch them shatter into a zillion pieces, I decided to find a florist outside of the mean Queen City.
I finally reached a florist in Moosomin, SK who was more than willing to chat with me. Valerie Hodgson from West Wind Greenhouse & Florist agrees with my awesome mind that flower arranging is, in fact, an art.
Hodgson states, “Yes. I would say that it’s an art because you have to have in your mind what your finished product is going to be like.”
In other words, just like painters must have a vision in their mind of what they will paint for a certain client, florists must do the same. Plus, just like artists use different mediums such as charcoal, pastels, paint, or clay to create works of art, florists use various mediums, such as real and fake flowers to create bouquets.
“[We use] predominantly fresh flowers,” says Hodgson. “But we do do silk flowers as well.”
Boom. This lady knows what’s up. I mean, after 17 years in the floral industry, she better.
Ah, but a question arises. Did she start working at West Wind Greenhouse & Florist as part of a family business? Nope!
Hodgson states, “I bought it solely.”
There’s another characteristic of a true artist right there: putting yourself out there to do what you love despite the risk of potential catastrophic failure…or bankruptcy.
Thankfully for Hodgson and other florists out there, people, besides myself, love flowers.
“They’re absolutely wonderful, I would say, for people to receive and people to give,” says Hodgson. “It has a message that’s indescribable.”
Can I hear another BOOM?! Just like painters or sculptors set up galleries to share their work with other little human beings, so do florists. Florists create these brilliant bouquets – by matching colours, shapes, and textures – and sell them to clients who then share those flowers with people they love. In my opinion, art (floral arrangements included) is meant to be shared.
In fact, many of Hodgson’s clients have seen her crazy cool work so often that they trust her deeply when they place an order.
Hodgson states, “Over the years, people have just said, ‘You know what I like. You do what you want to do, because whatever you do, I’ll like.’”
Good rapport with her clients? Check! Having clients give you the freedom to do basically whatever you want gives Hodgson the opportunity to truly let her creativity shine.
And, just for fun, what’s Hodgson’s favourite flower arrangement to create?
“Hand ties. European Hand Ties,” says Hodgson.
Sweet. But, what on earth are European Hand Ties?
Well, according to HGTV, European Hand Ties are bouquets tied in the middle so that the stems angle outwards to create a base and the flowers spread out above the tie in a sick array of bouquet. That probably made no sense to you. Oh well.
Clearly, since florists share many of the same qualities as other artists, such as painters and sculptors, florists are artists, and flower arranging is an art. Don’t believe me? Whatever. Deal with it.
