We are having another bright, sunny Friday afternoon here in southern New England. NOT! It has been raining since 8 a.m. But who is paying attention? Not me.
Instead, I am focusing on flowers. The spring blooms have been so beautiful this year, haven't they?
Recently, I was fortunate enough to participate in a benefit at a local museum, The Eli Whitney Museum. The theme of the benefit was Leonardo in Bloom. Here was The Challenge:
The bloom is the fullest expression of a flower's creativity.
Let a flower seed your creativity.
As if to forestall the brutal mechanics of Darwin's science, the early Victorians
codified the language of flowers in elaborate dictionaries: a fixed meaning and
code for each bloom. We've all but forgotten those.
We still need to stop and surrender to the beauty and mystery of flowers. Pick a
flower from your memory, your imagination, or from a random walk. Evolve a
flower in paper, steel, glass, or any improbable medium. Arrange a flower in an
unexpected bouquet or myth. Plant a flower in a fresh and unfamiliar garden.
Let your flower beckon - Notice Me!
Using these thoughts as a framework, I spent time thinking about how I could create flowers that were fun, whimsical, creative, and unusual. The result? Giant Pom Pom flowers (also known as Alliums) in my signature material - upcycled plastic bags.
For the stems of the flowers, I used twigs that I picked up from the backyard. I made the vase for the flowers using chicken wire.
On the night of the benefit, it was so much fun watching people look at my flowers and discover their true nature (e.g. "What the heck are these flowers made of?!").
It was also fabulous to see what other artists envisioned the flower to be. In total, there were over 100 different renderings - paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry, clothing - you name it, it was there.
To flowering imaginations everywhere,
Marsha
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