Bouquets to Art 2016

What a nice treat for myself!  I took a day off and visited my favorite floral design show, Bouquets to Art at de Young Museum in San Francisco.  It is the seventh year for me but the exhibition has been around for 32 years.  These are my favorite choices among hundreds of entries.

 

#1
Designed by Sharla Flock, Flock Designs (San Francisco)
Complimentary art:  Martin Johnson Heade, Singing Beach (1863)

Small tulips and ranunculus are delicately arranged on the rectangular box.  Pussy willows mimic the shape of the art frames behind.

 

#2
Designed by Holly Money-Collins, City College of San Francisco
Complimentary art:  Granville Redmond, The Mowers (1907)

The old mauve color calla lilies are elegantly intertwined.

 

#3
Designed by Rachel Johnson and Ulrike Kotak, Renka Design (San Francisco)
Complimentary art:  Manierre Dawson, Venus (1911)

Parrot tulips and allium are surrounded by Vietnamese palm sticks that are dyed in red. 

 

#4
Oops.  Forgot to note the designer.

Calla lilies and ranunculus have good contrast with the dark pedestal.

 

#5
Designed by Andi Mallincrodt and Kris Forbes, Pomegranate (Woodside)
Complimentary art:  Albert Bloch, Nacht 1 (1913)

Orange to red gradient color is in harmony.

 

#6
Designed by Emil Yanos, Emil Yanos Design (Napa)
Complimentary art:  Melvyn Firmager, Seaflower Vessel MF-2-23-C (1997)

 The succulents and the seashell shaped object create the underwater looks.

 

#7
Designed by Debbie Hitchcok, Lovely Garden (Kenwood)
Complimentary art:  William Keith, A Broadside of Mount Tamalpais (1870)

 The chickens and the wagon give rustic farm feel.

 

---

I saw the demonstration by Annette Kunz, my favorite floral designer.  Her topic was “Vase or no vase,” and she incorporated a lot of natural materials intro her arrangements.  Here are some of her amazing work.

Square-cut cardboard pieces are assembled like a twister and decorated with Gloriosa lilies.  Wrapping the glass tubes with jute twine is a nice organic touch.

 

 

The plants look as if they were growing out of the old hollow wood piece.   Glass tubes are carefully secured between the cracks.  The copper-color calla lilies, tulips and ranunculus are beautifully contrasted with the rustic wood and moss.

 

 

Annette introduces biodegradable dry floral foam developed by Ecovative.  It’s made from mycelium (mushroom roots) and agricultural waste. You can’t soak water like Oasis, but this is an alternative natural plant support material for sticking wires.  The glass bottles are hidden by washi (Japanese paper) as if the delicate flowers were floating in the cloud.