Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman
Aerial Odyssey
- 18 March 2020
- click to send Christine a smile
- and more
I was invited to stage a design at this year's Canada Blooms Flower Show as an International Competitor to represent Canada.
Our design theme was: Aerial Odyssey and my design is a snap shot of that time when some plants went on a great adventure/journey through space. You see, I was wondering... how would plants go on a flying adventure (an Aerial Odyssey) ... and I realized they already are... and so are we!
So... for my Aerial Odyssey design I crafted an overgrown, lush green planet floating (ok, floating in a... balanced on clear acrylic legs with grass swirling all around to look like it's floating... kind of way) in a blue sky ('cause see the background)
And of course every planet needs an ecosystem. For the inside of the planet I carefully constructed a habitat: Twirling grasses and lush blue Vanda Orchids flourish around a clear water pool while being hydrated by a single splash of water every 3 seconds from high enough so that it splashes on to the plant material- because the higher the drop, drops the bigger the splash!
This single drop of water is pumped (yes, I made a tiny battery operated pump fitted to the back of the design... you will see it better in the video) so that the water makes it's journey from inside the pool...
... see the clear pipe in the glass container? Just a little up to the left...
... it is installed all the way around up the grass armature...
... see the blue light, there where it points right into where it drops? to drop and roll down a single blade of grass...
... and splash back down into the pool.
... not unlike evaporation, falling down as rain on our own floating planet where we are having our Aerial Odyssey on!
Thank you to Canada Blooms, The Garden Club of Toronto and The Toronto Flower Show and for inviting me to design.
NOTE: We were about 7 (of 10) hours into staging the designs at the show when the health assessment went from Low Risk to first Closed For Public Viewing and a few hours later Cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter
Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.
Tutorials
Most leaves and foliage can be slightly manipulated to curve or curl.
For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in...
My block design is shaped around a Styrofoam block. It is bulky but lightweight and a great way to reuse packaging.
When weaving a more labour intensive design you might want to/have to break for a few hours. This is the best way to keep the project from dying out too quickly.
Cut the Phalaenopsis orchid with a bit of green stem attached. This will make them last longer.
A bit of a planned-messy woven basket that is sturdy enough to carry small items.
Keep all the fresh flower material hydrated in water by weaving the stems from one side of the vase to the other.
Give your woven grass a water source by designing the basket in a vase rather than placing the vase in a basket
Use the "over and under" weaving pattern to weave a round, upright hat with a flat top and no brim.
Weave a basket from lily grass and then cut and curl the edges
Related Designs
Hide an egg inside a interwoven nest for a dainty Easter decoration design.
... take a moment of reflection as we celebrate 5 years! Happy 5th birthday to my book: The Effortless Floral Craftsman
This week I am so excited to share my article and design that was published in the recent issue of the Floral Art Society of New Zealand's Academy Magazine for NZ qualified...
My article and grass wedding basket design.
A creative way to keep foliage hydrated for a cool, water filled summer design.
A light and airy (no floral foam but still long lasting) floral design for those days that you are really, really looking for signs of Spring.
Weave a basket with dangling edges for a single orchid display
After a long winter it is always fun to use the first spring bulb flowers!
A closer look at my design at the 20th anniversary of Canada Blooms and The Toronto Flower Show