Floral inspiration

These climbers are just screaming out to be turned into a gorgeous invitation suite. Can anyone help me identify what kind of flower this is?

Art in Bloom

Monday I went to my favorite annual exhibition at the MFA, Art in Bloom. Over 70 professional florists and garden clubs create decorative and sculptural floral arrangements inspired by works of art throughout the museum. The flowers are displayed side by side with the art for one weekend only. It's a fabulous way to get a taste of the entire collection by spending a few minutes in each room focusing on one work of art in a whole new context. Plus it's a fun scavenger hunt to try and find them all.

The inspiration art ranges from the very contemporary to ancient Egyptian, furniture design to classical portraits. I find it exceptional to see both literal and liberal translations of the works into flowers.

On the last evening the doors are open to the public and the museum hosts various musicians to play in different courtyards throughout the museum.

No flowers in that one, I just love how very meta it is to have those particular paintings hanging in that particular gallery.

 

Sadie said this one looked like Candyland.

And taking a breather - it's a lot of museum to cover in one night!

Color inspiration

The Chihuly exhibit at the MFA is incredible, and photos just don't do it justice. I was simply awestruck by the power and intensity of the colors and movement in the installations.

Then I come home from the office to this sight in my neighbor's garden - the whole front yard is abloom with tulips and daffodils and bluebells and hyacinth. The way the golden end of day sun catches the flowers and creates gorgeous layers and transparencies was just as inspirational.

I'm not generally one for quite this sort of vibrant color and intensity in my own designs, but I'm feeling a little inspired and adventurous. How do you capture a glowing tulip on paper?

2011 letterpress wall calendar

For sale on Etsy, and coming soon to a craft fair near you! They will start shipping after the Thanksgiving holiday. Gobble, gobble, everyone!

All of the inspiration was drawn (literally) from flowers in our neighborhood gardens. I've been meaning to do something with dozens of inspiration images for ages and finally figured out what! Much to the chagrin of my studio staff, as I redesigned the entire calendar only three weeks ago.

A detail of some birches.

When the year is up, cut off the month blocks for some frame-able prints or postcards!

Each calendar is drilled and bound with Angela's gorgeous Italian cotton ribbon, but you can try an alternate display as above. Every ink color was mixed with either silver or gold for a rich, dense coverage and extra shine. But just for that extra oomph, many of them were run through the press twice - over 9,000 cranks of the press all told.

Get yours before they're gone!

A night at the museum

Yesterday evening the MFA opened their doors to the public (free!) for the end of Art in Bloom. Fifty florists and garden clubs from the area donated spectacular arrangements inspired by the works of art throughout the museum and shown alongside their muse. To accompany it all were live musical performances: a children's gospel choir in the main rotunda, Spanish guitar and song in the European furniture room, a string quartet near the cafe, and many more.

It was exciting to look anew at the art and artifacts through the lens of another artist's interpretation; are they imitating color, texture, materials, or do the shape of the flower blooms themselves somehow speak to the lines or meaning in the art? Many of the arrangements were incredibly sculptural with single orchid blooms seeming to grow out of thin air (kept alive by tiny hidden "oases" filled with water), or the one above, incorporating plates and painted curly willows (inspired by the Karen Walker decals behind).

Some arrangements were incredibly literal, like this Metzinger above.

It was a studio and family field trip, and with little Sadie in tow we couldn't linger too long in any one place. We did, however, make a fine game of finding all the little "Albertines" in the Egyptian wing:

What a refreshing and inspiring break from all of the madness of business and life.

Thar she blows

Some fun new dandelion invitations we've just finished.