Finding Inspiration in Flower Art

A flower lover's journey usually starts at an early age. It did for me. I remember collecting wildflowers, or little weeds you may say, and bunching them into paper cup bouquets. Or merely finding excitement in blowing a dandelion’s seeds and watching them float away in the wind. In school, my favorite part of going to a dance was the jewelry of a wrist corsage. Even my fiancée presented my engagement ring to me in a stemmed rose box tucked into a bouquet. My wedding bouquet was made by my husband to be white roses and yellow centered daisies. My mother sewed pearlized painted silk daisies to the train of my wedding dress because we couldn’t find one with daisies. With the birth of each child came bundles of carnations, and eventually, painting flowers helped me recover from a concussion in 2016. Painting the nuances and turns of each petal brought life to the details inspiring me.

You see, capturing the beauty of blooms on canvas has always been what I was meant to do. I just didn’t know it. My camera roll teemed with grocery store flowers, and my sketchbook pages unfailingly brought me back to the comfort of blooms. As an artist, the influential works of Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflowers, irises, and cherry blossoms inspire me through the emotion and texture with each bright brushstroke. Georgia O’Keefe magnifies the beauty of nature that is already there begging us to slow down long enough to look at the details. “I paint flowers so they won’t die,” Freda Kahlo, echoes in my head. If only I could paint as fast as the flowers grow.

Floral artists and floral designers aren't too different from one another. Something tells me that each of us starts out the same - either with dirt or paint on our hands and with goals of making everlasting memorable moments; our lives speckled with blooms marking the timeline of our lives. Reaching out to one another should come easily because of this unique passion for flowers.

Floral designers and floral artists can start building a relationship using simple ways to connect - Instagram, Facebook, even Team Flower. Admiring one another's designs can bring inspiration, and we can bounce creative ideas off of each other. You can bring a unique perspective to design and composition by cultivating a style with a local artist unique for your floral business. Consulting an artist might bring a fresh sense of shape, color, design, or perspective to floral design. Likewise, floral designers can bring different unique flowers and blossoms to an artist that they might not have thought of painting.

How Floral Artists and Floral Designers can Support Each Other

Feature a floral artist or floral designer that inspires you on your website, Instagram or other social media
Create a floral art gallery area with original art, framed fine art prints, and stationery
Coordinate with an artist to do a live painting event at your shop possibly with music
Offer live painting at weddings and special events
Include mini canvas art in the arrangements
Work together to create one of a kind art canvas printed backdrops for events

Can floral designers and floral artists connect? We already are joined by the beauty we love. Can we inspire encouragement and create beauty together? Absolutely.

As I look back on my life, flowers are the markers to my most memorable moments all surrounded by love. Just this past month, my beloved father-in-law passed away. At the memorial, I stood there remembering his life and the impact it made on me as hundreds of flowers surrounded me. The heart-wrenching moment softened by the sights and smells that only the most precious blooms could do. Like a child or little seed so full of promise, throughout our lives we grow, blossom, share beauty, and joy floral artists, designers, and farmers alike. This is the journey that mirrors the celebration we call life and the new beginnings.