The floral design program at Bucks County Community College staged an impressive flower show that welcomed the thoughts of spring with myriads of beautiful flowers and cutting-edge designs.
An archway of primary colors gave viewers a welcoming walk through a floral wonderland. It was like a trip through the color wheel with each color getting its chance to be a star.
Design classes were described on cards for each category and designers had their own cards to state their intents.
The “Armature Design Class” was the first that I saw when entering the show and I was awed by the creativity and technical skill of the entrants. The armature is a structure, either natural or person-made, created to support and enhance fresh floral material.
This stunning piece used a variety of wool extenders (ala Hitomi Gilliam) in the Pantone’s color of the year. “Very Peri” uses a curvilinear design in a goose neck lamp to covered with intricate woven patterns to hold flowers and foliage.
“Curves of the Meadow” made with wood tape was inspired by the harmony of nature and the symbiosis of trees and flowers in nature.
A third armature in the class was a birch log base with interlacing slender white sticks to hold tubes and graceful flowers. The tubes are neatly wrapped for graceful interplay.
There is lots to be learned by both the competitor and the viewer. Two class titles sound similar but are quite different in their execution Mono botanic is a design using only one variety of flowers. Mono- chromatic is a design with only tints and tones of the same hue on the color wheel.
This mono botanic is a design uses orchids in a moss coverer pot.
A mono-chromatic design used baby’s breath painted blue and delphinium blossoms in a hanging design.
“Foraged” was an innovative title for a class and these two stunning designs gave us the feeling of a walk through the woods.
Two very different entries filled the “Hand-tied Bouquet” class. Pale roses for a wedding bouquet and bright feathers for Mardi Gras showed the diverse creativity of these talented students.
Always a favorite for me in a flower show are classes that interprets art. Art students from Bucks County CC created silk screens and floral design students created beautiful complementary designs.
Achromatic symmetry inspired a strong radial design while the vertical repeating pattern is interpreted with a serpentine garland studded with a few pale roses.
Two beautiful multicolored designs interpret colorful paintings.
I could go on and on with more photos and more glowing comments. The event was a delightful break from the dreary winter and showcased the talent and enthusiasm of the Bucks County CC students. Many thanks Ron Mulray and Renee Tucci for organizing the show and inspiring and educating the student designers. A job well done for sure.
Ron and Renee (on the left) breathe a sigh of relief while students beam with the news of their award- winning designs. I look forward to more shows from this dedicated and talented group.
