Paris Tea, art on Etsy, 9" x 11"
Last Thursday I was invited to attend an evening class at FlowerSchool New York in Tudor City.
Meredith Waga-Perez of Belle Fleur was going to show us how to make Spring flower bouquets for special events.
I was stuck on a delayed train so Meredith kindly took apart her demo bouquet for me to work with. OH Meredith why did you do that?!
Meredith demonstrates how to design a bouquet in your hand.
First I take my flowers...
And separate them like ingredients in a recipe.
Designing a bouquet in your hand is quite a challange. Your brightest flower is the center. Then you circle outwards directionally, adding texture and variety. Can you feel me clutching these flowers for dear life? Meredith comes over, calmly removes it from my strangle-hold and expertly adjusts the flowers this way and that.
We use tiny transparent bands to discretely hold the flowers together.
This student took the intro flower course, something I'm seriously considering. I'd love to get over my fear-of-flowers and become serene like the rest of the class. Evidently floral design keeps you calm and balanced.
Look at her perfect bouquet! Heavenly no?
We're shown how to singe the bottoms of Poppies so they don't leak their toxins. And where to go on west 28th street for the best, freshest flowers. Be prepared to get up early (between 6 - 7 AM) and know what days of the week the flights from Holland arrive. Who knew?
There are stacks of gorgeous books to further your education.
I bought FlowerSchool director, Eileen Johnson's book, The Art Of Floral Arranging, because of all the step-be-step pictures and clear text. I must learn to handle more than 1-2 blooms!
Plus many top flower designers share their secrets like: Michael George, La Grenouille's Charles Masson, Remco Van Vliet of the Met, And dear, patient Meredith of course. They all teach Master classes at FlowerSchool too.
End of class we calmly and serenely toast our bouquets with bubbly and petit fours.Then we wrap them in special boxes so they arrive home in perfect form.
Mine are still in the refrigerator, looking as lovely as ever, since I spent the weekend in Austin. But be sure and remove ALL citrus! Flowers don't like lemons.
Is there anything better than pink flowers with green viburnum? I think not. Most days, not even chocolate can match it.
ReplyDeleteGreen Viburnum?
ReplyDeleteI do not know the names of my flowers :(
Gorgeous bouquets! I love the one in the white water jug!
ReplyDeleteThe Wanderfull Traveler
canadianculinarytravel.blogspot.com/
The flowers are beautiful, and so is your photography!
ReplyDeleteThe shop is a cute little place & I love the facial expressions of the students - everybody seems to be having such a good time.
Who knew you could make a living from this :)
In my next life I must live in NY!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the palette advice!
Such lush flowers you were working with!
ReplyDeleteBut how to figure out what goes with what?
That's why there is FlowerSchool I guess..
Loads of great information here!!
ReplyDeleteMust remember to keep my lemons out of the fridge when flowers are resting there.
Who knew?
The lemons won't be happy
MERCI!
I'm loving the 'design in your hand' method of building a bouquet.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered how these were constructed.
There is truly an art to all this but practise practise is the key!
ReplyDeleteI remember clutching some tulips so by the end of the lesson they were rather droopy.
It comes and now it is easy...love the colours. x
Loverly, simply loverly, Carol,
ReplyDeleteand beautiful painting!
After Christmas, I always go white. White primulas first, then white tulips, whenever I find them at the market. The sing of spring. Love the pictures with the flowers and the tools so neatly and yet so artistically arranged.
Great photography!
I love the watercolor - in this case, the lines add a very nice, and subtle, bit of searching calligraphy.
ReplyDeleteAnd charm, to this still-life.
LOVE that Peonie you painted!
ReplyDeleteTrès belle image!!
ReplyDeleteLove the delicate colours!
I certainly do agree with the other "Bill" out there, Carol.
ReplyDeleteSometimes one encounters something magical, beneath the surface of a wash, that shows the hand of the artist, searching.
Kinda like adding lemon zest to pancake batter;
YUMMY, like your painting.
What a lovely way to spend an evening! Never knew that about lightest flowers in the middle. Always been hopeless at flowers but this looks not that difficult. On top of it, we can become serene? Count me in. Love the last photo of the flowers in the fridge. :-)
ReplyDeleteNice flowers!!
ReplyDeleteDo you get to keep them and paint them?
xox
Pam
I love the way each flower looked like a palette ready to paint a bouquet! Gorgeous and I have ordered from Belle Fleur and her arrangements are gems!
ReplyDeletepve
Wow, these are lovely! Are those perhaps peonies I saw?
ReplyDeletewindeater.blogspot.com
I'm a new fan of yours - love your blog...it's charming & very French!
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled you joined in on the fun at The FlowerSchool...
It's such a wonderful time of the year to teach, the flowers are stunning this time of the year.
Speaking of...take those blooms out of the fridge & enjoy them...yes, they will hold better in cool air, but better to look at them on a coffee table, vs. when you're craving a snack :)
Enjoy!!
Very best,
Meredith
It's amazing how beautiful even pure white flowers can be.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI was in the the Meredith Waga-Perez's class at Flower School with you last Thursday. Yesterday when I checked out flowerschool's website, I just found that you are Paris Breakfast!!
ReplyDeleteOMG!!
I feel SOOOO regret that I didn't talk to you that day! I have been following your blog and drawing for over a year, and I loooove your drawing so much and I love macaron, love Laduree, I'm really your big fan
I'm planning to go to Le cordon bleu in paris to learn patisserie next year, and then open an patisserie shop back in my country. I hope I can invite you to do some drawing when I open the patisserie shop. Anyway I feel so happy to see you in person
Love your piece on bouquet school!
ReplyDeletePeter
Just remember when going to
ReplyDeletethe flowermarkets on West 28th street between Broadway and 6th avenue that they sell only wholesale which means you must have a NY resale tax number.
"Vlachos" flowers co. will tell you of their arrivals from Columbia SA and Holland.
That neighborhood is also known
as "Tin Pan Ally" where so much
American show music was written by
George Gershwin & Irving Berlin.
The William Morris talent agency
started there and the famous Jenny
Lynn performed on 28th street near
Broadway .
Enjoy your visit.