Monday, April 4, 2011

Macro Monday - Bouquets to Art 2011

DSC05664 Fleur de Vie - Market woman

As I mentioned in my previous posts about Bouquets to Art at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, this year's exhibition one of my favorites. One reason is that several floral artists have selected works of art that I don't recall being chosen before.

I have always adored this pair of small paintings by Thomas Waterman Wood and was delighted that Market Woman was tapped.

DSC05769 Market Woman


Fleur de Vie floral designer Talin Tascian created a spectacular floral twin using the king protea's petals for her shawl and its silver flower heads in her shopping basket. Her apron was composed of woven flax (hala) leaves and her skirt black ti leaves. 

DSC05666 Market Woman detail - Fleur de Vie

***
I have walked by this beautiful fireplace mantel countless times and never noticed that the legs were carved dogs, until Grace Street Floral  made it patently obvious.

DSC05667 Rhonda Stoffel

I imagine that Rhonda Stoffel had a blast choosing the materials for this whimsical sculpture. Rust hypericum berries (St. John's Wort), white tallow berries, and succulents were great choices for the face. I will never look at the under side of a magnolia leaf again without thinking that it looks just like the velvety ear of a dog. In fact, I believe I will be hounded by this image. 


DSC05668 Rhonda Stoffel

Update - Rhonda Stoffel wrote me and shared this:
Yes he WAS super fun to make — I’ve been wanting to do something with those crazy-amazing dogs for AGES and was excited to finally have the opportunity to do so ( as usually the person who chooses that piece highlights something with the TOP part of the mantel - with more of the deer motif) — The dogs finally got their proper 15 minutes of fame!
***
The initial inspiration for David Regan's Cod Tureen dates all the way back to biblical times in the Gospel of James where the metaphor of big fish eating little fish was used to illustrate the rich exploiting the poor*. In the mid-sixteenth century, Pieter Breugel the Elder depicted this story in a painting. Pieter van der Heyden, in turn, created the companion engraving in 1557. David Regan formed the ceramic version in 1997.

DSC05806 David Regan - Cod Tureen

Thierry Chantrel of La Follia created the most recent incarnation...

DSC05692 La Follia - cod tureen

...nearly 400 years after tulip mania and using the marine currency of sand dollars .

DSC05803 Thierry Chantrel - sand dollars

***

Though it is refreshing to see new works of art interpreted, it is still exciting to visit the perennial favorites. Some of you may recall the 2009 interpretation of James Bard's The Steamship Syracuse. This year, College of San Mateo's C. Diana Vigil and floristry students did an admirable job echoing the Mississippi steamboat with blue delphiniums, white roses, and phaleonopsis orchids.

DSC05773 College of San Mateo


In 2009, the window of Job Lots Cheap was the emphasis. This year, this trompe l'oeil was enhanced by Nancy Liu Chin's literary contribution:

DSC05690 Nancy Liu Chin - Job Lot Cheap

Sunshine Flowers and Event Design literally weighs the question: "Why compare apples and oranges?" on a vintage scale...

DSC05797 apples and oranges

... in response to William Rickarby Miller's Still Life -- Study of Apples, 1862 and William Joseph McCloskey's Oranges in Tissue Paper, ca. 1890.

DSC05799 apples and oranges cropped


I hope that Marisse Newell's fantastic interpretation of Winter Festival conjures up images from the distant past for you...

DSC05711 Marisse Newell - Winter's Festival

DSC05816 Marisse Newell - Winter's Festival

...and that instead, you are looking out your window to newly sprung blossoms, like these arranged by Ikebana International.

DSC05830 Ikebana International - Bay Area

Paradise Flowers' amaryllis blossoms are a great red-headed representation for Robert Henri's "The Lady in Black with Spanish Scarf", 1910.

DSC05712 Paradise Flowers - Lady in Black with Spanish Scarf


Emil Yanos thought out of the box when he complemented The Blue Veil with a striking abstract sculpture.

DSC05822 Emil Yanos - Blue Veil


See more Macro Monday images here and stay tuned for more stunning images from the 2011 Bouquets to Art in upcoming posts.
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* Source: Wiki and The Met
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33 comments:

Laura said...

Magnificent floral sculptures!!!

EG CameraGirl said...

Oh my goodness! These are exquisite!

Kala said...

Those floral arrangements are outstanding. Happy Macro Monday!

Reader Wil said...

I like those flower arrangments very much! They remind me of the flower parade in Aalsmeer. Perhaps you remember the "Bloemencorso" in Aalsmeer when you were still living in the Netherlands. Thanks for sharing those beautiful pieces of art!

Martha Z said...

What a fantastic exhibit and you did a great job of showing it. Thank You.
I'm glad you enjoyed my "Around California" blog.

Jeannette StG said...

Incredible art -love it when several branches of art some together! Impossible to make a choice -they are all so different in their own way. Interesting story about the big fish eating the little fish:)
Thanks for sharing -this is a real treat!

California Girl said...

Unbelievable.

MarieElizabeth said...

Stunning work, what a neat collection.

Chesney said...

I have said it before and i will say it again...I am so jealous of your day...a combination of art and floral arrangements - 2 of my favorites! I love how they mixed the right arrangements for the piece of art...stunning displays, stunning images!

Maude Lynn said...

These are amazing!

Margaret said...

My jaw hit my desk! I LOVE the dog and the dress in the post below is breathtaking. How FUN is this event? I have go show my daughter (an artist) as she will love it too. The photos you admired on my blog were not from my yard (sigh) but a public bog garden I found recently. I plan on snapping away all year and capture the seasons and wildlife. Can't wait for the babies to hatch.

Lisa Gordon said...

Beautiful photographs, and I just love those paintings!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Marilyn Miller said...

Each person that created these beautiful arrangements is a true artist. They are each amazing, beautiful, and just plain gorgeous! Lucky you for getting to see them live and in person.

dona said...

The dog by Grace Street Floral reminds me Arcimboldo's paintings! See here.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear LauraX,
Thank you for your visit and welcome to Dutchbaby!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear EG Wow,
I'm happy to share these with you. Welcome to Dutchbaby!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Kala,
Happy belated Macro Monday to you too, Kala. Sorry my response was so late in coming; I've been traveling.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Reader Wil,
Yes, we used to line up to watch the "bloemencorso" in Amsterdam. I also remember going to the flower auction in Aalsmeer with my husband and young daughter about 15 years ago.

My best friend's name when I was in "lagere school" in Amsterdam was Wil also. Welcome to Dutchbaby!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Martha Z,
Thank you for coming along to this exhibit and for your kind words. Yes, I enjoy your blog and how you show off our beautiful state.

Welcome to Dutchbaby!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear jeannette,
I agree, it is a great fusion of arts and it is impossible to choose a favorite.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear California Girl,
Believe it!

Ginnie Hart said...

It really is an exhibition unparalleled, DB. It still awes me everything I see it here on your site.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear MarieElizabeth,
Indeed they are. Welcome to Dutchbaby!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Chesney,
I consider myself to be very lucky!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear MamaZen,
These are all made from the heart. Welcome to Dutchbaby!

Relyn Lawson said...

Sloane had an absolute fit over the dog, but I loved the winter scene.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Margaret,
Hope you didn't hurt yourself :-)

Every year there seem to be more and more of the floral sculptures. I like how they add a bit of whimsy to the show.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Lisa,
Thanks! I hope you have a great weekend too, even though it is now a whole new weekend.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Marilyn,
Yes, I am lucky but so are you. I think you will be delighted at the tropical flowers you will see in Thailand and Taiwan. Bon Voyage!

Dutchbaby said...

Cara dona,
So true! Exactly in the same spirit!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Relyn,
The dog was definitely a crowd-pleaser, especially with the young kids.

I'm adding a close-up photo of Winter Festival for you. :-)

madretz said...

Beautiful macro shots of this exhibit!

This was the 1st time I've gone to Bouquets to Art, but will certainly be going every year. One of the best exhibits I've ever seen.

I see I missed a lot of beautiful pieces. It's so hard to see them all.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear madretz,
Thank you! The first time to Bouquets is always the best. Yes, it takes endurance to see all 150 pieces; I missed a few also.

Welcome to Dutchbaby!

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