Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tracy Wins Two Awards at 2011 AIFD Student Competition


IMG_5382 floral napkin design by Tracy Lou

Congratulations to the ultra-talented Tracy Lou, representing College of San Mateo, for winning not one, but two awards in the 2011 AIFD Student Design Competition.

Competing is a nerve-wracking experience. Each student is given materials they have not seen before they enter the venue. After a few minutes of planning and sketching, they are given approximately an hour to complete their design. They are judged on the strength of the design, the use of materials, and their workmanship.

In the Napkin Decor Design category, "the competitors are asked to make two identical napkin decorations with fresh floral/foliage accenting. Duplication accuracy is a part of the point structure for just this category"*. Tracy placed second with her napkin design featuring an intricate use of bear grass and deco wire:

IMG_5381 napkin design by Tracy Lou

...and third in Sweetheart Table Design:

IMG_5389 Tracy Lou sweetheart table design

College of San Mateo's capable coach was Wendy Pine AIFD, who won the top prize when she competed in the student competition. 

Tracy did not win in the bouquet category, but I thought her entry was impressive. I loved the beautiful lines she created by wiring the equisetum and how the tiny spray roses sheltered by the ti leaf invited closer inspection:

IMG_5394 Tracy Lou bouquet and napkin designs

Other College of San  Mateo students turned in beautiful designs.

IMG_5402 Shannon student competition designs

I thought Shannon's napkin design was beautifully balanced and airy:

IMG_5403 Shannon napkin ring design

Victor's dynamic, asymmetric bouquet was my favorite of his four entries:

IMG_5404 Victor student competition

...and I loved the dramatic lines in Kim's tall buffet design in monochromatic green:

IMG_5415 Kim student competition

There were other wonderful CSM student entries, but I regret that those photos did not turn out. 

Over fifty students competed and fifteen awards were given this year. See all results here.
_________________
*Competition guidelines here

17 comments:

Lisa Gordon said...

Oh my goodness, these are just beautiful!
What amazing talent!

Relyn Lawson said...

Gorgeous - so beautiful.

Kala said...

Beautiful displays. So many talented young artists!

Chesney said...

Oh wow, she is very talented...wish I had this kind of talent...very cool designs!

Ruth said...

I love how the forms of each element are allowed to stand out, simply. It's not easy to create unique designs! And these are wonderful.

Marja said...

How talented these people are Just amazing to see all this beauty

Marilyn Miller said...

Thanks for sharing these beautiful designs. I always love seeing the flower arrangements you share. BTW, I was in Seattle recently and saw a display of glass pumpkins - I thought of you and took a few pictures, which I will share soon.

rochambeau said...

Very interesting!! Was pink and green a color criteria? Like all the use of bamboo. Yes, Victor has a great aesthetic!!


ps
When we lived in Burlingame, it was across the street from San Mateo. I love that part of California. Have you ever been in Morning Glory in Burlingame?

Reader Wil said...

These people are extremely talented! Their entries are a joy to look at. Thanks for sharing.

Ginnie Hart said...

It really blows my mind that after all these years and flowers, there are still so many new ways of looking at and doing design. WOW!

Dutchbaby said...

Dear lisa,
I think these entries are a tribute to the strength of the floristry program at the College of San Mateo and what a great teacher Wendy is.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Relyn, Kala, and Chesney,
Thank you for leaving your praise here. I know it makes all the students proud.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Ruth,
You are right it is difficult to come up with a new design. I credit Wendy who coached her students to come up with designs that are uniquely theirs.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Marilyn,
You're welcome! I would love to see the glass pumpkins from your neck of the woods.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Constance,
That is an excellent question. All students are given the same flowers and this year they only provided pink and green materials. This generated a bit of a buzz because it means that the participants can not be judged by their use of color. Since color is a critical design element, I feel this is a huge omission.

The bamboo you mention is actually a water plant called equisetum. It is segmented like bamboo, so I can see how you could mistake it.

Dutchbaby said...

Best Reader Wil,
Ik ben blij dat je van dit hebt genoten.

Dutchbaby said...

Dear Ginnie,
Indeed! And the Dutch are on the leading edge of creating new designs every day.

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