Bouquets to Art 2011 - Upper Galleries

Now that you've enjoyed the delectable foods served at the Bouquets to Art Opening Night Preview Party, please come upstairs to view the works of art as interpreted by prominent floral designers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

At the top of the stairs, you are greeted with a cascade of white dendrobium orchids spilling into a luscious pool of blooming delights designed by the florists of Blooming Floral Design. Their arrangement adds a third dimension to the diptych "The Niagara River at the Cataract".

Wendy Morck's crescent design cradles the portrait of Maria Maytilda Winkler perfectly.

Mykell Newton of Botanic Gifts contributed a design that lives up to his company's name. The smoky-colored mushroom valley is an inspired idea.

Ron Morgan's architectural interpretation of the Navajo necklace gets the award for Most Ingenious Use of Materials. Two wreath bases serve as great spines for the "necklaces". At first glance, the bold red bromeliad leaves appear to be the only plant material used. 

Closer observation, however, reveals other natural elements  like eucalyptus knobs, iris fruit pods, black beans, and bisected gourds.

I enjoyed stepping into the botanical shrine Charlotte's Blossoms built for Penelope.

Svenja Brotz's larger-than-life dance partner for Karen LaMonte's Dress 3 was my sister's favorite.

I like the arrangements that work with the paintings as well as on their own, like Lavender Floral's entry for the Richard Mayhew's Rhapsody...

... and Laurelle Hartley-Thom's depiction of Martin Johnson Heade's Singing Beach, Manchester...

... demonstrating beautiful pave technique and great choice of monochromatic florals.

The team at Michael Daigian Design also used the pave technique for their entry. They extended the scene in John Vanderlyn's painting Caius Marius amid the Ruins of Charthage, 1807, with a large stem of sandblasted grapewood...

...and a wardrobe of red roses, amaranth, and succulents.

I've admired Sandow Birk's Fog over San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California (2001) ever since the museum acquired it because I used to live nearby the cove in the foreground of the painting. I was impressed with Kim Haworth's subtle references to the prison with the stone-wall container, the striped fabric and bamboo bars. 

Florabella's design (top photo) reflects the lily-white skin and mane of red hair in George De Forest Brush's painting of A Celtic Huntress. The galax leaves formed the ideal fabric for the bodice and

the stalk of date palm fruit with a spritz of copper paint was the perfect choice for the red hair. I know many of you were wondering about that strange flower/fruit/creature. You are not alone; it stirred up quite a bit of conversation.  

Please stay tuned for more Bouquets to Art creations in the coming days.

Bouquets to Art 2011 - Opening Night Preview Party

While I'm editing the remaining photos of Bouquets to Art 2011, won't you take a few moments to enjoy the dazzling buffet brought to the De Young Museum by the talented crew of McCalls Catering for the Opening Night Preview Party?

Step into Wilsey Court and choose between the seafood or vegetarian paella, or a little of both.  

Make sure to leave enough room on your plate for a helping of  rack of spring lamb.

Of course, you must eat your vegetables. These are roasted to perfection. 

Chase it with oyster gazpacho shooters, or three or four, like I did. 

If you still have room, you can belly up to the carving station receive the world's friendliest service.

Now take a moment to admire the towering living sculpture created by Svenja Brotz of  Chestnut & Vine (top photo). This arresting design took center stage in the Piazzoni Murals Room. The epiphytic roots of the dainty yellow phaleonopsis look right at home in the nooks and crannies of the bleached grapewood. 

I know it's hard to ignore the buffet of desserts luring you. Will it be the strawberry cheesecake?

Or California berries in sabayone, with an optional dollop of whipped cream? Maybe with a meringue kiss?

Who could resist these profiteroles, either chocolate, vanilla, or coffee cream, served on a Tiffany blue plate? Go ahead grab the tongs and help yourself.

While you are digesting all this, I will be preparing the next few posts featuring the artistry of the Bay Area's best floral artists with their interpretations of the fine art inside the De Young Museum. 

Macro Monday: Bouquets to Art 2010, Part III

Now that we finished touring the Upper Galleries of the 2010 Bouquets to Artin the of the De Young Museum, please follow me downstairs to the Concourse Level to see the 20th Century Contemporary collection. Bouquets to Artis the San Francisco Fine Art Museum's biggest fundraiser where floral designers from the San Francisco Bay Area are annually invited to interpret the art in the permanent collection. The first couple of interpretations were decidedly literal but each adds a trans-formative element. For example, Heather Dunne and Mari Tischenko matched William T. Wiley's witty art when they replicated the blue palette and then created an unexpected explosion of splattered "paint" using Giant Onion (allium schubertii).  Read what the floral designers wrote here.

Gail Emmons of Orinda carefully, and literally, duplicated the black and white walking stick, Japanese wooden shoes, and wizard hat, but then added a wonderful dynamic element to her work by featuring the S-shaped Hala leaf to convey the bent figure in a more abstract way.

For a closer look of artwork, click here.

Even in all its complexity, Sue Morford's arrangement worked well with the simplicity of Edward Hopper's depiction of Main Street, USA in "Portrait of Orleans". Floral artist Sue Morford writes:

"When I found a photograph of the location depicted in the painting I was struck by the unchanging quality of the location 60 years after the date of the painting. Some of the details had changed (the name of the gas sstation, the addition of a second station, different building, etd.) but the character of the scene remains. The place has retained the same sense of a quiet crossroads on the to Someplace."

--Sue Morford, AIFD

See the photograph Morford referenced here and Hopper's painting here

The tall stature of the yellow heliconias provided a great line while their green stems and tinge of red aptly implied "traffic light". The black calla lilies were a great choice to complete the line of the rubber tire. The esso sign on this side of the arrangement was a nod to its faded past...

...whereas the Mobil sign on its reverse side depicted the present:

Read a wonderful blog post about the donor of this painting here.

The next room is normally only black and white...

...but during Bouquets to Art it was splashed with of understated color, like this green and white grouping by City College of San Francisco

The intricate pave design made effective use of the bright green button chrysanthemums that many in the business call "Kermit mums" but are officially called "Yoko Ono" chrysanthemum.

On the opposite wall was a stark study in texture that looked like plant life emerging after a volcanic explosion.

Or maybe this is what we would find if we flipped over the canvas of the original artwork.

In the adjacent rooms, we are greeted with more color. The urban painting of skateboarders was matched with the urban arrangement using what looks like concrete blocks.

Hats off to first-time exhibitor Marian LeBrun of SSavage Rose Florals for her beautifully-balanced entry.

Pico Soriano's entry lampshade of yellow Billy Balls (craspedia) is filled with whimsy and sparkle

Continuing the whimsical theme are these bathing beauties frolicking in a swirl of Contorted Filbert branches (Harry Lauder Walking Stick -corylus avellana)...

.. in contrast to the abstract interpretation of this bathing beauty.

Speaking of abstracts, the Orinda Garden Club's creation, by Diana R. Kennedy and Phoebe Kahl, is geometric bliss.

Mrs. Lurline R. Coonan's perfectly-matched tropical arrangement of proteas and birds of paradise straddles beautifully between these two paintings.

Richard Diebenkorn's "Seawall" (1957) is a favorite amongst the Bouquets to Art designers. Pomegranate's idea to use materials found at the seawall was great.

The last rooms we will visit today feature fine art photographs. Ron Morgan's designs never disappoint. His turban of ti leaves, flax leaves and dark purple mini calla lilies was a work of art.

Alena Jean's sunflowers brought bright sunshine to the poignant portraits they accompany.

Svenja Brotz of Chestnut and Vine Floral Design in Berkeley created an artful urban garden in this sepia setting. 

Next time, the lobby arrangements.

For more Macro Mondays, visit Lisa at Lisa's Chaos.