ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Spring isn’t only in the air; it’s also in the galleries at the Museum of Arts St. Pete.
This weekend only, a variety of floral designs will be on display in every room, bringing together nature and art in one place.
“This is our 27th year of doing Art In Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg. We collaborate with the Margaret Acheson Stuart Society to bring this to life every year, and it’s everyone from amateur floral designers to professional designers and everything in between,” said Chief Strategy Officer Darcy Schuller.
Each florist chooses a different work of art to inspire their design.
While many of the florists chose a painting to fuel their green thumb, Lucy Watkins looked to the ceiling.
“So the inspiration is the chandelier, so I did kind of a backward chandelier, a candelabra,” said Watkins.
She said it feels amazing to have her design alongside so many other talented florists.
“I only started this three years ago. I hadn’t been in floristry before that, so it kind of feels like you are doing something right. I feel a little vindicated. Yeah, I chose the right path,” said Watkins.
Then there’s Erica Holland, who saw the totem pole in the garden and immediately began trimming and pruning.
“I like to create the arrangement like in scale, so this has really wide wings, right? We want to replicate that in the wideness of the flower arrangement, like bringing in the points with the Birds of Paradise with the points on the bird and the eagle behind us as well,” said Holland.
The museum said Art In Bloom is one of the most popular weekends of the year for members and tourists alike.
“It makes you look at the artwork from a whole new perspective, a different viewpoint that maybe you haven’t seen before, and so it’s really fascinating to see someone else take on an artwork,” said Schuller.
“I always say flowers are just like a woman’s accessories, like earrings or a good diamond necklace. It helps bring everything together,” said designer Canaan Marshall.
You could call Marshall a blossoming celebrity in the floral world.
“So I went on a hit TV show called Full Bloom and I was top five on the show, so hey call it like you want to call it, I am a florist, I’m so happy to be here,” said Marshall who is visiting from Atlanta.
On Sunday, all of the florists will be in attendance to meet the public.
“So the artist will be here paired with their artwork, so you can come and talk and ask questions, you can learn about them, you can learn about flowers and their piece, so it's a really great way to come out and learn about people behind the flowers,” said Holland.
For those weekend warriors trying to grow their skills, you never know what tips you might hear.
“With tulips, I like to put vodka in the water. It makes them stand up, and it makes us fall down,” said Marshall.
For more information on Art In Bloom or the Museum of Fine Arts St. Pete, go here.
