Art in Bloom 2012

Last week was the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield’s Annual Art in Bloom display at the Lynnfield Library. Seasoned artists from the Lynnfield Art Guild along with talented students from the Lynnfield Middle and High Schools were asked to submit their works of art to be interpreted with flowers. 

“Soaring Colors” by Alison Council

I fell in love with this collage by Lynnfield High School student, Alison Council. First, the typography combined with hand written words of inspiration really appealed to me. Second, the bird image is made up of little bits of ripped magazine pages. You know how much I love magazines! The composition of the piece impressed me and I admire its confident message.

Arrangement by Yvonne Blacker

“Soaring Colors” by Alison Council

For my arrangement, I chose mini carnations which look like crinkled pieces of paper. I found these really neat floral accessories that looked very Dr. Suess-like (the tall curled brown branches remind me of Alison’s poetic script, bright pink orbs repeat the pink of the bird, and the fragile white pods resemble eggs). I supported the flowers with a nest of feathers tucked into the tall, vintage silver vase. In order to incorporate some blue into my interpretation, I twisted a pale blue silk ribbon around the vase as one might wrap a hand-held bouquet. This arrangement was all about the container, the scale, and finding inspiration in whimsy. 

It was such a pleasure to meet the artist, Alison, on opening night. Her parents were also there, and I could tell they are very proud of her! The audience was quite lively being composed of students, their families, and those of us who have been at this Art in Bloom thing for awhile : ) I think it was one of my favorite shows because it really captured the spirit of community. 

“Life, The Universe and Everything” 

Artist Gabriel Fadel, Lynnfield High School

Arrangement by Ann Encarnacao

“Eiffel Tower” by Britt Daw, Lynnfield Art Guild

Arrangement by Laura Thomson

“Spring Blooms” by Ashley Bass

Arrangement by Chris Barbosa of Northeast Nursery

Lynnfield Middle School student Ashley Bass

discusses what inspired her painting.

“Pastorale” by Beth Aaronson, Lynnfield Art Guild

Arrangement by Bootie Stevens

“Twilight Garden” by Juhi Saxena, Lynnfield Middle School 

Arrangement by Karen Hathaway and Betsy Foley

“Happy Pandas” by Marina Maylor, Lynnfield High School 

Arrangement by Mary Schwartz

“Live Free” by Mackenzie Comeau, Lynnfield High School 

Arrangement by Paula McKeever and Debbie Caniff

“Jetty” by Britt Daw, Lynnfield Art Guild 

Arrangement by Jan Lisacki and Karen Hathaway

“Candle Light” by Shaila Desai, Lynnfield Art Guild 

Arrangement by Micki Trigilio

“Henna Design” Samantha Shapleigh, Lynnfield HS 

Arrangement by Judy Barry, Floral Designer

Judy shared a neat professional trick with us ... she created her arrangement in a shallow dish that she then balanced on top of the tall floor vase.

“Window Reflections on Rue De May”

Artist Ruth Mowder, Lynnfield Art Guild

Arrangement by Greg O’Brien of Gregory’s

Flower Shop and Garden Center in Wakefield

“Cat Tail” Connor Reardon, Lynnfield Middle School

Arrangement by Nadine Richie

“Sedona” by Gail Rober, Lynnfield Art Guild

Arrangement by Lisa Green, AIFD

Eric’s Flower Emporium, Reading

“After the Storm” Joanne M Graham-Troy, Lynnfield Art Guild

Arrangement by Darlene Donnelly, Heritage Flowers, Lakeville

Club members Micki, Wendy, Laura, Betsy, Karen, Joan, Ann

Thank you for stopping by to visit our arrangements.

We hope you enjoyed the show!

The Village Garden Club of Lynnfield

Art in Bloom 2011: part 2

Last week I gave you a peek into the Art in Bloom exhibit being displayed at the Lynnfield Library. Here are all of the submissions from the Lynnfield Art Guild paired with floral arrangements courtesy of The Village Garden Club of Lynnfield. The show was hosted by the Library for an entire week, and visitors enjoyed a burst of spring along with some beautiful works of art.

“Covered Bridge” by Carol MacKendrick
Arrangement by Laura Thomson

“Autumn Reflections” by Dr. Frank Columbo
Arrangement by Tracy Drislane

“Leaf in the Dew” by Sarah Inglese
Arrangement by Maura Quinn

“Just Peachy” by Catherine Green
Arrangement by Mary Schwartz & Micki Trigilio

“Yellow House & Barn” by Marilyn Dresch
Arrangement by Wendy Keefe & Katerina Georges

“Surf’s Up” by Pauline Bacon
Arrangement by Ann Encarnacao & Yvonne Blacker

“Into the Wave” by Andrea Dalton
Arrangement by Jean Dalton

“Pillings Pond” by Kendall Inglese
Arrangement by Bootie Stevens

“Autumn Sunset” by Dotty Whittier
Arrangement by Karen Hathaway & Jan Lisacki

“Gloucester Coast” by Lorraine O’Brien
Arrangement by Greg O’Brien of Gregory’s

“Peaceful Glade” by Rita Carrabba
Arrangement by Northeast Nursery

Thank you to our artists and floral arrangers for sharing their talents! If you would like to be on the list to submit artwork for next year’s show, contact the Lynnfield Art Guild.

Lynnfield Art in Bloom 2011

Arrangement donated by
Gregory’s of Wakefield

It is that time of year again! The annual Art in Bloom collaboration between the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield and the Lynnfield Art Guild is now on display at the Lynnfield Library.

Stop by and check out almost a dozen creative floral interpretations of fine art pieces (watercolors, oils, photography, etc.) now through Friday, April 15th during regular library hours.

“Surf’s Up” by Pauline Bacon
arrangements by Ann Encarnacao
and Yvonne Blacker

This year, my mom (who is also in the garden club) and I thought it would be fun to work together as a team. I may have mentioned to the group that she was a little bossy ; ) but truthfully, we both think a bit outside the box – which is why I admire her – so it was just a matter of combining our separate creative impulses to come up with an end result that looked like both of our styles. We had a fun day shopping the flower markets together and we are both pretty happy with how everything turned out.




What our individual design styles have in common is resourcefulness. Sand and shells from visits to the beach, inventory from design shows, twigs from past arrangements, and even fabric from an evening gown were all woven into our display.




We chose the painting of one of our favorite artists, Pauline Bacon, who we both have interpreted solo in previous shows. My mom and I both responded to the colors and movement in the painting above, plus my mother really loves the ocean so it was a perfect match. The artist, Pauline, spoke about her work at opening night. We were surprised to discover that she is not a big fan of the water. In fact, it scares her. Looking at her painting, one feels the strong surge of the surf and can easily imagine being engulfed in the foamy waves.

There were other mothers & daughters at our event ...

This time, the artist (Andrea Dalton) is the daughter, and the mom (Jean Dalton) is the flower arranger! Jean actually had these flowers dyed blue to match the vivid color in her daughters paintings (stop in to the library to view the other two paintings that are included in this series titled “Into the Wave”).


Photographers were also well represented in this years show ...



Above we see an image captured by Sarah Inglese titled “Leaf in the Dew.” Maura Quinn of the Village Garden Club chose a large scaled “Swiss cheese plant” adorned with droplets of yellow freesia (which were inserted into the holes of the leaf) to represent the dew on the fallen leaf. Palm fronds in the water represent the blades of grass in the photo.

Click here to learn more about Sarah Inglese

This final sneak peek shows the work of Village Garden Club President Bootie Stevens with another photograph, this time by Kendall Inglese (mom of photographer Sarah above!) This beautiful photo was taken sometime during the not-too-long-ago snow-filled winter, which looks picturesque now that the warm air of spring has returned.

I will show more pictures from this event after the week is over. If you live close by, pop in and enjoy a tour of our local version of “Art in Bloom!”

Art is blooming ...

“Utthita Hasta Padangustasana” by Mary Taggart
Arrangement by Yvonne Blacker

From Sanskrit, the name of this painting translates to something along the lines of “one holds big toe!” I chose to use a large branch from a Rhododendron bush as the foundation for my arrangement to represent the human body as it can be either flexible or brittle depending on the flow of nutrients to the limbs. The large scale branch is very asymmetrical, almost triangular, just as the student appears in the pose.

Cheerful pink blossoms are supported by the branches, with bright Gerbera Daisys used to signify her clothing, and the single pink rose representing the opening of the heart center – or chakra – which is achieved with continued yoga practice. Peach colored tulips show increased flexibility (and are close in color to the students skin tone) and the gold vessel containing these blossoms is securely grounded on a purple yoga mat (which I intend to use more often now that the show is over!)

The arrangement is intentionally minimalist in its design, just as yoga strips away the clutter from the mind, allowing one to connect with inner harmony and peace through meditation. Namaste!

Here are the remainder of the 2010 “Art in Bloom” collaborations between the Village Garden Club of Lynnfield and the Lynnfield Art Guild ...

Village Garden Club member Katerina Georges
also used branches to interpret artist
Virginia Dodwell’s “Barn Scene.”

Gerbera Daisys take on the form of a woman tending her flower cart in “Colors of Spring” painted by Lorraine O’Brien, arrangement by Dorothy Goodwin.

“Spring Flowers” by Louise Anderson was transformed into a delightful Easter basket by club members Joan Kirk, Mary Schwartz and Micki Trigilio. Look closely and you will find some cute surprises ...

These miniature guests were also
found on the refreshment table ...

Bold colors and flower choices made this beautiful arrangement by Jan Lisaki and Bootie Stevens
really stand out. I love that orange scarf!
Painting by Frank Colombo, MD
is titled “For Jennie”

Try adding fruit to your next arrangement as
Maura Quinn so eloquently did here.
“Still Life” painting by Jim Ryan

“Rose of Sharon” by artist Carol Wilson is recreated with delicate white blossoms and trailing ivy.
Arrangement by Karen Hathaway and Betsy Foley

So fun and colorful! This mixed media collage by Gail Rober is playfully named “Birthday Party” and was joyfully arranged by club member Wendy Keefe.

A burst of sunflowers stand tall in a cobalt blue
vase and capture artist Joyce Westover’s
watercolor rendering. Arrangement by
Debbie Caniff and Paula McKeever

“Lavender Fields” by Jeannette Corbett

A delight for the senses ... this scented arrangement by Laura Thomson incorporates lavender blossoms along with Rosemary branches, citrus peels, lemon leaves and cinnamon sticks. Doesn’t it just sound heavenly??

A stunning combination of branches, stones, evergreens and harvest colored blossoms were artfully arranged by Tracy Drislane to capture the spirit of “Undressed for Winter” by artist Pauline Bacon.

Delicate purple lilacs were successfully forced to bloom by club member Jean Dalton for this final painting titled “Lilacs” by artist Rose Keefe.

Even the paint brush became art at this show!
I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did : )