This competition was conducted online by the peak floral art body of Ireland as part of a celebration for the contribution by the Chairman of the Board to the World Association of Floral Artists (WAFA). It was one of the very few international competitions conducted during the “Covid” years 2020 – 2022. The overall theme of the competition was Elements of Nature and I entered two classes – Air, Water. This post is all about my entry for “Water”.
I don’t often think about underwater designs although it is a defined design style. Here was an opportunity to test my skills with a style that is out of my comfort zone!
Using a slightly shaped vase as the main structure, I have placed coconut fibre in the base to cover a pinholder (kenzan) that allows placement of a cork and some grevillea foliage and seed head. The top of the vase is finished with cork to repeat the cork float structure on top of the water. This allows for a further structure of bamboo skewers to help with the height of the finished design incorporating the typha foliage and a further grevillea foliage and flower placement.
Judges Comments: Good use of mechanic to obtain elevation. Unfortunately, proportion and scale of the plant material has affected balance.
My review comments: I was contented with the design when I submitted it but can see the validity of the judges comments. There is not enough plant material visible in the water and the grevillea foliage to the side of the design takes your eye away from the rest of the design. If you cover that when looking at the image you will see what a difference it makes to the design. “Less is more” is often a good rule of thumb!