In 1976, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston hosted the first Art in Bloom exhibition, challenging local florists and garden club members to design floral arrangements inspired by the museum’s art collection. Since then, the concept has spread to other arts institutions and cities. This year, Anderson House hosted a virtual Art in Bloom exhibition that both showcased the tremendous floral talent in Washington, DC as well as highlighted the unique collection of art and architecture held by the museum.
We were tremendously honored to be chosen to be a participant for the inaugural DC event! For our artwork, we chose the six-pounder cannon. Created by James Byers of Champlain Cannon Works of Adirondack Machine Corporation in 1777. It is one of only ten marked American-made bronze cannons remaining from the Revolutionary War.
For our piece, we sought to not simply embrace the beauty of flowers. Instead, our goal was to create an edgy interpretation to bring the battlefield to life. Smoke. Sparks. The blood and mud of the battlefield. Using a blend of painted gypsophila, bleached hydrangea, bleached ruscus and painted preserved bunny tails, finished with pools of fabric in shades of red and brown, the piece was an exercise in contrasts. The opacity and solidity of the cannon juxtaposed against the ethereal and smoky grays and whites with tiny sparks of red.
Be sure to visit the virtual site for more!
