October 24, 1912. 



The Florists' Review 



THE ART OF FLOWER 

 <^ ARRANGEMENT <^ 



By FRED C. V. BROWN 



A MORE COMPLICATED DESIGN. 



But the Same Rules of Construction. 



In the two preceding articles in this 

 series, I have tried to show how neces- 

 sary it is to use reason and to be rea- 

 sonable in everything attempted. I 

 have tried to show that simplicity is 

 the keynote of success. Not only is 

 simplicity the surest road to success 

 in your floral arrangements, but you 

 will increase your value and profits by 

 religiously keeping before you the ever 

 great, essential virtue of simplicity. 



Do not misunderstand me in the fore- 

 going. I would not for one moment 

 have you think that I advocate the 

 elimination of intricate, or complicated, 

 or double-interest designs. I would not 

 for one moment suggest that the capa- 

 ble florist, catering to the higher class 

 of trade, should simplify his work to 

 such a degree as was shown in my 

 previous articles, unless he is arranging 

 a piece for those who are not educated 

 in the principles of art. 



I am a strong believer in the * ' charm 

 of veiled mystery," particularly where 

 the material is intricate and the subject 

 suitable. But, no matter how intricate 

 the material or how great or small the 

 subject, ever and always let the fact 

 be apparent that there was some object 

 in view, that a meaning was intended 

 to be conveyed in everything you ar- 

 ranged. The answer to your subject 

 does not have to be glaring, but let it 

 be apparent that there is an answer, 

 even though it takes a cultivated mind 

 to solve its meaning. 



Consider Your Customer. 



Choose your subject according ,to 

 your customer. A school teacher would 

 not place a problem in high mathe- 

 matics before a third or fourth grade 

 child. Therefore, do not be mysterious 

 or "high" in your artistic soarings 

 when yo^ are catering to the "plain 

 people." Most of us are plain people, 

 and even those who are not are likely 

 to desire, when selecting flowers, to 

 have soothing simplicity and natural 

 grace in preference to something that 

 embodies a reason for doubt. 



The wreath here illustrated is what 

 might be considered a simple example 

 of the more complicated arrangements 

 of flowers; that is, where more than 

 two materials have been used in the 

 construction. This wreath is quite evi- 

 dently a wreath of carnations, with a 

 cluster of orchids, sweet peas and lily 

 of the valley. The fact is clear and 

 manifest. It is not necessary to attach 

 a card or sign explaining the fact, nor 

 is it necessary to have someone stand 

 by to explain the nature of the mate- 

 rial. The carnations are apparent, the 

 orchids are apparent, as also are the 

 sweet peas and lily of the valley. 



How the Result Was Attained. 



If we desire to go more into detail 

 we shall find foliage of different kinds, 

 but the main fact is apparent. Suppose 



Mr. Brown will be pleased to answer, as this 

 series of articles progresses, any criticisms or 

 questions that may occur to his readers. The 

 first article of the series was printed in the issue 

 of October 10. The next installment will appear 

 in an early issue, 



we ask ' ourselves how this desirable 

 result was attained. The answer might 

 be that it would be difficult to make it 

 otherwise; that this is the natural way 

 to arrange the flowers on this particu- 

 lar piece; that anyone would do just the 

 same thing. If that were the answer 

 given, I would quite positively say, 

 "You are wrong," for there are no 

 two people who would arrange these 

 flowers alike. In fact, the maker of 

 this piece would not attempt it the 

 second time, but would try to change 



What are these principles, as applied 

 here? How should I recognize then^t 

 First, we have the conventional wreath, 

 in the form of which we have massed 

 our flowers. We have fairly well re- 

 tained its symmetrical lines. Then we 

 have our opposition cluster of sweet 

 peas, with a natural clinging tendency. 

 We also have our still greater opposi- 

 tion of lily of the valley. This we have 

 placed in direct opposition to both our 

 form and our clinging arrangement of 

 peas, and we- find, by following all the 

 lines of our wreath up to this point, 

 that the greatest amount of interest is 

 most naturally centered at the point of 

 greatest opposition and this point of 

 opposition is where the different mate- 

 rials unite. So we have placed our rich- 



A Si hple Example of a More Complicated Arrangement. 



the arrangement, always with an eye 

 to improvement. 



The Chief Point of Interest. 



The variations in arrangement are 

 limited only by the maker 's ability, but 

 no matter how many different methods 

 we might try or how we might twist or 

 turn the blooms, we would always use 

 the principles of art embodied in this 

 design as it stands in the picture. 



est material, our orchids, here. We 

 have created a greater interest in our 

 wreath with the principle of opposition 

 and have qualified our interest point by 

 our richest material. It is in this 

 material, at this point, that the charm 

 of our design lies. 



The Individuality of the Piece. 



Up to the placing of our orchids the 

 process of arrangement is almost me- 



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