Di:ci;.Miii;K 11), UM.'. 



The Florists^ Review 



11 



THE ART OF FLOWER 



.^ ARRANGEMENT ^ 



By FRED C. W. BROWN 



DOUBLE INTEREST DESIGNS. 



The Standing Harp. 



Ill llic preceding articles of tiiis series 

 we June restricted ourselves to the use 

 of tlie wreath, and the reason for so 

 iloing is that tlu^ simple and propor- 

 tionate lines of a wreath lend them- 

 selves readily to tlic explanations we 

 have tried to present. N'ow we are 

 L;oing to proceed into a little wider 

 Held and introduce ■what are raUed 

 double interest designs. 



By a double interest design we mean 

 ;i form such as the standing harp shown 

 in the illustration, 

 with its double sub- 

 ject of form and 

 base. In this class 

 of designs are in- 

 rluded all the stand- 

 ing forms, such as 

 wreaths and crosses 

 with a hase, gates 

 ajar. lirolven col- 

 umns, etr. In tlu^se 

 designs w (■> iind our 

 artisti(,' skill taxed to 

 its limit to produce 

 .1 [^leasing effect, a 

 icsult that does not 

 border on the gro 

 fesque. 



Body and Base. 



I r vdii will anal\ /.(■ 

 one fd' these double 

 interest designs you 

 will llnd th(>y are all 

 lomposcil of two 

 s t !• o n g!\' opposing 

 l'a<-tors, tlie main in- 

 terest or bo<ly, and 

 the foundation or 

 lia^e, as exemi)li(ied 

 in th(> ]iicture of the 

 standing liar|i. You 

 will jdainly see that 

 wt' ha\ I' two distinct 

 subjects Jind you will 

 r e a d i i \- rei-ognize 

 tli;it till' idciit ily and 

 purpose (it' (\-i(di must 

 lie kept ;ipjiarent. 

 • lust liiTi' is where 

 the skill .if the de- 

 signer i> I alb'd into 

 play. 



We lia \ I' t lie liaip 

 proper .a^ our main 

 attract iiiii and the 

 iiase as iiur dired 

 opposition or double interest. So let 

 IIS turn to the rules and >(■<• wiiat i^ 

 our proper and tiatural course in such 

 !in instance as this. T>et us select our 

 lule I'rom the book of common seii--e 

 and reason. 



A Third Factor. 



Where tlier(> are two striiii;;ly oppos- 

 'II.L: factors, then a third factor, if 

 !Ud|ierly idiosen, will almost always 

 'init(' the two into a harmonious whole. 

 W'e hav(> identified our two factors in 



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. 



the harp projier and the base. As ex 

 plained bcd'ore. the point of greatest 

 opjHisition is the point of greatest in 

 terest or attraction, so we easily lecog 

 iiizo this to be the junction point of 

 our two interests, and we ipialify and 

 conibim^ them with the cUislei of lilies 

 as our third factor. 



We ha\(' intensilieij this interest 



of our design. Here, again. i'< where 

 the aitist demonstrates his skill, for it 

 should he (dear that up to \\w. time of 

 placing the lily high light the work was 

 practically meidianical and I'Mpiirt'd no 

 L:reat exercise of ingenuity. 



Is the Meaning Clear? 



Whether \\c lia\(' succeeded in tell- 

 iiii: a stoi\- with our lily high light is- 

 the (|uestion. Our desire; was to tell 

 of a liar|i ol' Mowers on a juojierly pro- 

 portioned base, with a cluster of lilies 

 growing up ainl on the harp. If our 

 meaning is clear to you, whether you 

 are educated or un- 

 ('(Incated in tin- the- 

 ory of art. then our 

 design is artistic — • 

 moie ;iiti^tic. at 

 least, tlian if it^ two 

 main iiodies had 

 inereK' Immmi con- 

 nected ii\- tlie wire 

 >upiiort . wit li a piece 

 111' smil.'iN III' jreeii 

 twi>teil ;ii-oiiiiil it. 



Liberty Limited by 

 Law. 



Thete I- llll'loulit - 



edl\' roiiih ioi' a Lireat 

 ainiiiint ol mntro- 

 \ er-\- a~ to the t icat- 

 iiieiit of I hc-e double 



I 11 t e r e - 1 designs. 



\'our nianner of ar- 

 langemeiit i> limited 

 iinU' bv your aliility 

 til originate different 

 inetliods ol' .iiiivey- 

 mg the luiiiliined 

 |.nncip|e 111' tlie liarj) 

 Mil .-I li.-i-i'. Tlie 

 height 111 \ II n r 



power l~ rellecleil in 

 llle pleasill'J elVoct 



\iiu j.ruduce l'>- vour 

 iiiii>lie.l ail n-le, N'our 

 ways aiiil ine.'in-- arc- 

 :i Iniovr nil I iinite'i, but 

 t here a re one nr t wo 

 e->eiit lal I e a 1 u i e s 

 that \iiii iiiii^t not 



liil -et, 



li'eiiieinlier 



point b\' the I'lomineiice 111 our lilies. 

 While we might li;i\'e -.ulidiied it by 

 the use ol' ferii> and le;i\es in the 

 lia(d\grounil. instead of the lilies, we 

 woidd then ha\c made the design more 

 objeidionalile by the unrelieved compli- 

 cation ot' the two interests. So we liiid 

 that, with our luirp and our Kase dis- 

 tinct, we lia\e harmoni/ed them by the 

 third factor, the lilies. .\nd by making; 

 the (duster |irominent and using it as 

 our connecting link', we h.axc greatly 

 i'ediic(>d the complicated doulde interest 



that \iiu aie making 

 :i lia 1 p n.\ :i iiase, 

 not a iia ! p A \ I » a 

 Iiase. and ^ mi may 

 thus ;i \ 111.1 two of 



the lllii-' ..'11111011 



fault-. 

 Two Mistakes. 



.\s already intimateil. s(»nie! lue'- the 

 two distinct interests are well ami care- 

 fully arranged, but there is no attempt 

 made to harmonize them. The piopor- 

 tion is pleasing, but the harp stands 

 clear of tli(> base and is connecte.l only 

 by a, thin wire, jiartly conce:ile.| with 

 ferns, but giving the design, \ iewed 

 at the distance ot' a few feet, the ap- 

 jiearance of "Mohammed's coflin,"' sus- 

 [leiided in midair. 



Then, again, you must not make vour 



