Flowers at Estrela with Veronika Blyzniuchenko
July 29, 2024
On Saturday we held our much awaited Lisbon workshop. I rarely get the chance to offer workshops for locals (I am working on more ideas, so sign up here if you’d like to be included next time).
I was invited by Veronika Blyzniuchenko a Ukrainian artist now working in Lisbon, to hold a flower workshop as part of her summer program of her exhibit in a previously closed and abandoned cloister garden in Lisbon, “The Beauty is a Choice.” A friend had clued me in on the exhibit months ago, and in all honesty, the first time I walked through. I left crying. It is just a beautiful concept and story, and Veronika’s dedication to open this space and show up 6 days a week to paint, create, and manifest beauty into this world (horses, stars, swans, flowers, and crystals!) despite the horrors of our current world, is incredibly moving. I also just love Veronika’s unabashed use of pink, flowers, fanciful pattern, in a world that favors minimalism and seeks to reduce the validity of design that might be considered traditionally feminine. I was thrilled and inspired to create a flower workshop in conjunction with her vision.
I created an overflowing table of flowers which included: foraged honeysuckle, plumbago, morning glory alongside locally cultivated gomphrena, garden roses, ageratum, yarrow, and panicum. We had a table of small treats including local sparkling water infused with rose petals and verbena, rose petal strewn cakes including queques, queijada, and rose and pistachio cake, as well as rose tea.
We began the event with Veronika sharing her story and walking the guests through her exhibit, sharing her current inspirations of angels, stars, and swans which have resulted from her deepening relationship to the basillíca and garden over the months she’s been working and exhibiting there. She walked us through her star installation which raises money for the restoration of the space.
Next, I did a demo arrangement while Veronika brought out a huge canvas and painted the scene. I set the students free into the garden and space to explore, discover, and try their hand at a freestyle arrangement using some of the tips that I shared. In the beginning, I really like students to explore on their own without a lot of instruction and to feel and touch the stems. We don’t use identical vases and I encourage the students to explore the flower display and pick out the flowers that are their favorites.
It was such a special day despite some struggles with the heat and the exchanges of art, nature, and community were really special. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and of course to Veronika, who inspired the entire concept and has given me fresh inspiration for my floral work! A huge thank you to Rita de Sousa, who has generously shared her photographs of the day. Please check out her work at Sow Creative.
If you would like to be part of a Lisbon workshop, please check out our floral career retreat this October in Lisbon, and sign up on the list for upcoming events.