Saturday, September 30, 2017

1:1 FLORAL ADVENTURE WITH THE BLUE CARROT

MAGICAL WORKSHOP WITH FLORAL DESIGNER SUSANNE HATWOOD 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com
BOUQUET BY SUSANNE



I’m lost in flowers. I've always liked them but after my mom's death 2016 flowers just took over. My mom loved flowers and somehow I feel more connected to her when I work with them. I’ve been organizing flower workshops in Helsinki at my workspace työhuone ovi 10 for over one year now and I always find myself making wild flower arrangements from the workshop leftovers because in the workshop I teach flower photography and floral designer is teaching the flower arrangement. But because I want to learn to make very beautiful flower works I decided to make a trip to well-known floral designer and gardener Susanne Hatwood known as The Blue Carrot. Her work speaks the language I love and I was her 1:1 student for two days in April. This trip was a gift to me from me. Creativity needs to be fed. 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

In the workshop morning I’m very excited and a bit scared too because I’m only a photographer who wants to learn to make beautiful flower works that I can photograph and of course I’m a big fan of her work so this is really exciting. We drive to her workspace. It’s in a small stone house next to the old farm house. When Susanne opens the door, I just can’t get my eyes off her flowers. Amazing! 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

We continue to see her garden and that is such a charming place! I’m feeling a bit envy but mostly I’m thrilled to be here. Her place is truly a hidden gem. I'm already in love.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com


First we decide to make a bouquet because I’ve never done one! She is teaching me the spiral technique. That is because we want to avoid crushing and breaking those delicate stems. It’s demanding a great deal of patience and finally my left hand fingers are starting to feel really stiff and the whole hand is hurting a bit. Susanne reminds me to relax my hand and fingers and same time to see how flowers goes in shape that is natural for them. She is so right. 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

It’s also important to build both sides of the bouquet and that is a challenge for me as a very beginner. We step out to a light to see how our bouquets looks against simple background. It’s also very helpful to take a photo of it to see more clearly what to change and how to continue. You can also use a mirror to see.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

Susanne has amazing skill to build a movement in her flower works. Like the bouquet she is building now. I struggle with very basic things and she is helping me out and giving good advices so I’m not in trouble at all (actually I have pretty good chances to success because next to me is very talented flower lady) But still I have this moment of frustration “Can I start all over again?” I ask. “No” Susanne answers. In creative process I often get to the point when I feel real frustration because the work doesn’t look like I want to. But (most of the time) I’ve learned to breath in and out I do something else and then go back to the thing I was doing. But now Susanne takes my bouquet and tells me loose my fingers (again - this is second or third time) - she says “Look where the flowers set. Forcing is not a good way to work with flowers.” Wise words and quite obvious too but did not come to my mind in this pure excitement, haha.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

Fact is I did have difficulties to choose right amount of different flowers to my bouquet because there were too many beautiful and charming ones around me and that doesn't happen too often.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

Susanne’s philosophy is charming. Her bright blue eyes and sense of humour are enchanting. She is a lady of no rules even though she is very precise in everything. She doesn’t care about numbers, green foliage, cold colours. She is all about movement, curves and autumn colors. She also keeps her arrangements quite simple if talking about amount of different flowers and colors. No mess of flowers around here but lot of laughing.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

Suddenly my bouquet is ready to be tied up. Susanne puts my bouquet on the table and takes burlap string and ties it up tightly but not forcing. Then she takes flower tape and rolls it on the burlap string few times and then turn the tape’s sticky side up that when we add the silky ribbon it will stay there without problem. 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

After the work is done we start to photograph our beautiful bouquets. And that you should have seen. Two ladies with their cameras going around and round those flower bouquets and how many places we tried - trying to find a perfect light and angle. But as all creatives they know their light and Susanne’s workspace window is magical before the noon. 

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com
MY BOUQUET

I can already say I’ve learnt many things but one of them is patience. I don’t have it always so much so it’s a challenge. It’s important to concentrate when choosing your flowers like what kind of flowers, colors, right size, right shaped stem and how to put it in the right place. When collecting ingredients it doesn’t have to be the most beautiful ones but they have to speak the same language in every level: color, shape, texture, size, contrast, movement. Seeing different shades and colors together - is it cold or warm tone - makes the difference. You might have to leave your favorite flower out from the bouquet. We are not talking about easy decisions.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com

Next day we continue with flower arrangement but the time just keeps running and suddenly it’s time to close the workshop door behind us. I’ve enjoyed two days in the middle of flower haven with talented Susanne. She has her own way with flowers and she follows more her instinct than rules. But of course she is on that level that she can work like that. She doesn’t make easy decisions, she is a bit like her favorite flower - dark colored tulip called The Queen of the Night. There is drama and tranquility with a hint of absolutely perfect sense of humour.

The Blue Carrot flower workshop blog: www.gretchengretchen.com
FAMILY PIC: SUSANNE'S ON THE RIGHT MINE ON THE LEFT


Because I couldn't take the whole flower arrangement home with me I took few flowers. I pressed them between the magazine I bought from the Paddington station for the train reading. Those flowers are my souvenir from the beautiful flower experience I had with Susanne in her magical workshop in Portscatho, Cornwall.

Next week I will travel to Belgium to Golden Age : The Abundance of Autumn workshop by Fleuropean and The Blue Carrot. I can't believe this is happening but it is. You will see and hear about it during next week in my IG and later on here in my blog. It's another gift to me from me. I paid these workshops with my inherited money from my mom. I think it's well spent money.

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo
Kreetta
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