BLOOMING ARTIST

Q What will you be doing at Art in Bloom?

A I'll be demonstrating five floral arrangements, from simple to complicated, showing various techniques. Being from Belgium, where the floral culture is so much more advanced, I view arranging as an art form. Flowers are a medium, just like an artist uses paints. The vase is our canvas.

Q Your work has been described as floral sculpture. How is that different from traditional flower arranging?

A It's more time-consuming because there's always a constructive side of it. I like to create things I can enjoy for a few weeks, changing out the flowers, so it's not all this work for only a couple of days.

Q You're known for incorporating unusual materials into your arrangements. What are some of the most offbeat things you've used?

A I use all kinds of things, depending on the season. I've used wool, seashells ... in Europe, we have these shells that look like long knives. And I use branches, twigs and rocks -- anything you can find walking in the forest or on the beach.

Q Have you ever tried an arrangement that just didn't work?

A Of course. The materials dictate, always. The branch curves this way when you were expecting it to curve the other way. You can't fight it. Sometimes it turns out better than you expected, sometimes just average, sometimes it doesn't work at all. Mother Nature still dictates when we work with her products.

Q What inspired you to become a floral designer?

A I was in art school, but I hadn't found my medium. I was never excited enough by painting or drawing. Then my mother took me to a floral demonstration, and I got so excited.

Q What is it about flowers that you find so captivating?

A They're dying. It's the pressure of nature. And the beauty of them, from little buds to gorgeous flowers.

Q What's your favorite flower right now?

A I love them all. I love carnations. People hate them, but they have the most beautiful texture, like crinkly paper. They've just been used in a bad way, for funerals. I love them in masses.

Q Why did you choose to organize your book "Living With Flowers" into color families?

A I really love monotone arrangements and the pureness of one single flower. I like clean lines and pure forms. I really see flowers as textures and colors.

Q What's your best tip for a nonprofessional who wants to create more distinctive arrangements at home?

A Prepare. That's half the work. Cleaning the flowers in the proper way, cutting in the proper way, at a 45-degree angle. What kills flowers is germs. You have to keep the water as clean as possible. If you have leaves in the water, you get bacteria.

Q What do you think is the most common mistake people make when working with flowers?

A Trying to re-create nature in a vase. It's stupid. It's already been done. Mother Nature does it perfectly.

Q You've worked with many celebrity clients. Who was especially memorable?

A I did some work for Sophia Loren with peonies, a mass of them in a very low container, for her garden in Italy. I don't like to name drop. I have some really good clients. When people are too crazy, I don't work with them. Some [celebrities] think they're bigger than the planets themselves. Most of the clients I work with know my work and trust me to do whatever I want to do.

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784