A Floral Feast For All To Enjoy

We caught up with Julie Myers of Floral Fixx Design Studio, who is hosting several floral workshops throughout the Art in Bloom weekend, to chat about her inspirations, involvement in the event, and what you can expect in the workshops.

Julie grew up on a family farm and was always interested in flowers. From a young age, she would sit with her mom in the kitchen arranging the freshly picked blooms in a vase. When she was 15 years old, Julie worked in a flower shop in Carman, Manitoba and by age 16, she won a flower design competition which sealed her fate – she would go on to open Floral Fixx Design Studio at age 21.

Florals are definitely Julie’s calling, seeking inspiration from many places. She speaks highly of her design mentors who taught her insightful tips and forged a passion in researching florals. She also looks to the fashion industry for trends – specifically popular colours and textures, art and museums, along with trends in interior and architectural design, believing that flowers are an accent in the home.

It was only natural that Julie takes part in Art in Bloom. This program allows Julie a different take on designing floral arrangements, “With a client, it’s their vision we bring to life. With Art in Bloom, we get to fulfill our own passion by interpreting art with flowers.” She participated as an interpreter for many years, but it was only in 2022, the last Art in Bloom event, that she taught floral arranging workshops.

When asked what people can expect from the workshops, Julie notes that the seven classes are open to people of all skill levels who have – or don’t have – experience with flowers and floral arranging. To start the class, Julie will talk about the florals provided and how best to care for them. The class will then learn how to cut and place the flowers, being mindful of the natural movements of flowers and negative space when designing an arrangement. The best part is, not only do you get to take home these newly acquired skills, but you can keep the arrangements too!

Julie was also mindful to add classes for children. She looks back on her childhood and thinks about her own kids playing in the garden and how she grew up arranging flowers with her parents in the house. “This isn’t a product a lot of kids get to use in their art making, so it’s a fun new experience for them…my daughter would have birthday parties where we would make floral arrangements or flower crowns, it’s something fun to do together!”

We often forget that flower arranging is an artform too, with the flowers acting as a different kind of medium – a living medium that you can sculpt and make unique designs with. Although floral arrangements are not a lasting piece of art, they feel that way when you create them and share them with others.

We thank the many hands and hearts that make Art in Bloom possible, the Associates of the WAG for organizing the event, Master Partner Petals West, all the sponsors, donors, and event partners, the volunteers, interpreters, and WAG-Qaumajuq staff for their time and efforts. We hope to see you at the Gallery April 19-21 or get a sneak peak of the interpretations and chat with the artists at the Preview Party on April 18!