Art in Bloom 2014; The Final Interpretation

This is the write up we did for the Thursday night event at Art In Bloom, where the artists are available to meet with the public & explain their works.  I found it fascinating that the men attending the event are often more inquisitive and almost always express their appreciation for the explanation.  I even found Carla's 19 yr old son listening intently to the explanation.  Scroll down for more pics and a detailed account of the process of creating this interpretation.

The Minnesota Herb Society’s interpretation of Merced River in Yosemite

Albert Bierstadt’s Merced River in Yosemite (1868) was of particular interest.  There is a cloudy, foggy aspect to this painting that we noted.  In contrast, a major Yosemite element is rock & this painting subtly shows the rock formations the Yosemite is famous for, as well as the greenery & a soft beautiful use of light.  As members of the MN Herb Society, we use herbs in our interpretation.  In particular, we choose to feature the 2014 Herb of the Year, Artemisia, There are several forms of Artemisia that we have in our interpretation, along with various other herbs.  The following represent the herbs we used in our arrangement.  Statements about the use of these herbs are not intended to represent or imply suitability for treatment of any conditions.

Artemisia; Dusty Miller, Tarragon, & Silver Mound – While Dusty Miller (also called Beach Wormwood & Old Woman) & Silver Mound are primarily used as bedding plants, Tarragon has a definite culinary use, along with some old medicinal uses.  According to several sources, tarragon was used for tooth aches, a digestive aid, a mild sedative, & used to treat poisonous snake bites.

Limonium - While there are many varieties of Limonium, some are powerfully astringent. The roots were often used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, sore mouths, cankers, and old ulcers.  We thought the color of this feathery Limonium was perfect to denote the subtle but present cliff.

Thyme – Used as an Antiseptic & to treat Bronchitis & indigestion.   Poultices were made from thyme to treat skin infections & minor wounds.   It was also used as an incense to cleanse the air.

Spider Mums – A member of an autumn favorite, the chrysanthemum. The Chrysanthemum has been 
used most predominantly in East Asia to prevent sore throats & fevers.  It is also known for making people more alert, treat the eyes, & circulatory problems such as varicose veins.  We thought we might be able to capture the cloudy foggy aspect with the use of spider mums in white & pink.  We incorporated the spider mums to portray the exquisite light captured by Bierstadt & to signify the beauty of the clouds.  

Lavender – Used in Teas & Balms for Antiseptic, Calming & stimulates the healing process.  The fragrance of lavender is thought to impart a feeling of inner freedom.

Bay - Used in Culinary, but also has other uses.  It is used to treat arthritic aches, earaches, & sore muscles.  And of course, wreaths of bay donned the heads of Ancient Greeks.  

Rosemary – A wonderful culinary herb & personally, the scent is a lovely scent in the midst of a grey winter day. In ancient times, Rosemary had a reputation for strengthen the memory.  Burning Rosemary in sick chambers or hospitals was said to purify the air.  Shakespeare wrote “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.”

Mint – Peppermint is most often used to treat indigestion.  In ancient times, it was thought to clear the voice & cure hiccup.  It is also used to treat gallstones & colds.

Scented Geranium – Use scented geranium tea for a calming sensation.Also used for cleansing the face & as a deodorant because of it’santibacterial properties.  It was also said to reduce stomachaches & dried geranium leaves are used to repel insects in closets & drawer.  The one scented geranium leaf embodies the cave & fire.

The Minnesota Herb Society encourages the study, the growing, & the use of herbs.  We also plant & maintain the Herb Gardens at the MN Landscape Arboretum.    Meetings are held the 4th Tuesday  of January, March, May, August, & October.  

Art in Bloom 2014; The Process

We chose a painting by Alfred Bierstadt entitled "The Merced River in Yosemite", painted in 1868.  The MN Herb Society has been contributing to Art in Bloom for 25+ years.  Gloria D. had a 25+ year tenure & Elly W. has been an artist for 15+ years.  Carla J. & myself have been co-creators for the past 3 years.  The process starts on a cold night the end if January.  We received a link to the art that would be available for interpretation earlier in January & were able to preview the art available the event.  We all looked at the art & each put together a short list of pieces that we thought would be appropriate.  Speaking for myself, I look for art that I think we could interpret with herbs & I also consider the beauty of the art.  There are both paintings & sculptures available to interpret.  I was not able to attend the night of choosing, but all the floral artists go to the MIA, stand in line, & wait to choose their desired piece art.  Carla arrived early & waited so that we could get one of our desired pieces.  There were over 150 floral artists this year & we were able to choose 27th.  Carla & Elly looked at the pieces available & decided on our painting.  It was on our individual lists & therefore,they felt that since we all liked it, it would be a good piece to interpret.

AIB does offer an analysis of the painting that points out the "hot spots" of the painting.  We received that analysis & use it during our planning of the arrangement.  We met down at the museum one more time to look at the painting & discuss our vision.  Because the vessel used in the arrangement is always a main component to consider, we try to figure that out first.  We discussed having a potted 
arrangement this year, but after consideration we decided to use a glass vase.  Since the painting is of a river (although the river is not highly visible), we wanted the element of water in our composition.  We also wanted to use rocks, although the AIB rules state no rocks, marbles, etc.  Because Yosemite is a place of beautiful rock formations, we had a discussion about whether to follow the rules or not.  In the end, we decided to take our chances & go with rocks.  Carla's brother studied geology & had given her some cool rocks.  Elly scoured 9 Mile creek & found additional craggy rocks that fit into the look we were trying to achieve.  Carla was put in charge of piecing together the vase with oasis in the middle & rocks surrounding the oasis.  She said it was like piecing a puzzle together, but the end result was stunning & I felt it truly represented the beauty of Yosemite. 

Bachmans has an AIB night where artists can preview various plants & flowers that can be preordered for the event.  We try to stay with herbs, but of course, we have to consider other plant material because of the time of year &  the limited availability of herbs.  This year, however, we were able to use 100% herbs in our interpretation.  We also want to feature the Herb of the Year, artemisia.  We found 3 different artemisias to use : French Tarragon, Dusty Miler, & Silver Mound (I dug around in the snow to find my Silver Mound & placed cloches on them for about a month to hurry them along).  We used the Dusty Miller to represent a small tree in the painting.  The Limonium (the soft heathery plant), we felt was appropriate for the cliff because while the cliff was not a major element of the painting, it's presence is still there.  We wanted to express some presence of the cliff but have it be subtle & in the background. We felt the color of the Limonium & the subdued texture was perfect.  Additionally, we wanted to incorporate the roots of the tree growing into the rock formations at Yosemite.  We used mint & thyme to show this.  We washed the soil from the roots of these plants & intertwined them into the rocks, not unlike the trees roots finding crevices in the Yosemite rocks.  Bay Laurel, rosemary, & lavender were used to represent the large trees.  We laid a small 2" section of a branch in the composition to replicate the boat. And the beautiful spider mums (also an herb & used for medicinal purposes) to represent the exquisite light & cloud formations 
portrayed in the painting. Because the Bierstadt painting reflects the stunning light filtering thru the trees, the placement of the mums was of careful consideration.  We had pretty much completed the piece & Elly was trying to find the perfect spot for the last mum.  She just happened to place it in a way that suggested the angle of the cloud formations & Carla & I noticed it immediately.  Quite by accident this occurred, but it added greatly to the interpretation.  Finally, the one scented geranium leaf represents the small alcove where the men are & the red fingers within the leaf represent the flames of the small campfire in the painting. 

We never really know how our piece is going to look until the day of the event, but we do sketch out an idea during one of our meetings.  It truly is a collaboration of the three of us.  Everyone contributes to the process & we feed off each other's ideas.  In the end, I think we obtained the true essence of Bierstadt's painting.  We tried to represented the elements of "The Merced River in Yosemite" clearly with rock, water, the strength of tree roots, fauna, light, & even man.

Bonnie Rocks the MN Herb Society Blog