POLYCULTURALISM: EMBRACING the Culture of Colors - Creative Edge July 2020
DESIGNS & TEXT BY HITOMI GILLIAM AIFD | PHOTOGRAHY BY COLIN GILLIAM
“In this month’s CREATIVE EDGE I want to share a COLOR challenge that helped me shift my narrow color preferences to a more holistic, inclusive palette.
Learning is experiencing new information
Learning is exploring areas previously unexplored
Learning is trying something outside the comfort zone
Learning is changing your innate habits
I chose to explore Polychromatic Color Harmony, an ambiguous study of arranging all colors at once. I felt the urge to see if it was possible to create a meaningful Flower Art that embraced this color concept. I felt the necessity to broaden my color palette, to free myself from just choosing my favorites. My usual go-to color palettes have been Monochromatic, Analogous and Complementary harmonies based around many of my favorite hues.
I started to spin Color Tapestry Sticks of all colors to start on this project. While creating these COLOR elements, your mind is free to think… I contemplated on how truly subjective COLOR was…and why and where do our color preferences come from? A reflection of personality or mood… or relationship to a place… or in reference to skin tone …. or an innate connection to a cultural tendency through our DNA…. As I spun the yarn of many colors randomly, I felt that each became a distinct person. As I created communities of colors, I felt that it became an expression of Polyculturalism. Who can say that one is better than another? They all became a part of the WHOLE. Letting go of my innate color taste…. Freeing myself from color judgement…. To embrace all the colors before you… to feel the JOY in the Culture of Colors….
I really enjoyed expanding my color horizon to reach the Rainbow of acceptance. It’s a great Color Lesson!!!
This month’s 3 designs are FLOWERXART compositions
FLOWERXART is different than Floral Art, a general term used to indicate artistic Floral Design.
FLOWERXART is a hybrid…. A cross pollination of Art and Flower. I created the ART statement with the Color Tapestry Sticks. And then I Flowered It to bring the ART colors to LIFE. Fresh botanicals bring unity… it makes the ART breathe!!!
The featured flower in all 3 designs is my absolute favorite flower, Gloriosa Lily. Her personality is uplifting, cheerful, vivacious, naturally out-spoken and headstrong confident… she is a true activist!!! A perfect SpokesFLOWER for these compositions.
”
HARMONY
in Community
“First, create the Color Art Structure in the low rectangular container. To hold the structure in place, create a chicken wire roll that fits snug in and over the top of the container. Bindwire the 2 glass rods staggered through the chicken wire to extend the structure. The Color Tapestry Sticks are bent into U-shape to begin constructing the sculpture. Each U is bindwired to each other and to the chicken wire frame and glass rods in horizontal order.
The flowering helps unify the Color Sculpture through the middle with Gloriosa as the Living Voice. The texture of Adiantum softly cushions the Gloriosa to create the transition from the FLOWER to the ART. The botanicals are arranged through the chicken wire roll and also in water tubes and Equisetum tubes.”
BOTANICALS Gloriosa superba (Gloriosa Lily), Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry), Smilax Smallii (Southern Smilax), Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair Fern), Tillandsia xerographica, Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail)
SUPPLIES 50+ Color Tapestry Sticks (Midollino, 18ga. Florist Wire, Colored Yarn, UGlu Dashes Bullion Wire), Chicken Wire (green coated), 2pc Glass Rods, Bindwire (green), low rectangular container
RISE
in Polychromatic Harmony
“To start building the Color Art Structure, begin constructing the armature attached to the Lotus Pod Container with Midollino Extenders. Bindwire the 60+ Color Tapestry Sticks to the armature in the round, radiating diagonally downward from the center. This creates a cone skirting with rhythmic hemming. The colors of the sticks are sequentially placed transitioning from hue to hue.
The botanical stage begins with threading the Southern Smilax vine wildly through the cone, creating natural visual flow and dimension to help support the flower placements. The flowering expresses ‘RISE’ by emerging from the cone with a transparent burst of combination of botanicals that exude varying contrasting textures, with colors that are complementary to the Color Tapestry. To make visual and experiential, the rich color of yarn coming alive in Flowers, and the transitioning of texture of yarn to the living texture of botanicals - this is FLOWERxART.
”
BOTANICALS Gloriosa superba (Gloriosa Lily), Paeonia lactifolia ‘Old Faithful’ (Peony), Anthurium andreanum, Cotinus cogyggria (Smokebush), Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry), Alocasia amazonica (African Mask), Smilax smallii (Southern Smilax), Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair Fern), Asparagus setaceus (Plumosa Fern), Eucalyptus sp., Equisetum hyemale (horsetail)
SUPPLIES Lotus Pod Container (Accent Decor ‘Vessel Budvase’), 3 Midollino Extenders (Midollino, Aluminum Wire, Yarn, UGlu Dashes, Bullion Wire), 60+ Color Tapestry Sticks in varying lengths (Midollino, 18ga. Florist Wire, Yarn, UGlu Dashes, Bullion Wire), Bindwire (green)
ORDER YOUR LIMITED SIGNED PRINT TODAY
Support Creative Edge by purchasing the Limited 8x10 Creative Edge print. Signed by Hitomi and printed on a high quality 320gsm photo paper, this month’s print is the ‘RISE: in Polychromatic Harmony’ design.
*Limited to 50 Prints / Available for a Limited Time
BELIEVE
in Together We Can
“Prepare the Art Structure First. Drill holes with random spacing along the middle 2/3 section of the Palm spathe, 2 hole sizes to accommodate the diameter of the thickest part of the Color Tapestry Sticks. Mount the chicken wire roll to the whole mid-section of the spathe over the drilled holes - attach with bindwire. Position the spathe over the speaker stand asymmetrically to create good visual balance in a pleasing diagonal. Attach the Caryota mitis centered over the speaker stand to create a beautiful forward flow. Place the Color Tapestry Sticks in parallel to each other to create strong repetition vertically. Bind them to the chicken wire frame. Place water tubes into the chicken wire openings, wedged between the Color Sticks. Bindwire where needed to secure.
Start greening with Southern Smilax, bindwiring over the structure to create natural and organic living vine which exudes random wild growth over the structure. This will function as visual flow as well as to support some of the botanicals to be used in the design. Begin strong by punctuating this design with Alocasia foliage, to create instant drama. Design with Sambucus along the base and follow horizontally for the red beady surface. Gloriosas floating above through the middle, followed by greening with Maidenhair Fern. Some of the Gloriosas were water-tubed in Equisetum. A soft overlay of Asparagus Fern provides a transparent ceiling to add the extra dimension to the boat-like design.
”
BOTANICALS Gloriosa superba (Gloriosa Lily), Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry), Alocasia amazonica (African Mask), Smilax smallii (Southern Smilax), Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair Fern), Asparagus setaceus (Plumosa Fern), Buxus convexa (Boxwood), Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail), Dried Palm spathe, Dried Caryota mitis inflorescense (Bo Derek Hair)
SUPPLIES 45 Color Tapestry Sticks (Midollino, 18ga.Florist Wire, Colored Yarn, UGlu Dashes, Bullion Wire), Chicken Wire (green coated), 4” Water Tubes, Bindwire (green), UGlu Dashes, Speaker Stand
