Constance Spry: Her inspiration and Innovation continues
New York Times
'Do whatever you please. Follow your own star: be original if you want to be and don't if you don't want to be. Just be natural and gay and light-hearted and pretty and simple and overflowing and general and baroque and bare and austere and stylized and wild and daring and conservative. And learn and learn and learn. Open your mind to every form of beauty.'
—CONSTANCE SPRY
We are sharing this week’s podcast episode as a blog post to highlight the influence of British educator, self-declared floral decorator, and author, Constance Spry. Our guest this week is currently serving as guest curator for a new exhibition celebrating the life of Constance Spry set to open in April at the Garden Museum in London. Join me now for my chat with Royal Florist and previous guest of The Flower Podcast, Shane Connolly, as we take a peak into the brilliance of this legendary floral artist. Shane also shares the influence of Constance Spry on his own designs throughout his floral journey.
Floral pioneer Constance Spry in her drawing room at Winkfield Place in 1952 CREDIT: Alamy/ The Telegraph
The Marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten Credit: The Halton Royals Collection/ The Telegraph
The Marriage of Nancy Beaton and Hugh Smiley Credit The Daily Herald Archive/The Telegraph
Credit to The Derby Telegraph
A few thoughts from Shane
Image courtesy of Shane Connolly
Embrace the process of trial and error. Many times we produce our most memorable work by staying the course.
Danger…We should never design to be safe but design for what suits your creative explorations and your clients requests.
Constance Spry was a true believer that beauty uplifts people. The simple expression of giving flowers is very personal.
Sometimes your best actually happens when everything is failing, and you have to go with your instincts. It also builds your confidence in trusting yourself.
Constance Spry’s view was that nothing was off limits in design. It was never just about flowers but incorporating fruits, vegetables, foliages, and other items of nature.
If you want to be a floral artist, you have to do something unique, something different. You must behave as an artist.
Shane spoke of his mantel designs from this year’s Cathedral Antiques Show in Atlanta. Using the art as his inspiration, Shane’s designs, once again reflect his beliefs of incorporating additional natural elements along with foam free mechanics. Also, the simplicity of using a single flower choice and minimal decor pieces can be just as enticing as the bold and brilliance use of color in the third piece.
When you are new and adventuring into your own floral journey, it is almost instinctive to want to please everyone. You may find yourself using everything in sight. A wonderful lesson to learn early on…You do not have to! As your floral journey unfolds, you will gain confidence as you progress in your own design style.
Designers may worry about what is expected and in the process one ends up doing the same thing. Designs become serviceable not original and beautiful.
Shane Connolly and Emily Thompson
We know this is extremely short notice, but we wanted to mention an online event conversation with Shane Connolly and New York florist, Emily Thompson. The event is hosted by Garden Museum, Feb. 23, 2021 at 6:30pm (GMT). Click here for more information
If you would like to learn more about Shane Connolly or Emily Thompson, listen now to their floral stories on The Flower Podcast
We would like to thank Shane Connolly for giving us a glimpse into the life of this amazing trailblazer and for sharing the personal impact Constance Spry has had on his design and approach to florals and the abundance of beauty in nature. If you have any or know of any items, students, or images concerning Constance Spry please email shane at shane@shaneconnolly.co.uk.