FLORAL designer, Lani Chapman was awarded first prize in the 2019 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show\u2019s Baptcare Shop Window competition last week.<\/p>\n
The young creative from Ballarat\u2019s Jenny Burke Florist was prompted by the brief, \u2018home is where the heart is\u2019 and developed a vegetative design that acknowledged all animals\u2019 homes, which can be anywhere.<\/p>\n
Ms Chapman created the structure a male Bowerbird makes when seeking a female partner, having been inspired by the natural phenomenon on holiday. She even sourced her final leafy touches from the Carlton Gardens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe male Bowerbird spends ages trying to make the structure and then he goes around and collects blue objects to bring the female in,\u201d she said. \u201cI got to see the nest and the bird actually landed on me and tried to get my blue bottle cap lid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way I\u2019ve placed the flowers into the foam is how those flowers would grow, even in the sense of which ones are tallest. It mimics nature, that\u2019s the whole point of the design. At Jenny Burke, our motto is \u2018nature is our model\u2019 so we take a lot of inspiration from how things grow and mimic that in what we create. Everything is bespoke, different, creative and artistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entering floristry just under five years ago as a secondary student on work experience, Ms Chapman is now a veteran of the MIFGS, competing, running demonstrations and contributing to floral fashion parades like last weekend\u2019s Wedding Couture Show.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s had success at regional and national World Skills competitions, also known as the Olympic try-outs for trades, and has even run flower classes at Haddon Community Learning Centre. It\u2019s hard to believe Ms Chapman is only 20 years old.<\/p>\n
Now fully qualified, having initially juggled school and her apprenticeship, she is completing her Certificate IIII, with a big focus on floristry\u2019s business and management.<\/p>\n
But away from official qualifications, some of the most impressive things about Ms Chapman are her design flair and positive outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always liked doing creative things. When I do floristry, I can picture something in my head and I can create that how I envisioned it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that my design style is quite unique to other Australian florists. Our designs reflect Europe more, so when I enter a competition, I like to think my pieces are going to stand out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of techniques that your everyday florists wouldn\u2019t know how to do, and that\u2019s thanks to Jenny\u2019s knowledge. She\u2019s been a massive support and a great mentor. But because what we do is quite different, often we won\u2019t score very well at competitions, so when I won, it was a shock. I was hopeful that something might come of it, but I wasn\u2019t expecting to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Chapman\u2019s talent and professionalism is obvious, but most of all, her deep passion and love for the industry shines through.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deal with the circle of life, being a florist,\u201d she said. \u201cYou deal with the births, the happy moments, the sad moments in life, sympathies, and you meet all kinds of people in all stages of life. It\u2019s not just creating nice things.<\/p>\n
Ms Chapman said \u201cnailing\u201d an arrangement for a customer is heartwarming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do a lot of things for funerals. It\u2019s sort of a person\u2019s last way to say goodbye or the last gift they\u2019ll give that person,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you get that right, it touches your heart. It\u2019s very rewarding and great to see people amazed at how you did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Ms Chapman hopes for more competitive opportunities, and one exciting challenge that\u2019s just a little larger. \u201cEventually\u2026 one day\u2026 hopefully\u2026 I\u2019ll open my own store,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FLORAL designer, Lani Chapman was awarded first prize in the 2019 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show\u2019s Baptcare Shop Window competition last week. The young creative from Ballarat\u2019s Jenny Burke Florist was prompted by the brief, \u2018home is where the heart is\u2019 and developed a vegetative design that acknowledged all animals\u2019 homes, which can be […]<\/p>\n