With a background in Fine Art (Leeds University 2007), London based Harriet Parry has successfully combined her love of flowers and nature with works of art creating stunning compositions full of texture, detail and colour. Her pieces are playful, eye catching and rather unexpected as she brings just about any image to life with flowers that mimic the original colour palette and shape perfectly.
She has successfully been running her own floristry business for more than a decade now which includes creating florals for weddings and other events, and her artistic flair has caught the imagination of a client list that would be the envy of many; Jo Malone, L’Oreal, Orla Kiely, Lacoste, Lush and Etsy to name but a few. And she has had editorials in Vogue, Harper Bazaar and Tatler too.
Harriet pays close attention to details and referencing both contemporary and historical art, fashion and film, she seamlessly unites these with the world of floral design. This approach is particularly evident in her series “Flower Interpretations”–a selection of which we are sharing here.
She asks for people to pause. Study them. To share in the wonder of nature, and to ultimately create; just for a moment, a sense of stillness in our fast-paced world. Harriet grew up on a farm in Worcestershire and spent a lot of her time being surrounded by flowers in her Granny’s beautiful garden. “Living in the countryside, there really wasn’t much going on but we were always involved making flower arrangements for village events.”
After graduating, having concentrated on performance and video as well as watercolour, Harriet first spent time as an interior stylist in Birmingham and it was during this time that her career took a new direction. Using faux flowers in most of her interiors, she suddenly realised that floristry was the way forward as she wanted to work with real blooms.
And over the years, she has perfected her art. Many of her flower interpretations come to life through postcards that she collects and displays on her kitchen units. As Harriet says: “Every time I go to an exhibition, I buy a postcard and then spend time thinking about the shapes, textures and patterns I find in them.” She continues: “I love to use unusual and surprising varieties of flowers and foliage as well as props, fabrics and objects. And I like using things that may not alway be put together.”
To create such special floral art requires a meticulous attention to detail and Harriet has this by the bucket load and her playful designs ignite people’s imagination and bring a smile to everyone’s face. Now that is a wonderful skill…
@harrietparryflowers @flowerinterpretations
Words by Nina Tucknott
