Anthea McGibbon, Gleaner Writer

(Left) 'Long ago and far away', Zeller's creation using two containers, is just one design expressing the exact message intended and (Right) In 'Curis', a basket of dried clipped palm leaves and berries picked up in the country with curls of dried dracaena leaves is arranged in a proportionate design.- contributed photos

At age 87, Brenda Zeller may be an amateur painter and ceramist, but earlier this year, she published her fourth book to teach and inspire others with as much passion for flowers and space to explore their inborn creative talents. The book Let's Create with Flowers, published by Arawak, is designed by Annika Lewinson-Morgan and includes contributions by husband photographer Ken Morgan.

A floral rendition, the book represents Zeller's unique vision her original manuscript was destroyed by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 along with a great number of her photographed works, she never stopped working.

A glance at the book's cover is convincing that Zeller is no ordinary florist evidenced by her use of non-conventional material, flowers and weathered wood to create aesthetic works of art. From cover to cover, the elements of the book are the recipe for riveting floral arrangements.

Elaborate cake decorations

Originally from Montego Bay, Zeller moved from the flour world to expounding flower power. Initially stealing Jamaican hearts with her elaborate cake decorations - a skill she harnessed while employed to Citrus Growers in her 20s - her love for arranging, carving and moulding works from nothing (in her icing works), soon was dispelled on floral arrangements. She was trained by Lyn Stratymann, and did minor exploits of Ohara school of Ikeba.

Married with children, her gentile nature and 'nurturer' instincts were accents to her artistic transformation. Some of her friends attest to the well-manicured gardens, which became a signature wherever she lived.

Zeller's fourth book captures this fixation to beautify her surroundings, and is packaged to prod the creative instincts of other florists as priority. In it, she succinctly summarises the elements and principles of design in floral arrangements quite intriguingly.

Arrangement history

Offering a brief of Jamaica's flower arrangement history in the first chapter, the book tackles conditioning of plant material, preservation of dried plant material and weathered wood, detailing information on containers to use, equipment and tools.

Throughout the book, Zeller's work guides on highlighting the complement of the good, bad and ugly. She uses readily discarded and overlooked material, as well as naturally attractive materials to portray this. Examples are 'Beauty and the Beast', and 'Assemblage'.

This arrangement shows strategically placed red roses and their foliage, enhancing a diagonal piece of weathered wood.

Geometric form, use of space and patterns are employed to create balance in the few traditionally expected designs, but beyond that call, Zeller focuses on contemporary and abstract styles and designs. In these 'unrealistic' arrangements, material is minimally, but effectively used to create patterns. These designs are among the most expressive compositions, but they are equally impacting as decorative pieces. Plant materials, such as red ginger and willow, are combined to set more than varying moods in these colourful visual beauties.

Throughout the book, there is rhythm, good colour usage, harmony, balance - elements sheaddresses in her lessons. As a treat, an entire chapter is dedicated to the tropical delight one can achieve with carnations, and the colours in which the pages are styled, transform them into floral arrangements themselves. The organisers have done well in choosing colours from the hues of nature.

Weakness

One of the book's few weaknesses is the inconsistent attention to detail of the arrangements by both the photographer and graphic designer. Some of the images lack detail proportionate to their size, and seem to have been overexposed to bright light, when photographed. A claim that the resulting lack of good tonal value in the colours is perhaps due to the printer's devil would fail, as on other pages, there is evidence of (the photographer's) effective painting with light.

The lack of sensitivity to the subject was mirrored on the pages that gave step-by-step guidelines on tools, materials and geometric forms for the arrangements. The sketched images, as well as some of the photographs, at times unnecessarily float off into space in no particular design to exact the right appeal of the combined package of the well-chosen text and images.

However, the faded miniature vases behind the page numbers, the occasional water-colour illustrations particularly on page 70, and selected zoomed-in images, make the book more attractive. Additionally, the vase-shaped collage of the book's varied images with a smaller one including relating page numbers, is a creatively-designed educator's map to the book's contents, complete with a glossary of words.

The book would have made a better collector's item, had equal thought been given to the compositions, as was given to the text styles and selected enlarged flowery elements interfaced with selected thoughts.

Far more should have been done to liberate the pictures that speak volumes of Zeller's riveting creations. Nonetheless, it's an achievement worth supporting, and the lessons we glean are important to this vital tool in teaching creativity with flowers.

Anthea McGibbon, a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, has more than 10 years experience in the fields of journalism and the arts. Contact her at islandartattack@yahoo.co.uk.