The Wild Bouquet, A Path of Impressions

Picking wild flowers in the countryside changes the way we experience this natural space. During our search, nature is transformed into a varied palette of colours, shapes and textures… motifs with which we sketch out our future bouquet in our mind’s eye as we walk. The stroll evolves into something similar to diving into an Impressionist painting.

The beauty of a canvas of this type comes from the artist’s ability to recognise what colour is needed and where to apply it, from the curious harmony that connects the final result with the source of nature that the painter selects as a model. Something similar happens on our walk – albeit at a different scale – while we choose which “brushstrokes” will give form to the future bouquet. Our attention is now guided by impressions, by the search for those flowers that stand out among all the others or perhaps the ones that grab our attention because they are hard to reach. All of this influences the personality of each bouquet.

As the number of plucked flowers grows, the selection process becomes more exacting and demanding. With our half-finished bouquet, we begin to think about the key pieces that will make it unique: that bright yellow flower which will provide a chromatic counterpoint (St. John’s wort, wood avens, broom…). That fine-textured stem which will accentuate the lightness of the bouquet (wild oats, bluebell, poppy…) or perhaps those berries which will contrast with the predominant greens (elderberries, rosehips…).

The time spent in collecting the flowers as well as how many we take back home have to be the right amount. Among other reasons because the flowers can wilt if we take too long to put them into some water and also because we shouldn’t be greedy in what we borrow from nature.

The entire process is completed by the subsequent creative composition for the bouquet, the moment when we finish “weaving” our impressions. In fact, the final bouquet should be the result of a specific route and of the thoughts that arose along the way. It will reflect a season, a time of day, a place… even a mood. When it is finished, it will bring to mind that original impressionistic experience, a memory that is beautiful because of its wild nature, just like the flowers in our bouquet.