Fine Art Floristry
the fundamentals
APRIL 1 & 2
THE FLORAL RESERVE
PROVIDENCE, RI
Ticket Price: $2900
The Dutch Golden Age paintings have been a constant source of inspiration for artists of various mediums for centuries. It’s the ephemeral beauty of their subjects, that these masters were able to capture… and it continues to captivate, tantalize and inspire us today.
You are invited to a two-day event, with four professional enthusiasts, that will not only nourish your design and artistic soul, but also finesse the creative director aspect of your talents. Join us and enhance your design skills, while also putting those skills into motion with a solid business foundation, plan, and goals.
Held in The Floral Reserve wholesale flower market, this unique opportunity will allow guests will be immersed in the beauty of spring blooms! The Floral Reserve promotes local and sustainable flowers and believes in having an environment in which to touch and see all that our local farmers have to offer. This extraordinary market is committed to providing products in an inspiring and collaborative environment that beckons you to do your best creative work. Guest will have the chance to explore the market and have any and all questions answered by the experts on sourcing, ordering, processing, sustaining… etc.
Flowers by Semia and RK Florals will introduce guests to the fundamentals of Dutch Master inspired, fine art floral design. These two have spent years studying, practicing and curating their talents in understanding this particular style of design. Step by step demonstrations will be given, where key elements will be explained, such as color theory, processing and understanding the life stages of flowers, study of natural movement and angles, the precise placement of stems, as well as the fine details and final touches of styling the finished designs. This can be challenging style of design, that will take practice and patience - extra assistance, time and questions will be offered throughout the class.
FLWRPSTL from Haus of Stems will introduce her out of this world irithurium and demonstrating in creating arrangements with these sometimes intimidating blooms. She will teach how to use and incorporate painted elements into designs; will touch on how to properly select paint for your plant type/project, and will demonstrate on how to paint and manipulate the shapes of blooms.
Unique to most floral classes, but essential to the success of your business endeavors in any industry, Megan Hurley (recently heard on The Flower Podcast) is a business consultant that helps entrepreneurs to innovate and grow their ideas without having having to be present at all times. She will have an open forum in helping guests understand if you are operating a founder led vs. mission led business.
These two days are about learning and growing in your understanding and skills within this industry… all while sharing in the camaraderie of like minded colleagues. Guests will have time for 1:1’s with each instructor, for any and all questions to be answered about any aspect of the curriculum.
It is of the upmost importance to our hosts, that guests walk away with a new appreciation and set of skills… but also to feel rejuvenated and inspired.
***These two days are an all-inclusive, immersive experience that builds upon day one. Individual days cannot be purchased separately. ***
The Complete Floral Package
Wholesale
DUTCH MASTER INSPIRED Design
Challenge with exciting but intimidating blooms
Business development & improvement
Portfolio enhancement
Meet Your Instructors
Kristen Alpaugh
In 2017, Kristen Alpaugh, FLWRPSTL, stepped away from the corporate world to pursue her passion as an artist. Inspired by the impermanent beauty of flowers, Kristen's colorful and boundary-bending work is redefining the space where floristry and botanical art meet. You've probably seen Kristen's work on Season 1 of HBO's Full Bloom, at the New York Museum of Art and Design, on multiple celebrity instagrams and in some of your favorite music videos with artists like SZA, Katy Perry and Doja Cat. Kristen is also the founder of Haus of Stems, a botanical art company that sells Irithurium (that's iridescent anthurium) and other on-demand botanical art pieces to florists and non-florists nationwide.
Semia Dunne
Semia Dunne is the founder and president of Semia Floral Studio located in Providence, RI. Semia's love for flowers began when she and her mother grew their first cut flower garden together. She opened Semia Floral Studio in 2000 and has specialized in wedding and large event floral design for the past 23 years. Her work is inspired by the natural world, always embracing the lessons of movement, colors and texture found in the landscape. She strives to create floral artistry that is abundant, adventurous and transformative.
In 2013, Semia was named one of the top 62 floral designers in the country by Martha Stewart Wedding magazine. In addition, for the past 10 years, Semia has been teaching the art of floral design and also has recently collaborated with White Flower Farm, offering many of her floral designs to customers nationwide. In January of 2022 year, the SEMIA studio was named one of the125 most exciting florists in North America by Florists Review Magazine.
In December 2017, Semia opened her sister company, The Floral Reserve, also located in Providence, RI. The Floral Reserve is a wholesale floral market that serves the floral trade as well as local and regional flower farmers. It is the first location of it’s kind in Rhode Island where flower farmers can offer their product to floral designers in an inspiring market environment. The Floral Reserve also ships to florists nationwide daily. It is a wholesale flower market created by a florist, for the florist.
Robyn K. Harder
Robyn K. Harder began her floral studio from a simple admiration and passion for flowers. Her love started as a child in her mother’s numerous perennial flower beds -- never did she realize that many years later it would be the foundation of her floral designing business. Robyn graduated with a degree in English and spent over a decade in the world of public relations. Longing for a more creative outlet, she left her corporate career to work for a local florist. After a few years of ensuring a foundation in the vital aspects of floristry, along with managing their weddings and events, Robyn ventured out on her own and established RK Florals.
Years of successful industry experience, along with continued international education from top designers, Robyn strives to create something unique and lovely for her clients. Her specialty is fine art floral compositions, inspired by the Dutch Master’s masterpieces. She creates with intention; designs with precise placement, spacing, color, and movement in mind.
Megan Hurley
Megan Hurley possesses the rare combination of a COO’s mind and a CEO’s heart. A trusted adviser to entrepreneurs, she specializes in process improvements, leadership coaching, and market innovation. Over the past 15 years she’s supported businesses across verticals, from companies of one to million dollar start-ups, to build sustainable and scalable operations that drive brand loyalty and alleviate single person dependencies.
A battle-tested entrepreneur in her own right, Megan has grown multiple ventures under her portfolio, including Etc. Coordinators, a multi-city wedding coordination service and education platform, and WCJ-CO, a coaching and consulting practice helping businesses go from founder-led and passion-fueled to mission-led and sustainably supported.
Megan’s work is driven by her own experience of unexpectedly becoming a widow at just 35 years old. The We Choose Joy movement she ignited inspires individuals to navigate life when you lose the titles that have shaped you.
Itinerary
Saturday, April 1
9 AM : Arrival. Attendees will have a chance to mingle and explore The Floral Reserve. Coffee and pastries will be provided.
Morning Session: Megan Hurley - How to know if you are operating a founder led vs. mission led business.
Noon : Lunch will be provided. Guests will have a chance to mingle and ask questions.
Afternoon Session: Semia & Robyn will demonstrate their approach to Dutch Master inspired Fine Art Floristry. Guests will design their flowers with the aid of both instructors on hand.
7 PM: Dinner at Gracie’s. Guests are invited to join instructors for dinner. Reservations will be made and dinner cost will be on each individual guest. Guests are not required to attend but the invitation is open and it will allow for more time with hosts and other attendees.
Sunday, April 2
9 AM : Arrival. Coffee and pastries will be provided.
Morning Session : Kristen will present - Demos selecting and creating her signature blooms (spray paint will be involved, dress accordingly).
Noon : Lunch
Afternoon Session : Demonstrations on how to incorporate beautiful Irithurium blooms into your designs. Styling a Dutch Master’s still life inspired table & photography. An inspired still life setup will be created with essential props and a model and shot by Kirsten Capron Photography. While photos are being taken, guests will have the opportunity to work 1:1 with instructors for any in-depth questions/critiques.
Included
Four seasoned industry professionals
Held in a gorgeous flower market, where an abundance of blooms will be readily available to use for designs
All materials needed for designing - flowers & handmade artisan vase to keep
Professional photography and gallery with multiple images of your work by Kirsten Capron Photography
Lite breakfast, prepared lunches, and all coffee, tea, fresh pastries and wine you desire
Payment
Payment via Credit Card; there will be a 3.49% processing fee for credit card transactions. This will bring your total to $3,001.21. Follow the purchase button below to complete transaction.
Payment via Zelle; Some banks will only allow for $1000 on a daily Zelle transaction. Should you run into this, multiple payments will be needed for the total of $2,900. An email will be sent confirming each partial payment and also for payment in full. If you have questions/concerns about payment options, please email Robyn@RKFlorals.com.
***These two days are an all-inclusive, immersive experience that builds upon day one. Individual days cannot be purchased separately. ***
Sign up via Zelle… information below.
Sign Up
Please email:
Robyn@RKFlorals.com
Include:
Name; Phone Number; Business Name &
IG handle
Confirmation will be sent once payment is received.
(Some banks will only allow for $1000 on a daily Zelle transaction. Should you run into this, multiple payments will be needed. An email will be sent confirming each partial payment and also for payment in full.)
Use the button below to purchase via credit card.