Floral Intensive
with Maddie Reyna
$100 Lab Fee | August 16 - 22 | Exploratory
This immersive retreat-like course invites participants to explore the sculptural and painterly potential of flower arranging as both supportive of and central to a creative studio practice. Students will create at least three distinct arrangements—one inspired by the lush and layered Garden Eclectic style, one by the contemplative Japanese art of Ikebana, and one based on an abstract artwork of their choice. Mornings will be spent arranging with fresh, seasonal blooms, while afternoons will offer quiet, self-directed studio time for drawing and painting from the arrangements. The group will also visit White Barn Flower Farm, whose team will deliver a beautiful selection of flowers to sustain the class throughout the week. Demonstrations and guided exercises will introduce the use of chicken wire and kenzan armatures, flower care, and techniques for balance and movement in design. The class will draw inspiration from artists and traditions that treat flowers as both subject and philosophy. We’ll look to Jan van Eyck for his devotion to botanical precision and symbolism, Shozo Sato for his teaching of Ikebana as a mindful and performative act, and Willem de Rooij for his conceptual installations that elevate floral form to social and political reflection. Through conversation and observation, students will consider how arranging can move beyond decoration to become a meditative, painterly gesture—one that reflects culture, emotion, and time. Throughout the week, participants will complete three floral compositions—Garden Eclectic, Ikebana-Inspired, and Abstract Interpretation—each paired with a drawing or painting study that deepens sensitivity to color, rhythm, and form. The session will culminate in a collective installation of all arrangements, transforming the studio into a living gallery that celebrates impermanence, beauty, and creative renewal.
This course is available for non-credit only.
Maddie Reyna (she/her) is an American painter who began arranging flowers as a way to have live subjects for her work. That practice has come to stand alone as she applies considerations of color, form, and composition to three-dimensional organic matter. The recipient of an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she studied at the Flower School of New York, designs flower arrangements for brides and other party throwers in Chicago, and is the Education Director at Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency.