In the Spotlight: Featured uBloomer, Beth O’Reilly, AIFD, TMF

Beth is the Grand Prize Winner of the uBloomer Flower Design Contest and the special guest star on this weeks JTV webisode. Her visually stunning Calla Tower project was an instant favorite among uBloomers with everyone wanting to know "How did she DO that!" Beth is single and lives in a rural area of Austin, Texas with her horses and is co-owner of The Flower Studio.Tell me about your background in floral design.I’ve been in the floral industry for over 13 years. I started out working for a local florist as I attended college in Texas. After earning a degree in Fine Art Sculpture, I continued pursuing floral design and was mentored by Coby Neal, AIFD, who is now my business partner.It’s very important for me to stay on the cutting edge of floral design. I take every opportunity to attend workshops and seminars. I have had the privilege of being instructed by the best in the industry: Hitomi Gilliam, Gregor Lersch, Sherry McGukin, J Schwanke and others. Each experience adds something to my knowledge base and they each build upon themselves.I earned my AIFD certification in 2007 (took the test in 2006) at the Palm Desert, CA AIFD Symposium. I also won the title of "Texas Designer of the Year" by winning the Texas Cup Competition. I represented Texas in the 2006 NAFA Designer of the Year Competition and placed 2nd. I placed 4th in the Sylvia Cup. And just recently, I received my TMF (Texas Master Florist) title.That's quite an impressive list of accomplishments.The accomplishments allow me to be more visible and give back to the floral industry by presenting design and educational programs. I also want to help bring floral design into the position of being considered high art.What is your floral design philosophy?Having a background in fine art sculpture has greatly influenced and shaped my philosophy and vision of floral design. I believe floral design is a constant study. There are always new approaches, new sources of inspiration, and it’s application is limitless. My goal is to expose people to sculptural floral design and help them experience flowers in a way they normally wouldn’t have.Your winning project, Calla Tower, is certainly a fine example of the marriage between sculpture and floral design. How did you come up with the idea?It was really a collaborative effort between myself, Coby and The Flower Studio. We started out with an original design and through a process of adjustments and fine tuning, we finally ended up with the Calla Tower.How and where have you used the Calla Tower design?It was on exhibit at an art gallery, we used it for a fund raiser for the American Heart Association, it was displayed in a fashion runway show, it has been decor for weddings, and most recently, it was used in an advertising campaign for Dell Computers. We just finished wrapping up the Dell photo shoot.What was your reaction when you realized you had won the uBloomer Flower Design Contest?Well, it was a lot of fun to watch the scores, especially when it got closer to the last day of the voting. At 12:30 the next morning, I checked the final scores and realized that I had won! Of course I was thrilled, but then I wondered what would happen next. Justin Mast called me later on that day, and it was then that it sunk in… I was really going to Grand Rapids to see J!What was being a guest star on JTV like?Absolutely incredible! I’ve never been to a studio before so everything was new and exciting. It was so much fun to get my hair and makeup done. I loved working with J because he is so relaxed and reassuring. Which was good because I was pretty nervous. Especially, when at first, it looked like the Calla Tower was going to be too tall to fit on camera. J and his crew were awesome and took great pains to make sure I could do the Calla Tower with no alterations. It was an eye opening experience for me and I really got to see just how hard J works and all the labor that goes in to making each JTV webisode.What were the best and most difficult things about shooting a JTV webisode?The best thing was working with J…definitely! He is really great, so genuine and so pro-flowers.The most difficult thing is trying to stay in position for the camera while doing the design. I had to think differently and very deliberately, always being aware of how my every move was going to appear on camera. It’s not easy! Another interesting aspect of filming a show is not being able to move anything after the director says "cut." My first instinct was to clean up the scraps and neaten up the table before the next "take." I had to leave everything the way it was.Besides starring on JTV, what else did you do while you were in Grand Rapids?I went shopping at Van’s Floral Products with J, and the JTV crew came along to film us as we bought supplies for making the Calla Tower.How did you spend your Van’s gift certificate?I bought some new design tools (every designer loves tools!)…an Oasis knife and clippers. I bought lots and lots of metallic wire, both colored and bullion. I also bought Coby some glittery birds…he loves birds.How was dinner with J? What restaurant did you go to?Dinner was wonderful! I met J and his crew along with the people from Van’s floral supply at Bloom around 6:30pm. The food was great and we were so totally engrossed in conversation (about flowers of course) that we didn’t leave the restaurant until 10:00pm.Sounds like you had a fabulous time.I really did! Everything was amazing. Even my hotel room was upgraded to a suite (due to overcrowding) which overlooked the Grand River. My visit to Michigan was a great experience.Any last tips on making your Calla Tower?The armature for the design is the cylinder of circular stacked sheets of foam. Callas are pinned into the armature til it’s filled in. The trick is to keep turning the design as you fill it in. If you plan on delivering it to another location, because it is so large you will need to make the design in sections and then set it up on site. FYI: the Calla Tower sells for between $2,500.00 and $3,000.00!Let’s make a list of your favorites. What is your favorite...Flower?Orchids, Callas, Hydrangeas and any funky, tropical flower or foliage. I can’t pick just one!Floral Design Conference?The AIFD SymposiumFloral Designer?Hitomi GilliamVenue to Decorate?An exotic game ranch in Austin, Texas. We actually had refrigerated trucks on site for the several day eventFloral Design Product?Hard, green sheets of StyrofoamMagazine?Bride and BloomBook?The AIFD Guide to Floral DesignJTV Webisode?When J visits the Texas State Floral ConventionCut Flower Wholesaler?Mayesh…they’re the best!