CREATIVITY WORKING WITH CREATION

THERE IS SOMETHING MAGICAL ABOUT THUMBING THROUGH THE PAGES OF AN OLD BOOK AND COMING ACROSS A PRESSED FLOWER BETWEEN ITS PAGES. SOMEONE ELSE’S SINGLE RED ROSE, PERHAPS – WITH ALL THE CONNOTATIONS OF A LONG-AGO LOVE STORY – OR ONE OF YOUR OWN THAT INSTANTLY TAKES YOU BACK TO A CHILDHOOD SUMMER, A MATRIC DANCE, OR A MEMORABLE TRIP. IT SEEMS A SHAME TO LEAVE THEIR BEAUTY AND NOSTALGIA HIDDEN, THOUGH. NOW, THANKS TO VANESSA LENNOX AND HER FLOWER PRESSING AND FRAMING BUSINESS, FOREVER FLORALS, YOU CAN DISPLAY AND ENJOY PRESSED FLOWERS FROM ALL YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

As with most creative pursuits,Vanessa’s love of flower pressing started at a young age.“We lived on a farm in the Lowveld, and I remember constantly filling the press with wildflowers from our garden and farm. As a kid, it was quite the exercise in patience to wait for the pressed results. However, it captivated me to see something transformed from one state of beauty into another – still the same thing, but different – all beautiful.”

Vanessa was keen to share this experience with her own daughters, and it seemed the perfect time to do so when she introduced the theme of “Spring” to her then three and five-yearold while homeschooling them during the pandemic. “I hopped online to purchase a flower press, but to my surprise, I could not find any. It made me realise two things – one, I’d have to create my own flower press, and two, there was a gap in the market because, surely, everyone wants a flower press!

“That then turned into a little sideline business of selling flower pressing kits. However, the more I built up a collection of preserved flowers from our pressing adventures, the more I wanted to display their beauty.The art of flower preservation takes weeks (sometimes months), and it requires this same amount of time (if not more) in trial and error to learn the techniques that each flower requires. It’s so rewarding when you finally ‘figure out a flower’ and what preservation technique works for that individual bloom. I then started to get requests from friends and family for the floral frames I was making, and I also pressed a friend’s bridal bouquet.Then, I started to see how this could evolve into a beautiful business.” And Forever Florals was born – or perhaps germinated would be a better description!

Now Vanessa presses all manner of flowers – a process that often involves painstakingly deconstructing each individual flower, pressing them and then reconstructing them petal by petal before arranging them in beautiful framed displays for people to enjoy in their homes for years to come.

While the concept of flower preservation was still relatively unknown when she started her business,Vanessa’s flower presses are now full to bursting with all the bouquets she receives – most of which are bridal bouquets and wedding flowers.Vanessa is also honoured when people entrust her with flowers from memorials of their loved ones.

“These pieces have moved me deeply. I’ve met with many families soon after a memorial service to receive their loved ones’ flowers and often get the honour of hearing their stories. This is something I do not take lightly. Generally, the family has specifically selected flowers for the memorial service favoured by their loved one or that remind them of them. And so they carry immense meaning. I know the sacredness of life and the

sentimental value represented in these living blooms. I realise the privilege of intersecting their journey in this small way, and I hope to creatively contribute towards a unique and personal art piece of remembrance that will celebrate the life that was.”

This is part of why Vanessa enjoys her work so much. “It’s about giving creative expression – through something organic and raw like botanical art – to people’s unique journeys, both the highs and the lows, and I thank God that there is meaning behind it all. Forever Florals is an avenue to be available for people during all these times and, in doing so, meet reality with creativity and produce art capable of speaking to the heart.”

Not surprisingly,Vanessa’s artworks are becoming increasingly in demand, and although she still does all of the layout design herself, she has recently hired a studio assistant to help her with pressing and reconstructing the flowers. She also plans to scale the business this year to take on more commissions and exciting projects.These include a series of pieces for décor and interior design that will be available for anyone to purchase, as well as pressed edible flowers for cakes and smaller items like cards.

And she is loving every step in the process (which shows in her artwork):“I feel so grateful to have landed on the creativity found in flower preservation and design. Not only is it creativity working with creation itself, but it also carries with it people’s memories and messages. I find this precious and a great honour to partake in”.

Visit Forever Florals’ Instagram page, click the link in the bio and select the booking form. Choose between six different frames (including oak, poplar and kiaat wood), pick your size (A5, A4, A3 or Grand Display) and select a layout style (Mosaic, Radius, Field, Horizontal or Classic). Drop off your flowers at Vanessa’s studio in Hillcrest, Durban, or Vanessa will send you easy packing and posting instructions so you can courier your flowers to her. The process (pressing, preserving, reconstruction, layout design and framing) takes eight to 12 weeks.

FLOWER PRESSING STARS AND VILLAINS

Flowers that press well: Tulips, delphiniums, roses and astrantias. Flowers that are tricky to press: white lisianthus, anthuriums (all colours tend to preserve to one standard colour) and dahlias (super thick flowers to preserve).

LET THE PROFESSIONALS DO THE PRESSING

InFlight: What is the difference between pressing flowers professionally and doing it yourself between the pages of a book? Vanessa: On the one hand, nothing, and on the other hand, everything! Traditional flower pressing between paper is the starting point, the essence of it all and still my favourite medium. It takes on another level of professionalism when you get accurate with aspects regarding the how and the when (results change seasonally with environment and humidity), the amount of pressure, the timing, and whether flower deconstruction is required or not. A lot also depends on the condition of the flower. Hence, professionalism comes in once you’ve gained a deep understanding of the craft and individual flowers.