Last month we hosted a Dutch Masters workshop at the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City. March/April is arguably the best time of year to mimic the dramatic compositions of these paintings -- for one, Dutch bulb flowers such as Fritillaria Persica, Imperialis, and Melagris are at their peak along with some of the best parrot tulips, Italian grown Icelandic Poppies, narcissus, hyacinths, sweet peas and ranunculus.*

Watching these arrangements come to life was extraordinary! It's always incredible how each student interprets the same set of flowers uniquely. At the end of the day we styled and photographed twenty some odd masterpieces. You can view them all on flickr. Thanks to the staff at the Metropolitan Building for being such gracious hosts, and to all our students who came from far and wide (two from the UK!) to spend an afternoon with us.

*You'll never spot a ranunculus in a dutch masters painting -- the multi-petaled ranunculus we know and love were not cultivated for cut flowers until around the turn of the 20th century. More about Edwin Frazee, one of the most influential ranunculus growers here.