Francoise Weeks

Tuesday, September 20, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Dewey Gottwald Center
Tickets $75 for each presentation

Wearable Botanical Art and Woodland Floral Design

Famous for innovative haute couture creations and woodland designs made with foraged plant materials and flowers, Weeks will offer two presentations as well as an intimate hands-on workshop.

Wearable Botanical Art
Tuesday, September 20, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Fashion has long been inspired by nature. In this specialized workshop, natural materials and floral arrangements take their inspiration from Haute Couture. Francoise will demonstrate the creation of show-stopping purses, shoes, jewelry, headpieces and fabric from flowers, greens, fruits and seed pods.

Françoise is recognized for her innovations in wearable floral art and will emphasize her knowledge of the mechanics and material sourcing that are the springboard for stunning creativity.

Woodland Floral Design
Tuesday, September 20, 3:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Memories of vacations foraging in the forests of Switzerland led Françoise to innovate her trademark Woodland Texture design. Her home base in the Pacific Northwest provides ample inspiration and material for creative botanical sculpture. 

Françoise combines her passion for keenly observing nature with deeply honed architectural skills to create Woodland Floral Designs from foraged woodland texture. In this presentation she will discuss how to see, source, scale and shape natural works of art. Françoise will impart the detail that goes into utilizing logs, barks, branches, mosses, mushrooms, seed pods and berries in rich and textural compositions. 

You will be amazed as Francoise builds woodland designs from found forest logs, burls, branches and even root balls, and you will learn how to cover conventional vessels with barks, mosses or leaves. 

Françoise will show you her methods for deconstructing plant materials such as evergreen cones, succulents and ferns. Tips on finding local bounty and developing your own vision will be emphasized during this exhilarating floral design presentation.

Special Event

Wearable Botanical Art Workshop with Francoise Weeks
Sunday, September 18
12 noon – 4:00 p.m.

Twenty spaces for GCV Members Only are available for this hands-on workshop, to be held on private property in Henrico. Those wishing to participate must register between July 20 and July 31. On August 2, tweny random names will be digitally selected from among registrants and will be announced on August 3.

This workshop will begin at noon on Sunday, September 18, on the contiguous properties of Tuckahoe Garden Club homeowners Maria Reed and Kelly Armstrong. During the first hour, Francois will lead participants as they forage these two, spectacular woodland garden properties. At 1:00 p.m. participants will convene in Maria’s barn to watch Francoise create wearable botanical art. Each participant will then have an opportunity to assemble their own creation with Francoise’s help and guidance. 

The workshop has a fee of $200 and will be collected when the drawing winner chooses to participate.