SUPPLIED Kerri Murphy’s installation took a total of six hours across two days to complete. A Wellington florist drew on her experiences with depression to create a design as an ambassador for New Zealand Flowers Week. Given the emotion “sorrow” as inspiration, Murphy wanted to convey something less obvious than death. Three decreasing circles of more than 400 tightly woven flowers rest over a textured background of green foliage. A sea of white petals spill down from the circles onto the floor. READ MORE: * Here’s how to create a stunning floral Christmas tree * Wellington’s Bucket Fountain gets floral makeover for NZ Flowers Week * New business venture encourages budding florists Florist Kerri Murphy, the owner of Twisted Willow in Tawa, is the only ambassador from Wellington. The arrangement depicted Murphy’s own experience with depression. The circles showed different mindsets; black for depression, grey for hope, and white for the light in the distance. Five florists met in Auckland on October 9 and created large-scale installations which were then photographed for display. This year’s theme is “the power of flowers”, and each florist was given an emotion for inspiration. Flowers could represent dark times, but could be made beautiful in a different way. The six hours spent on her design over two days were an “emotional but passionate” experience. Murphy hoped people would realise there was always light. “It’s a bloom towards hope.” Murphy described her style as textural, and she always aimed to create an emotion in the viewer. “We’re lucky in NZ, we have an amazing contrast of foliage.” In her 30 years as a florist, Murphy learned it was easier to create an arrangement with a person or “vibe” in mind. “It’s always easier when you meet the person,” she said. “It’s hard when people […]