Ian showcases new floral designs

Nipuni WIMALAPALA

Often women are compared to flowers. Around the globe, women are facinated by flowers despite their age, race or education level. But do you know that there are men who fall in love with flowers as well.

Ian Buxton proves the fact.

Buxton, a world famous highly creative floral designer whose life is flowers was in Sri Lanka to demonstrate some of his most beautiful floral designs at the annual floral exhibition done by Shi-En Ikebana and Floral Art Society of Sri Lanka. The event was held under the theme 'Celebrating Flowers and Flavours' on March 18 at the Galadari Ballroom.Buxton is from UK but is internationally renowned for his unique and innovative floral designs.

He is an international floral demonstrator and a member of National Association of the Flower Arrangement Society (NAFAS). He has won a large number of awards for his perfect creativity.

Being a very simple and down to earth man in an interview with ZEST told that he is really happy to be in his favourite field and has excelled it to the maximum level.

"I have demonstrated in a lot of countries where thousands of people were interested in my designs. I have won many valuable awards for my creative work. I do floral designing workshops and wedding floral designing.

I was once a hotel manager and then did a family business on catering service. In that time, I found floral designing quite interesting.

This is my second visit to Sri Lanka, he noted. He has an experience of over 30 years. He is a NAFAS judge and for three years Ian served as the Area Judges' Representative and was recently awarded an Associate of Merit of the North Midlands Area. Ian continues to enjoy competing in floral art and exhibits very regularly adding to his previous awards.

"The society is purely Sri Lankan which was started in 1991 by late Mrs. Kamala Pillai and her students to promote the art of flower arranging in Sri Lanka," president of Shi-En Ikebana and Floral Art Society of Sri Lanka Shanthi Shanmuganadan said.

"We have held successful floral exhibitions every year and the proceeds were donated to various worthy causes. The past few years we have been helping children affected by Thalassaemia. The proceeds from the above function will be used to help children in the Thalassaemia ward of the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle," she added.