We have made a quantum leap

We are now at quality grade number four and we will examine images of a Black-eyed Susan to assess the craftsmanship at this level. When I look at these pictures, I almost expect to see a bee settle on the disk petals of this blossom. (Remember disk petals from the daisy we examined at level two).  The yellow petals are a good color. I don’t know if the fabric was pre-dyed before being cut to shape or hand painted after, but some hand painting was done to add veining to the petals. Further, subtle parallel furrows have been impressed in the fabric, aligned to run the length of the petals. This is an authentic touch. Finally, the petals are shaped and mounted so they recurve, giving the blossom a uniquely characteristic, “cone” shape.

This Brown-eyed Susan shows
superior craftsmanship to
anything we have seen so far.

The construction of the central “eye” shows that this fine structure can be reproduced realistically. Photo three, a shot of the backside, shows a stem without leaves attached to a calyx. This is botanically accurate, as far as it goes.  A significant amount of attention was paid to reproducing this artificial blossom in great detail.

        

Flaws can still be seen in this
example, but the overall
appearance makes an asset of its
inclusion in an arrangement.

This photo of the underside
shows that the stem and calyx
are clearly plastic.

This example has some problems that keep it from being ranked at a higher grade. The close up photos reveal significant fraying on the petal edges. Fabric weave is visible in some petals, depending on how the light hits them. In the photo to the right, a cluster of leaves in the upper right actually show light through the weave. Not much care was taken in their fabrication. (Also, there are some petals that are not in tight formation. The blossom looks disheveled, like pillow hair. I initially saw this as a flaw, but I have reviewed some photos on line that show this to be a natural occurrence. Intentional, or not? I don’t know.) Finally, there is an issue with the botanical accuracy of the stem. It is characteristic of this plant to have bristly stems.  There is even a variety known as Rudbeckia hirta – hirta being derived from the Latin for hairy (I suppose akin to hirsute). This specimen’s stem and stamen are shiny, smooth plastic. This would not be an issue in higher grade stems.

These issues notwithstanding, this specimen is a substantial improvement over our previous example at grade three. A lot more care has been taken to simulate the living plant. Efforts to achieve an even greater sense of realism will increase significantly at the final two levels.