Canon
Chic Floral Designs
Ellen Seagraves, AIFD EMC
2023 installation
1st Floor - Great Stair Hall
The Inspiration
This bronze, smoothbore six-pounder cannon cast in Philadelphia, is marked on the top with the letters "US" surrounded by a ribbon bearing a mostly obliterated Latin inscription and pierced by a vindicta (a rod symbolizing emancipation from tyranny) surmounted by a liberty cap. The reproduction oak carriage and boxes were made by Champlain Cannon Works of Adirondack Machine Corporation in Glens Falls, NY, ca. 1970s. One of no more than ten marked American-made bronze cannons remaining from the American Revolution, this one survived because it was used as a gatepost in an ornamental fence surrounding the Charleston, South Carolina monument to Revolutionary War hero William Washington. On loan from the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of South Carolina.
The Flowers
Florist’s inspiration: The thought behind my piece is simple, "What if, instead of cannons being agents of mayhem and destruction, they shot soft seed and plant filled spheres into the air resulting in the regeneration of the plant life of the planet."
Recipe: lily grass, bear grass and other grasses with assorted spring flowers
THE DESIGNER
Chic Floral Designs
Ellen Seagraves, AIFD EMC
Ellen Seagraves, AIFD EMC, is a native Washingtontonian who has been creating with flowers for more than 25 years. She has a degree in weaving and textile design and had a small handmade clothing boutique for many years. That early interest had a large influence on her floral design. Incorporating textile techniques into her floral designs is a signature design style. Ellen has studied and continues to study with national and international figures in the world of floral art. Her achievement of AIFD credentials in both design and judging and study in Belgium to attain European Master Certification have furthered her design growth.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
Aimee Custis
Aimee Custis is a wedding and portrait photographer based in Washington DC. Her rich, luminous, and emotive style draws artistic inspiration from classical painters, street photography, and storytelling.
Her inclusive, client-centric approach to wedding photography is informed heavily by a background in hospitality, non-profit event planning, and college summers as a camp counselor. Aimee's wedding work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Washingtonian Weddings. Outside of weddings, her client list includes non-profits, hotels, and elected officials. Aimee is also the web designer behind the Art in Bloom website.
Aimee (she/they) lives in a rowhouse in Washington DC’s U Street corridor with her husband Greg and golden retriever Whiskey.
