Artist honoured to open event

BRUNSWICK Junction resident, internationally recognised floral artist and lifetime show participant, Jean Shine will officially open the 86th annual Brunswick Show this year.

Ms Shine has been taking part in the show almost all her life having been born and raised in Brunswick.

“It goes back a long way,” she said.

“We were encouraged by our parents to take part.

“We used to just do bowls and vases and then I got more interested in the floral art side of arranging and took it from there.”

As a member of the Bunbury Floral Art Society and the WA Floral Art Society, Ms Shine has competed on local, State and even international levels.

Ms Shine won the Archipelagos section of the World Floral Show in Barbados earlier this year.

“It’s interpretive, so you do a design interpreting the topic as best you can using the principles and elements,” she said.

Ms Shine said she was attracted to the artistic challenges found in floral design.

“I’m not saying a paint brush isn’t challenging but a paint brush you can guide it to do what you want it to do, but with plant material you really need to be able to find the material to do what you want to do,” she said.

“Then of course it only lasts a few days then it’s gone and then, unless you’re able to preserve the material, you start again.”

Ms Shine said it was a huge honour for her to open the show. “At first I was a bit overwhelmed with the thought of doing it but to be honest it’s simply just a great honour to be able to open the show knowing that my family before have all taken pretty strong parts in the show,” she said.