Eva Alonso on colour, botanical weaving and floristry in Buenos Aires

I’m a floral designer with a strong interest in using flowers as a medium to express emotion and explore nature in all its splendour: colour, shape, texture and movement.

I was born and raised surrounded by nature, with a very creative and artistic perspective. I have always loved working with my hands. Since I was a child, I felt that I was good at it, and that it made me feel safe and gave me space to daydream, which I loved.

I’m based in Buenos Aires, and at the moment my work centres on floral design for events, where I work as Head Florist at Antera Estudio.

I discovered floristry almost by chance. I have a background in fashion, but I was really disappointed with the industry, so I quit my job and went travelling. When I came back to the city, I needed a job quickly. I was contacted by a flower shop and went to the interview with zero experience in the field and no expectations at all.

Surprisingly, I got the job, and it turned out to be a great experience. I soon discovered the artistic and creative world of floristry and fell completely in love with it.

I started practising after work at home, while also connecting with colleagues, which eventually led me to a freelance career that gave me a lot of confidence. During that time, I met Nico and Manu from Antera, and after a few seasons working together, as the studio grew, they offered me the opportunity to be in charge of the flowers.

Floristry has had an enormous positive impact on my life. It has given me amazing friends and the endless channel of artistic expression I had been looking for.

At the moment, I’m very interested in colour. It’s a deep and immense world that I’m trying to understand in my own way. Colour in flowers is different from colour in painting or sculpture. I feel that with flowers, it’s more about interaction, and I find that very interesting. Let’s say I’m interested in developing my own language of colour and using it to translate my fantasies.

My creative process depends on the task. When I’m working on something for the studio, I usually start from a concept or theme that gives me information related to the colour palette, silhouettes and possible variations. With that information, I try to create a visual world that includes all kinds of things, not only floral elements.

After that comes the material research, and the ideas have to adapt to what’s available on the market, which is amazing because it becomes a new source of visual information and resources that ends up defining a lot of what will happen with the final arrangement.

When I’m doing personal work, it’s more about the material. I usually get captivated by something I see in the streets or at the market and work mostly intuitively, trying to be sensitive to what that material is capable of doing. I don’t usually have a previous mental image of what I’m making. I observe the material, make a quick drawing, and get my hands on it.

Your work often uses strong form, line and unusual composition. How do you think about structure when you arrange?

I try to figure out structures that don’t require more attention than what we need to put into creating an interesting shape. It’s important to make a good material selection and understand what you are working with, so you don’t have to ask flowers to perform miracles in order to hold a shape. Material and structure have to work together. That’s the most important thing.

It’s hard to say because there are so many beautiful things to work with. I would say that, right now, I’m drawn to flowers that help me create volume easily. I’ve also been experimenting with weaving botanical materials lately, and I find it very interesting as a way of transforming and intertwining planes, lines and volumes.

What is distinctive about working with flowers in Buenos Aires, and how does the city influence your work?

I find the contrast between Buenos Aires and the flowers very stimulating. The city has a fast rhythm and a sort of automatism. Working with flowers demands patience, flexibility and attention to detail. You cannot be indifferent. I think some of that chaos, and the effort to make these two worlds work together, shows in my work.

What is one thing flowers have taught you, or one piece of advice you would give to other flower people?

Flowers have taught me a lot about adaptability and improvisation. From my perspective, floristry is a performative practice. Even when you plan everything ahead, there is always an element of improvisation and those “make it work” moments. I love that because it makes me feel even more creative.

On a personal level, I’ve learned about the importance of collaboration, and floristry has put me in contact with amazing people.

As advice, I would say: work, practise. Don’t be afraid of flowers. They are strong and generous. Get to know them, touch them, work with your intuition. Learn what each of them can give you. Observe the differences between them, accept them, and love them all.