This design was a competition entry to depict a Dutch-Flemish flower painting. The backboard was made from mount card, in brown, with a separate edge cut to shape and sprayed gold, to depict a niche. The base was made to represent a wooden table top. The container was a terracotta urn, and this was placed onto a small plinth, covered with a brown velvet drape. Floral foam was used for the mechanics.

The Dutch-Flemish flower paintings were full of symbolism, and I have incorporated certain accessories to depict this. These are: a lizard (transience of life), butterfly (symbolic of the soul and resurrection), bird's nest with blue eggs (resurrection) sea shell (earthly existence). I made the lizard from modelling clay, and painted it with poster paints. The bird's nest was a real one, blown out of its tree by winter gales, but the eggs were artificial (actually chocolate mini-eggs with a sugar coating!!) The butterfly was artificial, made from feathers. The sea shell was real. The Dutch-Flemish painters also depicted damaged foliage, to represent the transience of life, and I included some in the arrangement which had been eaten by caterpillars!

Many different flowers were depicted from different seasons, and the flowers I have used include, Tulips, Roses, Daffodils, Lilies, Carnations, Irises, Anemones, Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), and Larkspur.