ART IN BLOOM

Flowers and herbs, grasses and weeds, twigs and rocks, Legos and hats…

It could only be Art in Bloom.

Art in Bloom is a fun contest that encourages our residents’ creative minds to bring a painting to life with the help of Mother Nature. Contestants create a nature-based display alongside their painting of choice, and they are judged (by three impartial staff members) on categories like workmanship and how well the display accompanies the painting.

This was OceanView’s 4th annual Art in Bloom, inspired by Art in Bloom at the Portland Museum of Art, and it was another success with 15 displays.

This year’s 1st place winner was Julie Woods. Congratulations, Julie!

Julie’s display, seen on the right, is called Barnstorming. She chose a painting from her home that she inherited from her brother.

For her display, Julie says she picked almost everything from around her garden and other parts of OceanView’s campus, including hydrangea for the sky and goldenrod, sweetgrass, and more for the grounds. The base, however, is a natural growth from a mesquite tree she bought in Mexico, which she used to mimic the dark barn.

This is Julie’s second time competing. She says it takes weeks of planning and experimentation to create a good display, and she is happy to have won.