For today’s Amplify feature, I wanted to go in a slightly different direction and perhaps stretch the idea that most people have about what art is and what an artist does. I am pleased to share my friend Mark Harding, and his beautiful work. I don’t really remember when I met Mark. That’s the way it is when you move in and out of circles of friends, but it has to have been 5 or 6 six years ago. It could easily be much longer than that, but however long it has been, it has been fascinating to witness Mark’s journey.
You might call Mark a florist, but I think that word, though he uses it himself, doesn’t do Mark justice. The word florist to me conjures the image of someone putting together bouquets and vases of flowers mindlessly at the grocery store or at the local florists. Though the flowers may be beautiful and their arrangement pleasing, they lack the WOW factor. Mark is a true floral artist and creates stunning arrangements and impermanent works of art, and I think that difference is intention. Mark puts a lot of thought and intention into his all of his designs, from simple, everyday bouquets to his large installations at floral shows.
Mark wasn’t always a floral designer and spent many years as a circus artist and clown, but when he encountered flowers, he decided to give them the same dedication and intention that he had given to being a circus aerialist and performer. Just as movement and narrative was important to his circus performances, they are equally important to Mark’s floral work. Texture and contrast also play a key role in his designs as he plays shapes, lines, and patterns off of one another.
In 2016, Mark opened Flower Haus, his storefront in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Though its a small space, it is constantly filled with an array of flowers, arrangements, and plants, and Mark puts as much thought and intention into the the ever changing space as he does the beautiful work that fills it.
Along with running the shop and making and delivering bouquets and arrangements on a day-to-day basis, Mark continually pushes his design skills, and his remarkable designs and originality, keeps his schedule full with special events like weddings and floral shows. He always works hard to bring a unique narrative to any event, and his large and inventive installations have earned him and his team medals at the last three Philadelphia Flower Shows.
Mark’s work is rooted in community, and he works closely with his clients to give them something very special, but his sense of community stretches even further. He supports others in his community and works with local growers to ensure freshness and quality, as well as teaming up with Joy Birdy Pottery to sell unique vases and pots. Also, during this pandemic, he has found a way to combine his love of circus performing and floral design to bring a bit of color and beauty in a project that he calls Social Floristry. Mark describes the project as “the act and intention of connecting and engaging our local communities directly with the power, presence, and beauty of floristry, no matter the circumstance.” Working under the guise of Harden Stark, he has been delivering the beauty of flowers to essential workers as a way to uplift and connect all through the support and donations of people in the community.
Mark is a truly gifted floral designer, and if you’re ever in Shepherdstown, make certain to stop by the Flower Haus.
You can find out more about Mark and see much more of his work online.
Website: https://www.flowerhausguys.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flowerhausguys/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerhausguys/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/flowerhausguys/