Lady Cockburn and her Three Eldest Sons
CPK Floral Designs
Cynthia P. Klebonis, CFD
The Inspiration
Lady Cockburn and her Three Eldest Sons
bu Sir Joshua Reynolds (1773)
The Flowers
Florist’s inspiration: Enlightenment-era portraitist Joshua Reynolds's (1723-1792) Lady Cockburn and Her Three Eldest Sons explores the virtue of charity as a selfless mother who compassionately nurtures her children while gracefully paying homage to the works of the cherished old masters.
The composition of Reynolds’s Lady Cockburn is influenced by Anthony van Dyck’s famous painting, Charity (1627), which portrays a mother gazing up to the heavens in a desperate plea for strength while caring for her three children. At the same time, the pose of the left-most child is a clear nod to Cupid as depicted in Velázquez’s Toilet of Venus (1647). The archetype of the mother comforting her children can also be seen in the famous painting, Charity (1511), by the renowned master Raphael alongside the personifications of the theological virtues: charity, hope, and faith. To tie the scene together, an elegant parrot on the far right symbolizes the emergence of fresh ideas and new directions.
Through the incorporation of classical iconography, Reynolds infuses the painting with a profound allegory that envisions motherhood as the embodiment of charity in modern life. In my floral accompaniment to Reynolds's beautiful painting, I’ve chosen to highlight the ivory, gold, maroon, red and blue of the work with a carefully interwoven array of fresh flowers and greenery. Some of the flowers you will recognize are Roses, Spray Roses, Cremon Chrysanthemums, Muscari and Delphinium.
Recipe: Viburnum Tinus, Dahlia Karma Chocolate Leucadendron Safari Sunset, Moab Pale Peach Roses, Cappuccino Beige Spray Roses, Toscana Pale Yellow Roses, Limonium Caspia Yellow Diamond, Delphinium Sky Waltz Light Blue, Muscari Light Blue
THE DESIGNER
Cynthia P. Klebonis, CFD
CPK Floral Designs
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
Tori Del Photography
Cynthia P. Klebonis, CFD is the owner and lead floral designer of CPK Floral Designs located in Leesburg, Virginia. Her passion for flowers started as a young girl when she would create beautiful faux floral arrangements as gifts for family and friends.
When going back to work after a hiatus to raise her family, her soul searching let her back to the elation she experiences creating something unique and beautiful with her own two hands and sharing this floral joy with others. She feels blessed to have fulfilled her dream of attending floral design school and becoming a Certified Floral Designer by the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD).
Cynthia’s love of working with flowers inspires her artistry at a soul level so that the blending of shapes, colors and textures of her designs speak the language of flowers with the intention of touching the heart of the recipient. Her passion is in designing unique floral arrangements for weddings, events and special occasions. Always seeking out educational experiences that feed her creativity and enhance skills, Cynthia also loves to share her knowledge and experience by hosting Floral Arranging Workshops as public or private events in collaboration with venue business owners.
Reach out to Cynthia at CPK Floral designs for flowers that speak your language. She always puts her heart into creating a memorable piece of floral art that can be treasured.
Tori Del is a fine art wedding film photographer who caters to the Washington D.C., Montgomery County Maryland, Arlington County Virginia area as well as Destination locations.
