For the monthly meeting of the Floral Art Society of Pakistan (FASP) Magnolia Chapter a demonstration was conducted conducive to the present environment of social distancing and held via Zoom, which has by now become the new normal. After a few meetings where difficulty was experienced in connecting and coordinating with each other, most people have now more or less mastered the art of these internet ‘get-togethers’ - whether for business or pleasure - so the meeting flowed more or less smoothly, though a few members did experience connectivity issues. But
After those who wanted to participate were all online, the meeting began according to rules, with the reading of the minutes by the Secretary, Amna Abbas, who then handed over the mic to Chairperson programmes, Shakila Khalil who was the MC for the event.
The programme was a demonstration cum workshop titled, ‘Focus on Greens’ conducted by Aisha Zahid, who shared the latest trends in Floral Art. As the title implies, it was all about foliage and as everyone was confined in their own space, their garden or green patches were reachable, though the artist had to make do with what was available at the venue, as the demonstration was held in a hall at the Serena Hotel.
Quiet and soft-spoken, Ayesha Zahid, who is a celebrated floral artist, teacher, and a qualified judge in this field, patiently started each technique highlighting the type of materials to be used and repeating it so that even the novices understood. She manipulated different types of leaves giving a textured look to the material or shaping it into a three-dimensional form. She created a number of beautiful designs and according to the feedback, her demonstration was a learning experience for the members who attended. Needless to say, those who did not or could not attend asked for a video recording so they could benefit as well.