Un peu, beaucoup... François Lequesne.
Florist, gardener, landscapist, horticulturist, I am all that and to sum up: a vegetal designer. This art has been for some time now split between gardening and floristry. Both of them put together create an artisan of nature. That is how I would describe myself.
I don’t only work with flowers but with nature itself in all its splendor. I love local flowers and everything that makes the scenery more familiar. If I come to think of it, the importance of vegetal resources never ceases to amaze me. I think the beauty of scenery resides in the most apparently insignificant actions: like gleaning for example.
Ever since I was a child I loved doing that. It feels like bringing nature into the heart of civilization somehow, and getting to enjoy it before anyone else does. Moreover, nature is such an incredible source of inspiration to me that I find it always very hard to part with objects. Before throwing away anything I always ask myself if I should keep it or not or if I should recycle it. It is this variety that creates a certain uniqueness of my bouquets.
In order to create I constantly need to go back to the roots of things and to have the product at hand. I think that many florists have somehow lost their connection with their roots. Being the head of a company and an artist at the same time is a very difficult enterprise.
The modern florist must be able to work all handles, just as a chef does in front of the stove. He must be careful to communicate that his presence is the warranty of quality.
Explorer of ideas, sensations, perceptions and above all a messenger of joy and beauty, I claim to have a botanical philosophy of life.
I’m convinced that knowing and understanding the art of cultivating your garden with rigor and humility allows you to discover the very essence of nature.
Even when she seems quiet, she speaks to those who find time to look upon her. That is the substance of my message. I have nothing else to say. That is, as far as I’m concerned, the very quintessence of my work.
