Floral Designer Jaime McCuaig Chats Toronto’s Green Thumb
With exhibitions for SSENSE and Versace under her belt, Toronto-based GUNNAR FLORAL is in full bloom
With greenspace in Toronto rapidly disappearing, according to reports from Statistics Canada, it may be hard to appreciate undergrowth that slips through the cracks. Yet, our city is teeming with flowers and foliage that fall off the beaten track. For Gunnar Floral, the Toronto-based creative practice of artist and floral designer Jaime McCuaig, the city is bursting at the seams.
Art Toronto. Image by Britney Townsend (also featured image)
“There is a perceived scarcity in Toronto when it comes to the natural world. And I think what has been proven through my own practice is that there is not a scarcity. There’s an obscene abundance of things growing and thriving here.”
The acclaimed floral artist, who has exhibited across Canada and the US, designed installations for Versace, Pearl Morissette and Toronto’s own 100% Silk Shop, among others. Often found foraging in industrial zones across the city, McCuaig has sourced material from unexpected places including the side of highway, under an overpass, in construction zones, and even in fenced off areas prepped for demolition.
Versace exhibition, courtesy of SSENSE.
“There’s a disproportionately large number of very talented floral designers in Toronto. And I think it’s interesting because Toronto is by no means a plant Mecca or anything but there’s just this kind of great tension between this very urban landscape — this very concrete jungle — where it’s hard to really get into true wilderness, and this crazy mash up of worlds where the wilderness is taking over or buffeted right up against it.”
McCuaig’s creative process involves a deep –– and slightly obsessive –– study of the local landscape. If she is on a plane, her eyes will be glued to the window, mapping out wild honey locust or noting the apple blossoms that grow under the 401. When she’s in a car, it’s the same –– eyes on the side of the road (don’t worry, she assures she is a safe driver). Her Google Maps echoes this, with some 5000 tiny flags of urban greenery.
“I’m from Vancouver, so I feel like I grew up in a world of overwhelming natural beauty. To some extent, it’s almost when I’m somewhere that’s so naturally beautiful, I feel way less inspired to go sniffing around. And so, I find that invisible line between where nature starts, and human-made nature begins really inspiring.”
Oftentimes, floral artists are brought on to a project that is near completion with the expectation that they will, “make it beautiful”. But for McCuaig with Gunnar Floral, the best projects are ones where she can weave in elements from that particular landscape.
“If I’m working on a project in Toronto, it feels really great to be able to cut sumac branches from the ravine or harvest different kinds of grass or find wild cucumber or something that’s growing up like a fence and it feels like it tethers the work to a time and place and a seasonality.”
More popular than ever, with ethereal sprawling floral arrangements swarming Pinterest boards, Tiktok feeds and cool-girl Instagram pages alike, the art of floral design is undeniably part of the current zeitgeist. Yet, Gunnar Floral’s immersive and intuitive creative practice is as old as time. Like the seasonal nature of plants, everything has life cycles.
“I think that we’re in a very covetous time on Earth where it’s a lot about having things and owning things and keeping things and hoarding things and I think flowers and plants are such a good reminder that everything has life cycles. I let go of every single project I ever do. I don’t get to hold on to any of them. I make something and have it be what it’s going to be. And then it goes into the compost and goes back into the earth.”
