When neurologist Irina Kord moved to Canada from Ukraine 26 years ago, she went in search of a new beginning, a new career.
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn affiliate commissions from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
When neurologist Irina Kord moved to Canada from Ukraine 26 years ago, she went in search of a new beginning, a new career.
advertising 2
Article content
But medicine wasn’t her passion. It was in art, especially flower art.
Article content
Today, over 20 years later, Code is an award-winning floral designer and principal member of the Garden Club of London. Its members have won awards around the world over the last two years, despite being unable to stay home due to the pandemic.
Over the past two years, club members have won 32 awards for their designs. Code won top prize for his work Synesthesia at the South African Flower Union’s Floral Art Reimagined virtual flower show last summer. The theme was floral art and musical blur based on the song Sandstorm by Finnish DJ Darude.
This year Code also finished runner-up at the Best of Show at the International Friends of Floral Art and Design in the UK.
advertising 3
Article content
“When I came to Canada[inthemid-1990s]I was too old to make a fresh start,” said William Cord, a professor of urban geography at Western University, who married 77. Said the old code.
“It would have taken me five years to get my (neurology) license here, but it was easy because it was a matter of career and family. I found out about the Garden Club and signed up for the class.”
On Monday, club members will gather at the London Civic Garden Complex on Springbank Drive to celebrate with a slide show of the winning entries.
Club president Pam Sabrin said: “We have an amazing and talented group of flower artists.
“They have competed, qualified as judges, and have returned to share their knowledge and talents with the rest of the club. It will be an opportunity to see what people have been up to.”
Advertising 4
Article content
A garden club is often mistaken for a group of people who share ideas about their garden. In fact, club members can participate in the ongoing Carolina Forest project not far from Guy Lombardo Bridge on Wonderland Road, floral designs, crafts, other organizations (Ronald McDonald House, Eldon House) and community celebrations. , or help promote good environmental practices.
“There are many reasons to join the club,” Sabrin said.
“This is a really great way to be creative and give back to the community.”
For Code, flower art feeds her soul.
“I can’t live without flower art,” said Cord, who specializes in flower art collage styles. “It’s a way of self-expression, a way of showing people how beautiful things can be made from plants and natural objects. I think collage (style) is the most interesting way to interpret a theme. It’s design.”
Cord said the talent of her fellow club members was “just amazing.”
“After more than two years of going through a very difficult year of the pandemic, we found incredible relief and purpose in flower art,” Cord said earlier this year.
“I signed up for her class, and I remember her telling me that if you didn’t feel passionate about the class, you should find something else. I felt it right away. ”
jbelanger@postmedia.com
