Artisans of Dartmoor - Book - Page 124
On Dartmoor, extreme weather means the
environment is in a constant state of flux,
changing in ways that Joanna finds more
pronounced than anywhere else. The light,
the colours, even the mood of the landscape
she says can shift in a heartbeat. “It really
keeps me on my toes. Keeping pace with the
small changes makes me feel grounded and
connected to nature.”
To help others hone their awareness of
Britain’s micro-seasons and the natural
world in general, Joanna teaches flower
arranging courses at her home near the
13th-century village of Throwleigh, and runs
monthly foraging walks and seasonal coastal
retreats in Cornwall.
For those who can’t visit in person, she
posts images of her favourite micro-season
discoveries on her Instagram feed, along
with photographs of kō-inspired floral
arrangements. “I want to show that once you
start noticing the tiny changes, a whole new
world opens up,” she says.
Her studio is a cleverly converted garage in
the garden of her Edwardian home, where she
lives with her husband, Ashley. Inside, a large
scrub-wood table is laden with vases of drying
flora: pearlescent discs of shimmering honesty;
delicate blush-pink hydrangea; wispy, feathered
grasses, and giant alliums with seed heads like
sparks from exploding fireworks.
Shelves are crammed with junk-shop finds
she repurposes as vases: vintage cider flagons,
RIGHT: Joanna’s studio and cutting garden,
which she plants to provide interest for most of
the year. During its late August peak, it brims
with sweetpeas, sunflowers, raspberries and
poppies, with a few native wildflowers including
foxgloves and wild strawberries mixed in. Her
studio walls are garlanded with jasmine, wild
clematis and wisteria.
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The Floral Artist • Joanna Game
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