Flo Art is a unique form of art, where
only real flowers are used to make a picture.
It is almost impossible, on the first glimpse, not
to mistake the picture for a painting. Such is the
uniqueness of Flo Art.
Flo Art is originally an 18th century Scottish
art called 'Potting'. It was resurrected
by a Sri Lankan chemist called Hiran Abeyesanghe.
He discovered the formula for the resin
used to preserve the flowers. The resin is being
manufactured by a German company , which has patented
the formula. The pictures are, however, made in
Sri Lanka.
So how exactly is the picture made? First and foremost
is the layout of the picture. Once the layout
is made, the flowers are collected. The flowers
most commonly used are Orchids, Lady Lace, Wild
Sunflowers, Carnations and Holly Locks. Within
a period of two and half hours the flowers undergo
fungal treatment, and are laid within the layout.
The resin is then poured on the flowers. This whole
process is carried out in infrared light.
The flower layer is then laid out in the sun for
two minutes to dry. A very thin layer of crystal,
about 0.2 to 0.3 mm in thickness, forms over the
flowers. This layer of flowers and resin is then
sandwiched air tight, between two fibre glasses.
The upper layer is transparent whereas the lower
layer forms the background. The lower fibre glass
is called Crinckled Fibre Glass, specially
imported from Belgium to give the marble effect.
The completed flower picture is framed. The frames
are made of fibre glass as well.
On
an average, the pictures are 2ft by 2ft in size.
It takes a day to finish the picture. The biggest
picture was about 4 ½ ft by 5ft in size. It takes
about 3 ½ months and six people to complete. Instead
of the usual two layers, three layers are used.
One more layer, is necessary for the background
painting, in this case a blue sky was paintedfor
mthe background.
The pictures are only one of its kind in the world.
Made in a factory in Mathra, which is about
four hours form Colombo, they will travel the world
around. In India, they will be exhibited in Chennai,
Coimbatore, Mumabi and Hyderabad, besides Bangalore.
If things go fine, there is a possibility of Flo
Art being a permanent store in Bangalore. And for
those who missed the exhibition, Flo Art will soon
come to Bangalore.
Click here for a review of the Flo Art exhibition
8:04:05 AM 
On
an average, the pictures are 2ft by 2ft in size.
It takes a day to finish the picture. The biggest
picture was about 4 ½ ft by 5ft in size. It takes
about 3 ½ months and six people to complete. Instead
of the usual two layers, three layers are used.
One more layer, is necessary for the background
painting, in this case a blue sky was paintedfor
mthe background. 
