Ian Ellis carefully tucked a young protea stem into his sculpture. The buds are small and round, blue gray beads resting on woven branches of silver maple. As he worked, he talked about Brian Smith ...

This ancient technique involves layering fresh flowers onto sheets of fat, which absorb the flowers' essential oils. The process is repeated with new flowers until the fat becomes saturated with ...

The museum requires primarily fresh flowers for Art in Bloom, so Ellis made a trek on Monday to the New England Flower Exchange in Massachusetts. (The artists get a $250 stipend, but that amount ...