Seasonal seat painted by local artist

The National Cherry Blossom Festival announced 26 artists participating in 'Art in Bloom,' a community-wide public art exhibition of oversized blossom sculptures decorated and finished by area artists, including Tracie Griffith Tso, local Reston painter and ceramic artist.

The 4.5-foot-tall fiberglass sculptures will be installed in all eight D.C. wards, with several in Maryland and Virginia as public art. Viewers can follow the Art in Bloom map, go on a Blossom Hunt – finding the 3D sculptures, posting photos to social media and tagging their posts with the #ArtInBloom hashtag can win prizes.

Griffith Tso's sculpture, 'Sakura+Seasons,' was installed March 18 at the Southwest Waterfront at 4th Street and M. It is a tribute to age-old Japanese sumi-e or black ink brushwork as a nod to the gift of the famous blooming trees from Japan in 1912. Her sculpture is sponsored by Mars, Incorporated and will be exhibited through May 31. The flowers are interactive, doubly functioning as colorful seating.

The design, completed in eight days, is filled with color and meaning, according to the artist. Bamboo rings the edges of the blossom, while orchids bloom in the center and chrysanthemums make up the base. These four subjects are typically practiced by painting students: blossoms representing Winter, orchid for Spring, bamboo for Summer and mums signifying Autumn. All the painting was done freehand— a single precise stroke of the brush per leaf — in layers of latex paint progressing from light to dark leaves, the floral base completed and the blossom center in yellow and orange added. There is symbolism typical of Asian art: Bamboo for longevity and resilience on the flower edges, Chrysanthemum for prosperity in the base and Orchid for bravery as the center to form the sakura, or cherry blossom, a symbol of optimism.

"Many small strokes of my brush created a larger-than-life grand spectacle of the cherry blossom," Griffith Tso says, "The idea of modest contributions to a greater whole is enduring in many ways today and for the future."

Griffith Tso is the brushpainting teacher at The Reston Community Center Lake Anne and learned this traditional artform at age 12. The daughter of a biology teacher, she focuses on gestural works, highlighting spontaneous flora and fauna including rabbits, pandas, horses, fish and more. She sells her pottery and prints at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Va. and on Etsy.com. A native Californian, Griffith Tso teaches and lectures about Chinese brushpainting nationwide and specializes in spontaneous flower-bird painting. The artist and her husband reside in Reston, Va. along with her muse and workshop rabbit, Willow.

Art in Bloom is being presented by Amazon and supported by Clark Construction Group. Other program supporters include Arena Social Arts Club, Chase, Clark Concrete, DowntownDC Business Improvement District, Embassy of Japan, JBG Smith, Mars, Incorporated, Miller & Long Concrete Construction, National Harbor, and National Landing.

Art in Bloom will culminate with a Blossom Auction in late spring 2021. Proceeds from the sale of the sculptures will support National Cherry Blossom Festival programs and community initiatives.
The Festival received 129 submissions from local and national artists for Art in Bloom.