Joseph Massie Studio

About Joseph

Frequently referred to by the media as ‘the floral artist of his generation’, Joseph Massie is widely regarded as one of Europe’s top botanical artists. Aged just fourteen, Joseph desperately wanted a weekend job, and after successfully applying to the local flower stall, he began spending his weekends working in his hometown of Liverpool, UK. Perhaps to some it was an uncommon interest for a fourteen year old boy, but Joseph quickly found his vocation amongst the buckets of blossoms and buds.

Taking steps to pursue his passion, Joseph self-funded his education and began to hone his practice and develop a creative ethos, participating in intense training sessions with top international designers and artists. To further build his artistic vocabulary, Joseph began to participate firstly in regional, followed by national floral design competitions, and at age nineteen, won his first national design competition, the BFA Young Florist of the Year 2007.

Following his national title victory, Joseph took his first steps onto the world stage at Eurofleurs (Belgium, Brussels, ‘08). European success was followed in quick succession by competing at the highly regarded 40th WorldSkills Competition (Calgary, Canada, ‘09) where he became the first and only UK Competitor to ever take home a Bronze Medal in Floristry, ranking 3rd worldwide.

Joseph completed his extraordinary international run by finishing with the Silver Medal (ranked 2nd in Europe) at Eurofleurs, the European Youth Championships (Manchester, UK) in 2010.

Whilst experiencing humbling international success, his achievements were proudly echoed on home soil, winning seventeen national & international competitions and awards, including five consecutive RHS Gold Medals – and four Best in Show awards – at the world renown RHS Chelsea Flower Show (‘09/’10/’11/’12/’13). Joseph is the youngest person ever to achieve this feat.

With a clutch of prestigious awards, Joseph turned his attentions to artistic endeavours working across ten countries, on a wide variety of art projects including botanical couture, sculptures and installations. Joseph’s work has since been featured in press including The Times, The Independent, The Daily Mail and his work commissioned by international institutions and brands including: DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS, USA. HOUSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART, USA. THE DIXON GALLERY, USA. MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS, USA. CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART, USA. THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, UK. THE BRITISH COUNCIL, CHINA. M&G INVESTMENTS, UK. THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART, USA. NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS, USA ST JAMES’S LONDON, UK. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, UK. SKY TELEVISION, UK. BOSCH, BEIJING, CHINA. SINGAPORE GARDEN FESTIVAL, SINGAPORE.

In January 2015, Joseph returned to his hometown of Liverpool to found his own Studio with a focus on the artistic expression of botanical materials, through sculpture, installation and couture works. The Studio’s work also encompasses set design, floral styling, and consultancy projects. Joseph is also the Creative Director of a luxury flower studio, Joseph Massie Flowers, and a flower school, Joseph Massie at the UK School of Floristry.

Teaching Style
Through my practice I offer a pretty varied format of class styles – some of my classes – such as our online classes at LearnJosephMassie.com – are very structured with clear, concise steps and goals for each class. In these classes there is no interaction with myself, but students will find that Q&A’s will follow after the class in the class comments, or in our private Alumni forum. I find that my in person classes, webinars and Zoom classes can be a little more informal, with plenty of opportunity for discussion within the class itself. In these environments there is more opportunity to read the class, and the energy, and structure our time together to its best effect. In each and every class I teach I try to communicate clear educational objectives to students prior to a class, and whether I’m presenting a theory or practical session, I usually begin with some theory, followed then by group or individual exercises to explore the topics at hand.

Design Aesthetic
My work is typically categorised as contemporary in nature, with strong romantic, poetic, or artistic influences. As my own practice spans both the floral design and fine art markets I find such a joy in the diversity and potential our craft contains.