Praise For Michael Bruce at 2011 Philly Flower Show

It's his eighth year as a Philadelphia Flower Show exhibitor. 

Of those eight years, Michael Bruce—owner of the Haddon Avenue flower shop Michael Bruce Florist—has taken first place, or, Best in Show, two years.

And this year's show, titled Springtime in Paris—also the first year the show's been named Philadelphia International Flower Show—Bruce's exhibit went outside the box of bulbs and blossoms.

Bruce used a shadow theme. Using flowers, old trash-picked treasures, household items and things as simple as plastic bags or cardboard boxes, Bruce used spotlights to cast shadows on different scenes. While the actual scenes appeared to be boxes and bags shaped into unidentifiable objects, the shadows cast formed something else entirely—shadows included a ballerina, a woman in a bathtub, and more.

And every spectator who passed Bruce's exhibit, titled Urban Graffiti, Sunday—the show's opening day—gave nothing short of rave reviews.

Approaching Bruce's Exhibit, located in Hall A of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, a woman was overheard talking to a friend. It was the first of many positive comments.

"You know what," the woman asked her friend. "I think this is the first exhibit I've seen all day that's actually clever."

And others agreed, including Collegeville, PA, resident Najib Soufiane.

"I love it. I'm not an art person, but this is a phenomenal display of art," said Soufiane. "It's ingenious."

Husband and wife Ellen and Ray Burke, of Avalon, also had nothing but praise.

"It's clever, spontaneous, fresh, inspiring and extremely resourceful," said Ellen, giving a nod to Bruce's using recycled and reused items. "Compared to other exhibits, it stands apart. It takes uncommon elements, and transforms it into something everyone can understand."

Stepping up behind his wife, Ray Burke was compelled to elaborate further.

"It creates an artistic impression on a number of different levels," said Ray. "Because you have one image that spawns into another image."

Sharon Hill, PA, resident Andrew Bogert admired Bruce's shadow work to the fullest, expressing praise as soon as he'd walked up to the exhibit.

"I think it's really romantic. And it's amazing how he (Bruce) took everyday items and used them to create such beauty," said Bogert with a grin. "The shadowing is truly exquisite."

Bogert's friend Isabell Ortiz, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was also an instant fan of Michael Bruce.

"What I'm most amazed about is how he took something really concrete and created something really abstract," Ortiz said Sunday, pointing at the exhibit.

And opening day reactions were exactly how Bruce had hoped they'd be.

"I enjoy it when people are enjoying themselves," said Bruce of his 2011 exhibit goals. "And (in this year's display) when you look at a shadow, and realize that the 'bird in a tree' is actually a plastic bag that's been shaped into a bird's form, there's a disconnect at first. And then you see this fun energy come up when people make the connection. I really enjoy watching that enjoyment in others."

And Bruce has seven more days of spectator enjoyment to come, as the flower show ends March 13.