Flowers have been the subject of artwork since brushes were first dipped in paint. A special exhibit that opens today at the Milwaukee Art Museum, will explore flowers as an art medium, rather than as subject matter.

Called "Art in Bloom," this tribute to art and flowers features the creations of more than 30 renowned Milwaukee-area floral designers - each of which is an interpretation of a masterwork from the museum's collection.

Susan Bowen is one of at least two Racine-area floral designers whose work is featured in the show.

Her interpretation of Russian painter Wassily Kandinksy's "Composition VII" will be on display throughout the show, which runs through Sunday at the MAM.

While Bowen, who owns Nature's Grace Floral Designs, has done interpretive floral designs before, this is the first time she has interpreted a specific work of art. It has been a challenging process, she said, but one she has enjoyed.

Her explorations of Kandinsky's abstract work led her to the artist's writings about spirituality in art and how art elicits emotions in us, which she said were particularly inspirational to her.

Like "Composition VII" (which Kandinsky described as his most complex piece), Bowen's design will be very colorful and somewhat architectural, she said. Her piece, along with all the others in the show, will be assembled on site, within a specified time, according to the exhibition rules.

"We'll have just two hours to create our pieces," Bowen said. "It will be a very intense time."

Pam Borgardt, a floral designer with Milaeger's Inc, will also create a piece for "Art in Bloom." She is interpreting Ellsworth Kelly's "Red, Yellow, Blue II," a large, minimalist triptych of the three primary colors.

Borgardt's design will feature simple flowers and simple lines, in an effort to "pull together Kelly's very interesting use of minimalism," she said. Her goal is to capture the artist's wonderful use of pigment and the pure essence of the pristene surface in "Red, Yellow, Blue II."

In addition to the works of floral art - which will be exhibited throughout the museum near their coordinating artworks - this show will feature a series of events, including a lecture on "Color in the Mixed Garden" by Tracy DiSabato-Aust at 11 a.m. Friday; two mother-daughter teas (Saturday and Sunday); and a free concert from members of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra on Sunday. For a complete schedule of events, go to http://www.mam.org

"Art in Bloom" is included with admission to the museum, which runs $8 for adults, $6 seniors and $4 students (kids are admitted free). The exhibit is being presented by the museum's Garden Club.