EMILY IN TOKYO
Tuesday, 17 May 2022
IKEBANA - A MOMENT IN TIME #3
Monday, 9 May 2022
9th May, 2022
Our exhibition is over and we are all very happy with what we have achieved. It was the first time that I was responsible for an exhibition, even if it was a relatively small one and I had to fight some misgivings of whether I would be able to pull it off. But, of course, I was not alone. Everyone was very willing and eager to be a part of it and to do everything necessary to maintain the arrangements so that they always looked fresh. This is quite an undertaking over a two week period. Also, Jacquie Nichols-Reeves, the curator of Artspace at Box Hill, and her assistants were helpful and accomodating, so that everything ran smoothly.
You may have noticed that I have not posted the photographs of all of the arrangements. There were 20 altogether. I'm having some technical difficulties, which I hope to resolve by the next posting of this blog.
In the meantime I can share with you the photographs of our regular, Wednesday class. The theme for the advanced students was 'Disassembling and Rearranging the Material'.
The arrangement, above, was by Nicole. She used a rhododendron branch, from which she removed all the leaves. She, then placed one flower bud and folded leaves on a kenzan at the back.
Jenny used red stemmed, Japanese Maple - 'Senkaki/Coral Bark' and arranged it, together with the massed leaves, to appear wind swept.
I decided to use the pine needles that I had removed from a large branch I had used in my first demonstration. I had laid them on some non-stick baking paper in a circle and sprayed them with adhesive. When I looked at the result, it looked like a flat wreath. So I played around with folding it and placing it in a container. I sprayed black the stripped stem of the pine because its natural colour is a very dull grey. I used some golden coloured chrysanthemums to finish the arrangement.
Monday, 2 May 2022
IKEBANA -A MOMENT IN TIME #2
Hello all,
Our exhibition continues for another week. Some arrangements have had to be maintained by replacing dying materials or being replaced altogether.
My student, Lei Wang, a budding photographer, has, very generously, taken photos of all of the arrangements and is editing them a few at a time and sending them to me. I am sharing them with you as I receive them.
Vicky's arrangement, above, is in a large, glass cabinet, which is only 35cm deep. A challenging space to say the least, necessitating a very flat arrangement. She used large, glossy gymea leaves and two bromeliads, Neoregelia carolinae.
The basket, below, was done by Nicole, who has a particular fondness for this type of arrangement.
Monday, 25 April 2022
IKEBANA - A MOMENT IN TIME
Monday, 18 April 2022
18th April, 2022
Hello all,
Preparations for our exhibition are in full swing and are occupying most of my time. So, I'm afraid I'm a little short on content for this week's post. I hope to make up for it in the next couple of weeks.
I was removing some dead leaves from my strelitzia reginae and couldn't resist these two, partially dried leaves. And, as Lucy and I were looking through the garden for materials, she noticed a single, yellow kniphofia. Thus, my arrangement came together. I wanted to emphasise the clean lines of the stems, especially at the base of this simple arrangement.
A few days later, when the kniphofia died, I replaced it with a strelitzia reginae, which flowered out of season.
The fern in this next arrangement had self seeded next to the water tank and I have to keep cutting it back because it will take over the whole area if left unchecked. I keep looking for different ways to use it. The fronds are quite large, so by stripping most of the leaves, I created a longer stem and an interesting, diamond shape at the tip of the fronds. The crucifix orchids complemented the lightness of the ferns.
Monday, 11 April 2022
11th April, 2022
Hello all,
At the International Flower and Garden Show last week, one of the exhibitors was the Gloriosa Nursery, from whom I had bought my original tubers many years ago. They have a wonderful habit of multiplying and, over the years, I have shared them with students, friends and neighbours.
At bump out time, a kind gentleman at the gloriosa display gave me a bunch of the flowers, which would otherwise have been dumped. I looked for material to use with them and the vibrant colour of the golden elm struck me as a perfect contrast to the vibrant pink of the flowers. Hence, the arrangement, above.
And below is the same arrangement on a plinth under the stairs.