26th Jun, 2023

 

Hello all,

For class last week I had set a particularly challenging, combination theme. I hadn't realised quite how challenging it was until I attempted it myself. We were to make an arrangement 'In a Tsubo Vase' but, also, 'Emphasising Lines at the Base'. Ordinarily, Lines at the base is simple enough when using a kenzan, however, a kenzan is not used in a tsubo vase arrangement. Instead we use a number of different mechanics and we rely on resting one or more stems on the rim of the container. In this situation, we could not use a kenzan and we could not rest the stems on the rim. It made the exercise quite difficult. In fact, I don't think I ever heard as many expletives during class as I did on that day.

In my arrangement, above, I employed two parallel, horizontal fixtures, one higher than the other. I, then, split the lower part of my main stem of Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume) and fitted it over the top horizontal fixture and then rested one split half behind the lower fixture, thus holding the branch upright. I was able to work the rest of the materials around the main branch.

Nicole used camellia stems and crucifix orchids in a ceramic vase.

Jenny used bare magnolia branches, arum lilies and Dutch iris in a large ceramic vase.

Lucy's camellia stems had a slanting habit and needed to be arranged that way. She managed to achieve that without resorting to resting on the rim of the container. She followed the same line with the arum lily.

Vicky, after considerable struggle, created an elegant arrangement using Siberian dogwood (cornus Siberica alba) and gladioli in a ceramic vase.

Shaneen had the dubious honour of making the Japanese Narcissus arrangement in Book 5, which requires us to remove a small sheath at the bottom of the stem of jonquils or narcissus, rearranging the leaves and flower and, then, refitting the sheath back. It's a tedious process but Shaneen managed it and then arranged the materials in a vase with many holes. She added a little accent with a sprig of money tree (Crassula ovata).

Wendy's curriculum exercise was 'Simplified Arrangement', where we trim our material down to its very basic elements. She used a single stem of Pincushion Hakea (Hakea Laurina) and removed all but one flower, one leaf and one seed pod.

 

Having finished rather quickly, Wendy made another, smaller arrangement and placed the two together.

Lei's lesson was from Book 5 - Tate-no-soeji-dome - Vertical type fixture. She used holly (Ilex aquifolium) and Chinese lantern plant (Abutilon) in a ceramic container.

Bye for now,

Emily

DEMONSTRATION FOR VERMONT FLORAL ART GROUP

 

Lucy and I after the demo

Hello all,

Last Wednesday I had the privilege to be the guest demonstrator for the Vermont Floral Art Group at a fundraising event. Proceeds were to go to the Cancer Council.

Lucy, my beautiful assistant, and I arrived bright and early at the venue and unloaded from the car materials and containers for eight arrangements. We were very warmly welcomed by the president, Marion Goldsmith, the committee and members. 

We began our demonstration at the completion of their meeting with the 'Basic Upright' arrangement, being the very first lesson of our curriculum. I haven't included a photograph of that for obvious reasons.

I was not able to take photographs at the venue without intrusive backgrounds so I reset them up at home and photographed them. With the luxury of time I was able to fine tune them before photographing. 

In my arrangement, below, I used a triangular, glass vase with another glass cylinder inside it, filled with cotoneaster berries. When filled with water the berries are reflected on either side. The camellia bud was a necessary element.

Below is a simple arrangement using umbrella grass and orange, cotoneaster berries in a ceramic container.

The arrangement, below, is proof positive of my inability to let go of things, even a broken vase. I tried throwing it in the bin but changed my mind and brought it back inside. I wasn't happy with my first attempt because the space between the two pieces was filled by the dried branch. I was happier when I reduced the branch and just added the crinkly aspidistra.

The next arrangement was a lesson in trimming. The mahonia branch was much bigger and a number of large side branches had to be removed to reveal the lines of the stems and to create space. At the demo I had used the one and only arum lily from my garden however, when I set it up at home I added the sunflowers instead and trimmed a few more leaves.

The next photo is of the lesson 'Fruit and Vegetables'. The glass plate had holes through which I fed skewers attached onto kenzans underneath. I then pushed the vegetables over them. In the interest of full disclosure, it was not as easy as it sounds. The weight of the vegetables was such that it bent the skewers so I had to add supports for them to stay upright.

I wanted to use the basket which I had made using a palm inflorescence but I did not want to crowd it with materials. I wanted the basket to be the main feature. The two branches of Banksia Lemanniana seemed to fit the bill.

Another material that didn't make it to the bin was a bunch of these white, plastic strips. As I was about to put them in the bin an idea came to me on how to use them. So, here's an example of the lesson 'Both Fresh and Unconventional Materials.

For my finale I wanted to use for the first time my brand new container, a birthday gift from my cousin and his wife. I had used a varnish with some colour on the palm pod as its colour was too similar to the container. A vertical fixture held it up and the monstera deliciosa leaf and sunflowers, wedged in tightly, also added stability.

After our demonstration it was time for lunch. I took one look at the sumptuous buffet prepared by the ladies and realised that resistance was futile. So, to my shame, I overindulged.

Bye for now,

Emily

MASTERCLASS #16

 

Hello all,

At Saturday's Masterclass I had provided the students with a different type of dried material each and one type of fresh material each. So they had only two elements to work with. The dried materials were all quite large and the students could decide whether to keep them large or cut them down.  As always, the selection was by lottery. Each student could choose their own container.

The arrangement, above, was done by Cym, who went through an interesting process. She initially picked her container and placed the large monstera deliciosa leaf at a perfect angle. She then agonised over the fact that it was too easy or too simple, so she tried adding another leaf, then tried pinning the leaves but, in the end, settled for her first attempt because it was the best. She used only a small piece of the large, palm inflorescence, allowing the leaf to be the dominant feature. And for a little bit of whimsy, she added a ceramic mushroom.

Jenny had a very large, dried tumbleweed which had been sprayed black. She cut side shoots and placed them in this large, ceramic container, making sure that movement was created with the branches all facing the same direction. She placed the two stems of amaranthus one in front of the other and hanging straight down.

Bredenia had a number of stems of contorted hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contarta') and aspidistra leaves. She placed the branches over a tall nageire container and bent the aspidistra leaves to give them a horizontal appearance.

Akemi had a very large, palm inflorescence and chose not to cut it down. She did, however, weave the tendrils into submission and then hollowed out the inside creating space. Unfortunately, it's hard to see the space in the photo. She had three, variegated New Zealand flax leaves but needed only one for drama.

Lucy had a tangle of red and black coloured wisteria, which she disentangled and used separately. In her first arrangement she used the red wisteria in a heavy container with splits on either side and placed two strelitzia reginae leaves horizontally.

With her left over material she made another, rather dramatic arrangement.

Vicky felt she had the most boring of materials but she rose to the challenge and created this spiderweb-like structure, keeping it monochromatic, except for the umbrella grass stems.

I must confess that, as a teacher, I'm quite impressed with the quality of the work produced in these classes. We comment on and discuss our work freely and learn from each other. Very satisfying.

Bye for now,

Emily

 

Hello all,

The mahonia branch in the arrangement, above, was an offcut from an arrangement I did last week in the shape of a pinwheel. I removed all but two, parallel leaves and added a partially open camellia to complete the arrangement.

The arrangement, below, comprises of only one, long stem of chrysanthemums. I wanted to use this curve that was created naturally but it was too weak to hold the cluster of flowers at the tip of the branch. I removed 5 flowers to lighten it and then had to rest the branch on the top of the large conical container.

The photograph, below, is of a floor arrangement. I attached a dowel onto the wooden board and fitted the palm pod over the dowel, making quite a secure structure. I added wisteria vine, chrysanthemums and amaranthus. The fresh materials are in vials inside the palm pod.

The arrangement, below, is a simple but striking one. What makes it work is the combination of container and materials. The curved stem of the crucifix orchid creates the line and the hydrangeas create the mass, both of which relate to the container - colour and shape.

There's something quite charming about a tree that has lost its leaves but is laden with fruit. Such is the case with my pomegranate and fig trees. I cut branches from both to make an arrangement. I needed a very heavy container to hold the very heavy branches, so I settled on the onyx tsubo vase. In my last post I referred to it as travertine, however, Christopher kindly corrected me. I added camellias and cotoneaster branches to complete the arrangement. It can cover a number of themes - Fruiting branches, With branches only, In a tsubo vase and A number of Materials.

Another simple arrangement, below. Wisteria and crucifix orchids in a ceramic vase.

Yesterday Sam and I attended our grandson's Confirmation ceremony which was held at St Patrick's Cathedral. It was quite an experience, as we are not Catholic and have no idea about such matters. The most important thing was being there with our grandson on an important occasion. The second important thing was seeing the inside of the Cathedral. I've been wanting to go and see it for years but never go around to doing so. This was a great opportunity, as it is a truly magnificent structure.

Bye for now,

Emily