16th October, 2023

Arrangement of Mass and Line
Viburnum opulus and callistemon viminalis

At last class, for the advanced students, I had set a double theme - 'Paying Attention to the shape of the Container' and 'Intertwining Plant Materials'. The arrangement, below, was mine. Firstly, I used fine, yellow bamboo to create a shape called parallelepiped (yes, I had to look it up) to mirror the shape of the ceramic container. I, then, used variegated New Zealand flax, stripped in half and intertwined them through the bamboo shape and through each other. I placed 2 red roses and one bud at the centre back.

Nicole used fine silver birch branches and intertwined dietes leaves through them creating movement and curves, which related to the container. Her flowers are cottage gladioli.

Vicky intertwined horsetails (equisetum) creating angles around and through her unusual, ceramic container. The yellow clivia was placed at the back to be viewed through the tangle of horsetail.

Jenny's container was also unusual and rather striking. She used flax in earthy colours, which she wove together, very loosely to create a ball like shape and added one viburnum opulus flower to the back. Both the shape of the flax and the flower reflected the shape of the container.

Lucy used one of my self made containers and used dietes leaves intertwined and cascading over the container, into which she placed one clivia flower. The curves of the dietes mirrored the curves of the container.

Front view

Side view

Mary's curriculum theme was 'Relief Work'. On a thick piece of black cardboard she attached skeletonized leaves and dried lotus pods.

Shaneen's lesson was "Tsuribana' - Hanging arrangement. In a bamboo  container she placed elk horn fern (platycerium bifurcatum), cymbidium orchid and smoke bush (Cotinus grace).

Bye for now,

Emily