AUTUMNAL ARRANGEMENTS

 

Hello all,

This is a gorgeous time of year for ikebanists in Melbourne, with its temperate, oceanic climate which features crisp, sunny days, mild temperatures (although you wouldn't think so the last few days) and stunning colourful foliage. So I set the theme of an autumnal arrangement for the advanced students.

Of course, I went to town with it. When I have an abundance of materials and the ideas that go with it, I can't resist making many arrangements. Often I don't have enough surfaces to display them and they just sit on a studio table.

The arrangement at the top of this post is an attempt to make something more contemporary. The brown bits on the gymea leaves gives an autumnal feel as do the hydrangeas, which are white when fresh but change to this pink blush as they age. This arrangement also fits into the themes of 'Colour of the Container' and 'Shape of the Container'.

The one, below, is quite large - about 1.2 metres across. The branches are persimmon and, because they were so big, I needed the large mass of sunflowers. The last element is amaranthus.

The next arrangement doesn't have an obviously autumnal look but, I feel, it is because this is the season for both elements. This, also, fits with the theme of 'Seasonal Materials'

This was a particularly difficult arrangement to make. I needed a container that could support the heavy fruit. This, resin one, holds enough water to give that balance. The challenge was to secure the heavy branches without resting on the oval ring at the top. It took some 'engineering' to achieve it.

Vicky, true to form, made another large arrangement. Her materials were ornamental grape vine and oriental lily buds. The tall, glass vase is coloured, thus concealing the stems inside.

Lei used ornamental grape vine, smoke bush, Virginia creeper and chrysanthemums in a tall basket.

Lucy was away from class but, as a keen ikebanist, she made an arrangement at home and sent me the photo. She took a unique approach to this topic. She collected oak leaves and glued them together in a sculptural design. She added two umbrella plant leaves as the fresh material. Poor Lu!  She used a hot glue gun for the job and burnt her fingers in the process. The things we do for ikebana!!

Mary used two containers. In one she placed a persimmon branch with a pronounced curve, unfortunately lost in the photograph. In the second container, positioned far at the back, she placed the chrysanthemums, reaching forward in the space created by the stem.

Last week I received a bunch of red roses, sent to me for my birthday by a friend in Germany. I was quite delighted. I made two arrangements. In the first I used a small section of a large philodendron leaf (philodendron maximum) and placed the roses in a row in a contemporary style.

The second arrangement started with the strelitzia reginae leaf that had a natural tear. Also, being a young leaf, it had a red spine, which picked up the colour of the rose. I placed a single rose peeking behind the tear of the leaf.

And now for this week's camelia arrangement.

Bye for now,

Emily