Loquat branches and Altissimo roses

Hello all,

This afternoon we had our our last for the year Sogetsu workshop. It was led by Elizabeth Angel and she set us the challenge of creating an arrangement using two, non-matching containers. Initially, I created the above arrangement for this exercise but, then, I changed my mind because I wanted to use my Hanashobu (Ensata) iris, which are just starting to flower. I cut the iris in bud together with their leaves, thinking that they would be fully opened by today. Sadly, I was wrong. So, I kept the leaves but replaced the Hanashobu iris wth the Siberian iris.

I arranged them in the traditional way in a wavy suiban and added sprigs of russet coloured Japanese Maple and pebbles. I then added the tall vase, from which I draped the weeping willow, providing a 'curtain' through which to see the iris. Unfortunately, the very delicate, new leaves started to dry and curl by the time I got to the workshop. When I brought it home, I stripped the leaves from the branches and added another branch, as was needed.

The photograph is a little deceptive in the way the willow
looks. In reality it drapes forward

The work in the room was quite varied and interesting. Give Christopher a day or two to post the blog and after that you can go to Sogetsu Ikebana Melbourne for all the photographs.


Last week we also had the last for the year meeting of Ikebana International. We were to make New Year arrangements. Margaret Wilson demonstrated this theme, using corky elm, painted white, waratahs and mizuhiki. Please go to II Melbourne for more photographs from the meeting.

 

Below is my arrangement. I used pine, hippeastrums. variegated euphorbia and mizuhiki.

Nicole moved away from the typical red, white and green and opted for mauve and green. She used pirezii, asparagus fern, dried wisteria and a cheeky green bauble in a mauve vase.

During a recent forage in my garden I noticed that the wisteria was hellbent on climbing the loquat tree and the persimmon tree. With cutters in hand I proceeded to rescue my trees. This, of course, gave me material to play with. Apart from the bulk of the cuttings that ended up in the compost bin, below are the ones that made it into arrangements.

I played with stripping the leaves and just leaving the spikes on the wisteria canes. In the first arrangement, I caught  them together creating interesting shapes. It is not clear in the photo but I arranged the wisteria stems in a roughly spiral shape around the Siberian iris. In the second I created a rough circle and added a curly-stemmed ornithogalum.

I leave you with this cheeky arrangement made with left over pine and re-used ornithogalum.

Bye for now,
Emily

THANK YOU!

Hello all,

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the honour you do me by following my blog. And, I would, specially, like to thank those of you who have taken the time to send me your feedback. It has all been positive, to date but, I suppose, people would be too polite to write anything negative.

Writing this blog is quite a commitment and requires a lot of time but it is, also, very rewarding. In order to have material to post, I have to create and photograph a variety of different arrangements and I have to double check the spelling of names of plants. I also have the advantage of the knowledge of my readers, who, very kindly, write and give me information that I may need. All of this means that I am learning and growing as an ikebanist at a much greater rate than I would have otherwise. So, as a 'thank you' I offer you the photographs of my herbaceous paeone flower, above. This plant has been growing for at least ten years but is quite parsimonious in its flowering. This year it produced only one flower, but what a flower! And, while I'm at it, if anyone knows its name, please let me know.

Here's how the arrangement, below, came to be. I found a large leaf of the strelitzia nicolai on the ground, having been forgotten there from when I last cut a flower from that plant. I picked it up intending to cut it up and put in the garden waste bin. But, when I looked at it more closely, I noticed that the parts of the leaf that were exposed to the sun, had dried a very rich brown colour, which contrasted beautifully with the green of the remaining of the leaf. Add to it the heavy brown stem and it was an arrangement begging to be made. I had to bend the stem of the strelitzia reginae to have it peaking through the cut in the leaf.

This is quite a large arrangement, measuring 1.2 m across. The ceramic vase is
from Headquarters

Below are two more arrangements with my squiggly ornithogalum. I have these plants growing in three large pots and I love them. They are beautiful, whether straight or curved. The only down side is that they have all flowered at the same time. However, they can be forgiven because they are quite long lasting as cut flowers

I have been wanting to use at least a small part of the gymea lily (dorianthus palmeri) because I certainly can't use the whole flower head, as it is too big and heavy. Plus, I like seeing the flowers in the garden. They attract the attention of every passer by as well as many birds.

This next arrangement has three elements that I, absolutely, love. Firstly, the glass plate came with a television that we bought many years ago. It was the base on which the set was to sit. However, since we had the TV mounted on the wall, the plate was superfluous. Lucky me! I must confess, I was happier about getting the plate than the TV.

I placed a shallow plastic container with a kenzan underneath and put the thin stems of the iris through the two holes to reach the container underneath. That's the second element I love - the Siberian iris with its electric purpley-blue colour and thin straight stems. It is quite ephemeral and the flower dies within a couple of days but a second flower opens straight after, making it last a little longer.

And the third element, this dried date palm remnant that I sprayed silver. Its squiggly lines make a great contrast against the straight stems of the iris.

I had a small bunch of spear grass, which had been bought for another purpose but wasn't used. I couldn't allow it to die in the bucket, hence the arrangement in the glass vase. The orange rose bud is called 'Lolita"

And, with Christmas around te corner and the hippeastrums in full bloom, I could not resist.

Bye for now,
Emily

Doryanthus palmeri

Hello all,

My gyamea lily (Doryanthus palmeri) above is in full bloom. The flower head, which measures about 80 cm in length and 30 cm in diametre, comprises of numerous individual flowers. The plant that has produced the flower will die but smaller plants will take its place. I will have to remove some of those because it will create crowding. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to dig them up with roots intact, as I would love to be able give them away.

This is an Australian native plant originating along the Eastern coast. It is tough and drought hardy and its long glossy leaves are very useful in ikebana, especially because they can last a number of weeks without water.

This next bit of my blog falls under the category of 'Doting Grandmother', so I ask for your indulgence as I include photographs of my granddaughter's art pieces. Hermione is all of 7 years of age and the work that she brought to show me had been done at school and had been displayed there together with other budding artists' work. I have to admit, I was blown away by her creativity.

Acrylic paint on board

Robot

In the drawing, below, Hermione has superimposed a drawing of her face on perspex over other drawings depicting her life. I'm absolutely amazed at how well she has captured her likeness.

And here she is with her latest ikebana arrangement.

So, back to ikebana. This next arrangement was a long time in its creation, starting with the growing of the ornithogalums into these twisted stems. When I cut them I thought it would be very easy to arrange them, as there was enough interest in the stems to make a good arrangement. I was wrong! I tried a number of containers with several openings but they didn't work because the stems flopped to one side or another. Then I thought of using a kenzan to hold them where I wanted them to stay. That, too, didn't work because the soft stems are not strong enough to hold the weight of the flowers. I needed to give them a support. I came up with, what I thought, was a great idea - to fit each stem into a piece of bamboo and push that into the kenzan. That, too, didn't work because it is very difficult to push bamboo into a kenzan, especially if you can't get your hand inside the vase. So, then, I split the piece of bamboo into two pieces and wired then around the flower stem. I was, then, able to insert the split bamboo into the kenzan successfully. Phew!

I could not find any accompanying material to use in this arrangement because it would interfere with the squiggly stems. It is an example of using only one kind of material. Also emphasizing curved lines.

Spring really is a wonderful time with an overabundance of materials in the garden. However, my wisteria has been a disappointment for decades, producing very few flowers and each year I threaten to remove her but then I relent and give her another chance until the following year. Well, this is definitely her last chance. I will cut her right back but I want to do it when I can give the class a workshop, early next year. The arrangement, below, was very pleasing with the wisteria flowers and the first of my Queen Elizabeth roses. Unfortunately, the wisteria branch with the leaves looks flat even though it was coming forward.

Flag Iris are so ephemeral that they provide a very small window of opportunity to use them in an arrangement. There is a very specific, traditional way of arranging them, which I did in the piece, below. I used two S-shaped containers and two different iris, although they look similar in the photo. I, also, used weeping willow and Japanese maple to complete the piece.

On a previous post I accused clematis of being show offs but, I think, hippeastrums could give them a run for their money. What do you think?

Hippeastrums and gymea leaf

Bye for now,
Emily

LOVE FLOWER

A different angle

John and I giving an idea of scale

Night view with the lights on

Hello all,

Well, it's been quite an eventful week, culminating in the official unveiling of the sculpture, Love Flower, with which I have been involved.

Below is the media release which describes the project better than I can.

New Public Sculpture: Southern Way McClelland Commission

Melbourne’s cultural landscape has an exciting new addition. The next instalment of the $250,000 Southern Way McClelland biennial sculpture commission has been revealed. Artist John Meade, with Emily Karanikolopolous, was awarded the commission for his elegant and enchanting sculpture, Love Flower, which is based on an Ikebana flower arrangement design. The sculpture has replaced Gregor Kregar’s Reflective Lullaby that was located at Cranbourne Road, on the Langwarrin exit ramp close to McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery.

Love Flower is sited along the Peninsula Link freeway in Melbourne’s South East as part of a unique and award-winning commitment to public art. Established in 2013 as a Public Private Partnership between Southern Way and McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, this ongoing program of iconic artworks has established the Mornington Peninsula as an internationally significant hub for public art and contemporary sculpture. The series alternates every two years between sites at Skye Road and Cranbourne Road along Peninsula Link, which will result in 14 commissions over a 25-year period to 2037. Southern Way generously donates funding for the sculptures. After four years on public display the commissions become part of McClelland’s permanent sculpture collection in its 8-hectare sculpture park in Langwarrin.

“The fifth in this highly regarded series of Southern Way McClelland Commissions, Love Flower is beautiful and awe inspiring. As public sculpture this work engages in ways with the aesthetics of nature, as well as being an absolutely magical sight for all who pass by,” says Lisa Byrne, Director, McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery.

Simon Lawrie, The Balnaves Curator of Australian Sculpture at McClelland, says “As iconic public artworks, these sculptures enliven our community and our daily commute, and encourage discussion about art and ideas – Love Flower is bound to enchant locals and visitors to the Mornington Peninsula alike.’

The Southern Way McClelland Commission 2018 received 65 submissions from local, interstate and international artists. The commission judging panel was Lisa Byrne, Director, McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery, Maudie Palmer AO, former inaugural Director of Heide Museum of Modern Art and TarraWarra Museum of Art; and artist Lisa Roet.

John Meade is a renowned contemporary Australian sculptor, whose practice draws relations, often humorous and unexpected, between the metaphysical and surreal in the experience of contemporary life and domestic culture. He was born in Ballarat in 1956 and currently lives and working in Melbourne. Meade has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally, and his work is held in major private and public collections throughout Australia. He is represented by Sutton Gallery, Melbourne.

Emily Karanikolopoulos is an Australian artist who is a teacher and practitioner of the Japanese floral arrangement art of Sogetsu Ikebana. She is an active member of the Ikebana community of Australia, and she has attained the highest possible Ikebana accreditation outside Japan.

Lisa Byrne, Director, McClelland Gallery+Sculpture Park and Simon Lawrie, The Balnaves Curator of Australian Sculpture are available for interview, as are the artists.

                                                                                                                                                                    

McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery, 390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin.

Media information: Simon Lawrie, slawrie@mcclellandgallery.com, 03 9789 1671 (104)

And just a brief history of how it came about.

In January, 2016 I received an email from from John Meade, an artist of some repute and lecturer at Monash University. He had seen one of my arrangements on the Sogetsu website and was curious about the material I had used.

I explained that they were dried agapanthus flower heads that had been sprayed. I was under the impression that he wanted to know how to grow the curved stems himself. I was wrong. John contacted me later and we met, got to know each other and, long story short, he asked me if I would be interested in collaborating with him in a sculpture that he wanted to make in the shape of an agapanthus. Well, of course I was! But, seriously, not in my wildest dreams did I think that we would end up with a sculpture ten metres high. This was all John's vision.

I have a very large patch of agapanthus and when they are in flower, they are magnificent. I've been experimenting with manipulating their growth and creating interesting, curved shapes of the stems. I choose a young flower head whilst it is still soft and malleable and bend it, holding it down with a fork. Then nature takes over, with the flower wanting to grow towards the sun, thus creating  the curves.

I grew one such flower over a bent wire to create a kind of spiral shape. This took an entire growing season and then we had to wait for the flower to dry on the plant, otherwise it would rot. Neither John nor I was happy with the result, so we ditched it and started looking through my horde of dried flower heads. When I took out two such flowers that I had used together in an arrangement, we both said a resounding "YES". This was to be our shape. As for the name, 'agapanthus' is Greek for love flower.

When John contacted me telling me that he thought we should apply for a $250,000 Southern Way McClelland commission, I thought it was ambitious but 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. Imagine my surprise and delight when he told me we were front runners!

John was an excellent project manager, overseeing the many different aspects of the whole project and bringing it to fruition.  Friday was a great day and will remain as a real highlight in my life. The channel 9 News crew were there and it was featured in Friday's evening news. For those, who may want to see that segment, I have included the link, below.
https://www.facebook.com/9NewsMelbourne/videos/love-flower/788350124917897/


After the unveiling, those of us who were closely involved with this project were invited to a sumptuous lunch at McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery. In my desire to contribute to the festivities, I volunteered to make some ikebana arrangements to be displayed at the gallery, to tie in with the original concept of the sculpture.

Referencing Love Flower at the entry of the Gallery

Below is a board with 5 miniatures, which were placed on the Reception Bench. It has been my experience that people love miniatures, creating discussion and often picking a favourite.

This next, very strong arrangement was placed at the far end of the Reception Desk.

The arrangement, below was placed on a table at the entrance of the Cafe.

The next two large arrangements were on plinths in the Function Room, where we had our lunch and, which became conversation pieces.

Pine (Pinus Radiata) and viburnum opulus in ceramic vase

Strelitzia nicolai and silk fabric in two heavy containers, necessary to hold
the very heavy flowers.

During this whole process I had, on more than one occasion, mentioned McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery and was most surprised at how few people had heard of it, let alone visited it. I can recommend it very highly for a morning or afternoon visit. It is a 16 hectare property with a collection of 2,700 significant works of art including more than 100 sculptures in the park. It also has a popular cafe, where you can enjoy a good cup of coffee or delicious lunch. I believe if you visit it once, you are bound to return.

https://www.mcclellandgallery.com/https://www.mcclellandgallery.com/

Bye for now,
Emily

Hello all,

Each spring I like to play with arum lilies by bending their stems and creating interesting curves. The above arrangement was made with such curved stems in my self made container.

Last Saturday I ran a workshop for our Sogetsu group with the theme 'Tsubo vases' from Book 5. A tsubo vase is described in the book as being a vase which has a narrow opening and wider, round body. The book describes three different techniques for fastening  branch material in a tsubo vase without the use of a kenzan. I demonstrated the techniques and had three examples ready. In the first arrangement I used the Fixing by crossing' method but, since I only had one stem of the wisteria, I used a stick to cross with the wisteria stem and cut it short, thus hiding it in the vase. It held up the wisteria very securely. I fitted the rhododendron stems in between the split stems of the wisteria. The vase is a self made one.

In this next arrangement I used only two branches of the white lilac and fixed them together by the 'Fixing by crossing' method. The smell of lilacs transports me back to my childhood in a little village in Greece. Outside the front door of our very humble home was a lilac tree which flowered around Easter time. Mum knew how much I loved lilacs so went out and bought me one about 20 years ago.

The tsubo vase exercise lends itself best to naturalistic arrangements because branch materials are used that require splitting in some way. I challenged myself to find a way to make a more modern arrangement in a tsubo vase. Below is the result. I used the 'Fixing by crossing and nailing' method to hold the main stems of the Siberian dogwood with which I had created different sized triangles. I, then, fitted the smaller stems and the arum lily leaves in between. The solid blue coloured vase worked well for a modern arrangement.

Jenny Loo made the next arrangement. She used apple branches, strelitzia reginae flowers and marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii) In a glass vase. Photographed at home.

Vicky's arrangement, below was very wide and difficult to photograph at the workshop, so she photographed it at home. She used Siberian dogwood and Asiatic lilies.

When I brought my arrangements home after the workshop I set them up again but did not have surfaces free for all of them. So I reworked the one with wisteria into a wall arrangement.

For class last week I set the advanced students the exercise of 'Only one kind of material' but in a nageire vase. I wanted them to revise the mechanics we use in nageire arrangements.

Jenny used just strelitzia reginae flowers and their stems in a beautiful Paul Davis vase.

Nicole used hawthorn branches in flower in a ceramic vase, a gift from Lucy.

I made three arrangements with this theme because, quite frankly, sometimes I don't know when to stop. The truth is that I have wonderful material and feel compelled to use it.

As I'm looking at the photographs of my arrangements, however, I realize that I have used self made vases in all three. This was not intentional.

Viburnum opulus

Rhododendron

Having done two naturalistic arrangements, again I wanted to try something modern. I used umbrella grass stems only and not their flowers.  I had been quite strict with the students, insisting that they don't use leaves and flowers of the same plant but sticking to only one part of the plant. Naturally, I had to follow suit.

I leave you with this 'Vertical Arrangement' by Lei Wang, who has just started Book 3. She used bull rushes, Green Goddess lilies and arum lily leaves.

Bye for now,
Emily