MASTERCLASS #32

 

Hello all,

For our recent Masterclass I provided the students with unconventional materials. I instructed them to study the material and decide on whether to use a container and, if so, which one. I provided a number of fresh materials in buckets from which they could select two each.

Mine is the arrangement, above. The blue material is a rather stiff felt and the yellow are thin, plastic straws. Piercing the holes in the felt was a little difficult because it's quite stiff but I managed it and threaded the straws. The choice of vase was easy as was the choice of flowers, leucadendrons.

Lei had three cylinders and the yellow straws. She balanced the cylinders by using the straws beneath and above the cylinder, then added a NZ flax leaf and a camellia stem.

Swann had the same unconventional materials as me and it's interesting to  see her take on it. She used a flat plate with holes in it. She placed it over a suiban that could hold water for the clivia flowers. Swann cut the felt, shaped it and fed it through the hole in the plate. The straws added some colour as well as lines.

Lucy's unconventional material was a wide ribbon of something synthetic. Because it was light, she was able to secure it onto the NZ flax leaf. The flowers, which are difficult to see, were from an aloe plant, although I don't know which one.

Bredenia had straws, which she did not use and a very floppy ribbon of white plastic with holes in it. She bunched it up over a tall vase and let parts of it hang down. She added the proteas and a branch of cotoneaster berries, from which she had removed all the leaves.

Vicky had two rings made of some sort of thick cardboard. She sprayed them black and balanced them over two, matching, metal containers. She added an aspidistra leaf and two aloe flowers.

And now to my garden.

My favourite, native plant is the acacia aphylla, commonly known as leafless rock wattle. It has an interesting form when not in flower and can be used dried and sprayed but it it at its absolutely stunning form when in flower. Unlike other wattles, the flowers are not clustered together but are scattered like little jewels through the branches. 

I made two arrangements using this material. The first one is loosely based on Variation no. 3 slanting style. For the hikai I used leucadendrons.

For the second, I used two containers and, again, leucadendrons for the flowers.

And for this week's camellia arrangement, I cheated a little bit. Camellias have the frustrating tendency for the flowers to grow underneath the leaves, which means when you place them with the flower facing the front we see the backs of the leaves. An ikebana no no!! One way to deal with this is to remove all the leaves and make a contemporary arrangement rather than a naturalistic one.

Bye for now,

Emily

20TH JULY, 2026

 

Hello all,

I set the theme for the advanced students last week of 'Bare Branches'. This is subtly different to the 'Fresh and Dry Materials' theme in our curriculum. Here the branches, although bare, are alive and can be placed in a container with water. But, because they are bare, they can also be placed outside of the container.

In my example, above, I used branches from my apple tree chosen for the unusual curve of the main one. The vase is a gift from my cousin, Nieves, who, although not an ikebanist, has excellent taste in the containers she has gifted me over the years. In this arrangement the challenge was to secure the heavy strelitzia without it resting on the rim of the vase.

Later, with the sun shining onto the Siberian dogwood with its deep red stems, I couldn't resist making another arrangement on the same theme. I, initially, created the structure with the branches and let it sit in the studio until I pruned my hydrangeas yesterday and was able to create a mass with the flowers. 

Below is Vicky's arrangement made in an ikenobo style container, using nectarine branches, small chrysanthemums and wattle.

The branches that Nicole and Lucy used are from a photinia, which is an evergreen tree and, therefore, should not have been bare. This particular tree belongs to our next door neighbour and it has fallen onto the fence during some extreme weather. It now rests there, most likely dying, with few leaves but covered in luminous lichen.

Nicole secured her branch over a low suiban, without it resting on the table, then added two camellias to complete the arrangement.

Lucy chose a tall, nageire container for her arrangement and, like Nicole, used variegated, camellias with her branch.

Jenny's branch was prunus elvins, which she placed in a tsubo vase and added monstera deliciosa leaves, cut in half. She, also, added a couple of camellia buds, peaking out from behind the leaves.

Vicky, having finished early and with extra materials, made another arrangement.

Wendy's class theme was 'Using Various Locations'. She made an arrangement in a tall vase using camellias and wattle.

She, then, took it home and placed in her tokonoma to the side of the framed picture, thus avoiding obstructing the view of the picture.

My leucadendron shrub is at its best at the moment and I wanted to use some of it here. The little, bamboo, wall container seemed ideal for my small sized materials. The berries are clivia seed heads.

I used cuttings from my only reticulata camellia, the name of which I don't know. I use this camellia infrequently because it produces few flowers and those flowers are heavy and likely to drop. I was pleased to find two flowers that I could use for this week's camellia arrangement.

Bye for now,

Emily

13TH JULY, 2026

 

Hello all,

At our last, regular class I had set the theme 'A Composition Using Unconventional Materials' for the advanced students. In my example, above, I found at a metal recycling place a spiral of what looked like white insulation. On closer inspection I noticed that there were copper pipes inside. I unwound the spiral and removed quite a lot of the insulation to reveal the pipes, then added some copper wires that I had lying around. (Sometimes it pays to be a hoarder).

Cymbie used a vinal record that had been bent, presumably with the application of heat, into a fluted bowl shape and secured it onto the orange, metal piece. And, as a final touch, added the black wire.

Lucy secured a tube diagonally onto a wooden board and into it she placed the ends of metal ribbon curls. Then added smaller curls made of some gold material.

Vicky's core material was squares of synthetic felt. The rod coming from the container pierced through the felt and the blue baubles added a dash of colour.

Wendy's class theme was one of the Fifty Principles of Sogetsu. She chose number 33 - Select a container that accentuates the beauty of the ikebana arranged in it.

Wendy used a number of soft, delicate materials in a basket shaped like a boat.

Mary made a Vertical Arrangement. She used the dried flower stem of the NZ flax as well as 2 leaves from the same plant. The brightly coloured chrysanthemums completed the arrangement.

I had a couple of proteas left over after the last lesson, which I simply had to arrange. One stem had an interesting curve, which suited my low, self made container to a T.

And for this week's camellia arrangement I wanted a more contemporary look, so I removed all the leaves from the camellia stems and added curled, jonquil leaves. I know I'll be asked about this, so I'll tell you. I curved the leaves by inserting a fine, very straight wire vertically through tiny cells, then when I bent them, they kept their shape.

Bye for now,

Emily

6TH JULY, 2026

 

Before trimming

Hello all,

The photographs of the arrangement, above, demonstrate how judicial trimming is necessary to reveal the beauty of the material. It is one leucadendron salignum branch, which can stand alone without the addition of other materials.

At last month's Ikebana International meeting Chieko Yazaki, of Shogetsudo Koryu school, presented the workshop and the theme was 'Flax'. She made a number of arrangements using flax in a variety of ways.

The two photographs, below, are of my arrangement photographed against two different backgrounds. I used variegated NZ flax and a single stem of umbrella grass in a triangular, glass vase. 

Photo by Lei Wang in situ

Photo at home against
black background

Jenny used a number of different coloured flax leaves and begonia maculata flowers in a vase with holes all around.

Photo by Lei Wang

Wendy arrived at the meeting without materials or container. Chieko had brought some materials for those that didn't have any, so Wendy took some flax leaves and created a large, free standing structure without a container.

Photo by Lei Wang

Nicole used variegated NZ flax and agapanthus seed heads in a trough-like, ceramic suiban.

Photo by Lei Wang

Mary's theme was 'Complementing an Art Piece'. She brought a small painting made by indigenous artist, Karen Bird. 

Mary used Siberian dogwood stems, Cornus Siberica alba, reflecting the curved, vertical lines in the painting and pink tulips and yellow Billy buttons, Pycnosorus globusus.

For this week's camellia arrangement, I was happy to see my Brushfields' Yellow camellia shrub in full bloom. I placed two stems in this double, ceramic container.

Bye for now,

Emily

29TH JUNE, 2026

 

Hello all,

Our recent Sogetsu workshop was presented by Thea Sartori. The instructions to members from Thea were to bring three different types of materials and three containers. We were to make three arrangements using the three different materials in each. Thea demonstrated two sets of three arrangements, showing how the materials can be used differenty.

The selection of my materials was influenced by their availability. The first were the pieces of kiwi vine, which were lying around in my studio, after having been used in other arrangements. The second were camellias from a shrub that had just come into full flower. The third were alstroemeria psittacina leaves.

In my first arrangement, above, I sprayed the kiwi vine gold and placed it in an egg-shaped, footed container. I added the camellias coming forward and the alstroemeria leaves at the back.

In the second, below, I kept the kiwi vine in its natural colour and wound it to reflect the shape of the container. Then added one camellia with its stem and the alstroemeria leaves at the base.

And in the third, below, I sprayed the kiwi vine black and placed it over a tall, rectangular, glass container. I added the camellias in a mass and the alstroemeria leaves to the side and back.

Lucy's three materials were monstera deliciosa leaves, tulips and equisetum. 

In her first arrangement, below, Lucy placed half a monstera leaf in a tall container with a large opening at the front and a smaller one at the top. She fed the tulip stems and equisetum through the natural holes of the leaf.

In her second, below, she used one of each of her materials sweeping diagonally, in a slate container.

And in her third she used a tall, glass vase, over which she secured the monstera leaf up-side-down. She added the tulips as an informal mass and the equisetums creating lines.

Just over a week ago I had a delightful visit from a couple of friends of mine, mother and daughter, Bo and Emily. My friendship with Bo started when our children were in high school (many moons ago). There were four of us, who volunteered in the school canteen once a month and developed a strong friendship. This friendship continues to this day. We meet three or four times a year at each others' homes for lunch which lasts at least 6 hours.

This visit was a little out of the ordinary but very welcome. The girls brought me two bunches of white hyacinths, which I can best describe as luscious. Each fragrant flower head is so thick and heavy that the stems can't hold it up. I had to devise an arrangement that provided support for the flowers and I settled on the giant philodendron. I reduced the leaf drastically and added some crucifix orchids for a bit of colour, in a self made, ceramic container.

I'm very disappointed this year with my mahonia tree because it has not produced any flowers. I found the branch, below, with a tiny bit that was flowering and had to use it. I trimmed a good number of leaves to reveal the shape of the stem and placed it in a rectangular, ceramic container. I felt that floral materials would have been superfluous so I left them out. Besides, this appeals to the minimalist in me.

Vicky made the arrangement, below, when she had a bit of time to play. The container is a new one and works well with the strelitzia reginae leaff and flower.

And for this week's camellia arrangement I used the very first flower from this prolific, camellia tree, in a self made container. I made every effort to find the name of this camellia, including taking it to a camellia show and asking the experts but to no avail. So, she remains nameless.

Bye for now,

Emily

WARNING!!

 Hello all,

I wanted to warn you that there are scam emails purporting to be from follow.it, that is my blog. Please delete without clicking on any links.

Regards,

Emily Karanikolopoulos

22ND JUNE, 2026

 

Hello all,  

For last week's class I had set two themes - a 'Vertical Arrangement' and a 'Horizontal Arrangement'- for the advanced students. I did so because they are quite easy and I was certain the students would be able to cope.

Mine is the horizontal arrangement, above. Vicky  had trimmed her kiwi vine and gave me a large number of gorgeous vines, part of which I used here. I, also, had gypsophila, a stem of phalaenopsis orchid and alstroemeria psittacina leaves. The ceramic container is by Paul Davis.

My arrangement, below, came about when I was removing some dead leaves from my strelitzia nicolai. Normally, these leaves are quite wide but this one had an interesting, narrow shape, ideal for my vertical arrangement. I was able to find some long stems on my camellia to add to it for the floral focus.

Apart from the camellias, there are not many flowers in the garden this time of year. That's why it's such a joy when the Japanese flowering apricot (prunus mume) comes into bloom. I couldn't resist using it for a second, vertical arrangement.

Lucy's vertical arrangement comprised three sansevierias and one amaranthus flowerhead draping downwards.

For her horizontal one she used a triangular, ceramic container with openings on both sides, through which she placed two gymea leaves and a cycad frond.

Vicky's kiwi vine features in her vertical arrangement, together with a Green Goddess lily and a NZ flax leaf in a footed, ceramic container.

For her horizontal one she used equisetum stems, knotted together at the end and added a single stem of Oriental lily in bud.

Nicole used three arum lilies, in different stages of opening and umbrella grass (cyperus ulternifolius), with the tops trimmed back.

For her horizontal one she used stems of cotoneaster epiculatus and nandina domestica nana in a squat, tsubo vase.

Lei, for her vertical arrangement, trimmed three palm fronds and placed them in a flat trough, at different heights, then added snapdragons behind them.

And for her horizontal one, she managed to balance a tortuous willow stem over the tsubo vase and added a single protea to complete the arrangement.

Dianne's class theme was 'Focusing on the Uses of Water'. She made two arrangements in large suibans. The first was pond-like using a log and winter iris (Iris unguicularis). The materials were placed to the side, leaving the water uncluttered.

In her second arrangement Dianne placed a Mahonia stem diagonally across the container, thus reflecting on the surface of the water. She added sprigs of mahonia and winter iris on the kenzan to complete the arrangement.

In this week's camellia arrangement I used the red camellia, whose name I've not been able to find and some clivia berries in a quirky, ceramic container. 

Bye for now,

Emily