SOGETSU WORKSHOP

 

Hello all,

Last Monday I ran a workshop for our Sogetsu group with a double theme - 'Intertwining Plant Materials' and 'The Shape of the Container'. I demonstrated five arrangements to a very receptive and engaged audience.

My first arrangement was in a small, triangular suiban using bulrushes, bent and intertwined, thus creating an asymmetric triangle, and finished with a single strelitzia at the back.

The second was in a curved, ceramic container and I used branches of Siberian dogwood, leaves removed, and intertwined at the top. The rose I used is called 'Lolita'.

The third was made using spear grass, again, intertwined at the top but I picked this self made container because it is quite challenging to use. The difficulty is in the placement of the kenzan over the curve at the bottom of the container. I took some time to explain and demonstrate how the problems can be overcome.

The fourth was in a self made, double vase. I used agapanthus buds and New Zealand flax, which I split and intertwined around the stems of the agapanthus.

The last arrangement was in a large, curved container with three openings. I mostly like using the side openings for placement of materials, rather than the centre. In this case I used an olive branch, which was dying and had to be pruned. The previous evening I split a couple of New Zealand flax leaves and curled them up, then tied them to keep the curl. I was, then, able to loosely weave the flax through the fine, olive branches and for the colour focus, I used another strelitzia.

The photographs are by my clever and generous student, Lei Wang. Thank you Lei!!

Back in class, Mary did an iris arrangement using my Siberian iris as we didn't have iris ensata in flower.

Front view

Side view

I had some Louisiana iris that had fallen and taken a slanted shape. I placed them in this Art Deco bowl and thought about other materials that I could use with them but, everything I tried, cluttered the arrangement, so I left it as an arrangement using one kind of material.

And, having hit December, the Christmas arrangements will becoming thick and fast. Here's the first one of mine. It is the piece I set up at the Hawthorn Art Centre for the Summer Salon Exhibition. I used a palm inflorescence, which I had soaked and reshaped, then sprayed white. I added pine, red crucifix orchids and Christmas beads in a tall glass vase.

Bye for now,

Emily