WORKSHOPS

 

Hello all, 

At our recent Ikebana International meeting, our guest speaker was Mr. Eijiro Fukuda, a Kumiko Woodworking Artist - Kumino. So, we were asked to make arrangements using wood.

Our Lucy was the member demonstrator. She used a 'log', which had been sliced in two and she drilled holes on the cut face of each half and added spear grass to create curved lines. She then drilled a larger hole into which she placed a plastic vial to hold the stem of crucifix orchid. Photograph, below.

Lucy had, also, done an arrangement to place on the table using black bamboo attached to a board. She poured water in one bamboo 'cylinder' and used it to place the rose stem.

For my contribution on the theme, I wanted to use something other than the countless 'wood' materials in my storage room, which I'd used before. On my street there are a number of huge, mature, cypress trees. On the lower parts of the trees, limbs had died and dropped off, leaving stumpy pieces jutting out. I wanted to use these but I did not want to cut them with a saw, So I broke a couple by hanging on them like Tarzan (or maybe his monkey). I'm sure it would have been entertaining for passing motorists to see an old lady hanging from a tree. But, we, ikebanists wiil not be deterred!

I attached them together with a screw where they meet at the top and at the bottom. Then it was just a matter of adding flowers and I couldn't go past these red camellias. As any of you who have worked with camellias will know, there is a degree of difficulty in arranging them. The flowers often grow facing downward and care must be taken not to allow the backs of the leaves to show.

For photographs of other members' work, go to II Melbourne.

On Saturday our Sogetsu group welcomed Ray Bywaters, the director of the South Australian Branch and the most recent recipient of the Norman and Mary Sparnon Scholarship.

Ray spoke to us of her experiences during her stay in Japan and presented a short power point presentation. She, then, demonstrated two arrangements on the theme of the Japanese idiom : 'Kachoufugetsu'. We were told that the meaning is 'The beautiful features of natural scenery, the beauty of nature, artistic pursuits with natural themes, the wonder of nature, scenic nature.

Please go to Sogetsu Victoria for more information and photographs.

For my arrangement the greatest challenge was to cut down a strelitzia nicolai flower, which was very high on the plant. With Sam's help, I stood on a trestle table and, using an extendable cutter with a saw attached, I just managed to reach and cut my flower. 

My aim was to represent a bird. Then I was faced with the challenge of balancing the very heavy strelitzia in this doughnut shaped container, without resting on top of it. I pierced a skewer through the stem to help stop it from twisting. I then, added fern fronds and cordyline leaves as feathers.

Side view

The theme for the afternoon workshop was 'One Leaf and One Flower', which seemed much easier in comparison, but, for many of us, it proved anything but. We were told we could do a second arrangement if we wanted to.

My first arrangement was very simple using a haemanthus leaf and one arum lily. I did have to employ some mechanics to ensure that the lily stem did not rest on the leaf.

My second arrangement was a bit more challenging. It started with the crucifix orchid with aerial roots that I've been wanting to use for some time. I needed a high container from which the roots could hang and a strong leaf to hold up the flower and for visual balance. Hence the gymea leaf. To prevent the flower stem from resting on the leaf, I used a piece of wire which I pierced through the stem and into the top and bottom of the leaf 'tunnel'.

We had some discussion as to whether the roots constituted a part of the flower, with differing opinions. The orchid is epiphytic and draws nourishment from its aerial roots, which allows me to place it in the arrangement without it being in water. I just spray the roots every time I go past it.

Two days later and the fern fronds in my bird arrangement were drying and curling up. This necessitated the rearranging of the strelitzia.

I started by securing the flower in this ceramic container. That meant using skewers through the stem and wedging them on the inside walls of the container.

In new container

Mechanics holding the flower 
stem

 

Now, this is a deep enough container to conceal my mechanics but I was not happy with them being seen when up close. So I brought in a gymea leaf, which can survive a long time without being in water. The arrangement is now fits the theme of 'One Leaf and One Flower.

The final product

Bye for now,

Emily

 

MASTERCLASS #22

 

Hello all,

I run the Masterclass once a month but had to cancel the last three due to clashes with 2 exhibitions and a demonstration. So, it was great to get back to it. Providing the advanced students with challenging work and seeing what they come up with is very rewarding for this teacher.

Vicky had done some pruning in her garden and offered bare, magnolia and apple branches for the class to use. I gave each student two branches and a stem of Oriental lilies plus two leaves, all of them different. They were to choose the container themselves.

In my arrangement, above, after positioning the magnolia branches securely in the container, I removed a number of side stems to create a windswept look. I added the flower at the back and weaved a number of dietes leaves to follow the direction of the stems.

Lei came up with an interesting design but struggled with the mechanics needed to keep the branches in position in this difficult to use container. Because the branches are bare, they can be placed out of water and the aspidistra leaves can, also, survive out of water.

Cym chose a tall vase with two openings and placed her magnolia branches diagonally over it. She, then, carefully arranged the strelitzia leaves so that the pinky coloured spine would be visible, picking up the colour of the flowers. Her flower stem had three flowers and she was loathe to remove any, so she used it as it was, placing it behind the leaves.

Lucy started with a ceramic vase with an antique metallic patina and a small opening. She arranged her branches and gymea leaves over the container placing inside the vase the flower and an interesting branch with a thick stump on the end.

Jenny placed her branches in and out of this heavy, ceramic container with a split down the middle. She used one of her New Zealand flax leaves and the flower stem with partially open buds.

Vicky wanted to feature the beautiful line of her apple branch, so chose a tall, white vase for her arrangement. She placed one stem in the vase and one in front of it. Two monstera deliciosa leaves and the flower stem completed the arrangement. There was some debate as to whether to remove the two leaves at the top. In the end I left it up to her to decide and she chose to keep them. 

Mary's class theme was Jika-dome - Direct fixing. She used camelia branches, which she was able to bend. She placed the branches with the bottom of the stem resting on the inside wall of the vase and the bend on the lip. The chrysanthemum stems, also, needed some bending to bring them forward.

Before I leave you, I'd like to extend an invitation to an exhibition - 'Antipodean Palette', in which I will be taking part. Details below. 

I will be on duty on Saturday morning, 13th July, if anyone wants to drop in and say hi.

Bye for now,

Emily

EXHIBITION ARRANGEMENTS #3

 

Hello all,

A more recent addition to our curriculum is the theme 'Composition Using Unconventional Materials'. It basically means using non botanical materials, which leads to sculptural works. Case in point is my piece, above, in which I have used rusted steel pieces embedded in a piece of wood. This was displayed in a glass cabinet on the wall.

Bredenia's arrangement created a great deal of interest. The branch material she used is called 'Woolly Bush' (Adenanthos sericeus).People would peer inside trying to work how it was bent, looking for whatever mechanics held the branches in that position. The truth is that they grew that way.  Bredenia had removed other side shoots to reveal the windswept look of the remaining branches. The other remarkable thing about this material is that it has been five weeks since it was cut from the tree and it still looks fresh. In fact, if you look closely, you'll see that there is growth at the tips, which is growing upwards.

I made the next two arrangements to fill in for Jenny, who had to withdraw due to ill health.

In my arrangement, below, I used a strelitzia nicolai flower and a strelitzia reginae leaf, in a ceramic tsubo vase.

The material in this next arrangement is a succulent called Aloe striatula. It is growing in the shade and, in its attempts to reach for the sun, it creates long, rambling stems. It's just what I needed for use with these three metal containers. When I brought it home after the exhibition, I noticed that the stems did not reach the water, but that did not affect the material at all and is still perfect, nearly four weeks later.

After the demonstration I had some left over, luscious, white chrysanthemums and Dutch iris, which I used in the arrangement, below. I massed the two different flowers separately and placed them in the spaces created by the Siberian dogwood. This could fall into the category of the theme  'Mass and Line'.

Mary's class arrangement was 'Paying Attention to the Shape of the Container'. She used Siberian dogwood and hydrangeas in a triangular, ceramic container.

I've employed a young man to help me with some of the more difficult jobs in the garden. One of those jobs is the removal of suckers from the elm trees, which involves bending down, sometimes under shrubs and other plants to remove these proliferating, pesky suckers. It's very important to remove them because, if left unchecked, they grow into a tree and we have plenty of those. 

His job was to remove them and mine was to cut them into small pieces to fit into the garden bin. In the process I found some interesting stems, which I saved from the bin and with which I made the arrangement, below. The branches are quite delicate, requiring fine flowers and leaves. The crucifix orchids and dietes leaves fit the bill and I chose a narrow, glass container into which I placed them.

In the garden of an acquaintance I found a prostrate banksia and was allowed to cut some. After removing a number of side stems, I was left with interesting branches and made the next two arrangements. Both arrangements address the theme of 'Only One Kind of Material'.

Bird's eye view showing the angle of the branch

Bye for now,

Emily

EXHIBITION ARRANGEMENTS #2

 

Hello all,

I'm continuing the photographic journey of our exhibition.

Above is a photograph of one of my arrangements, which had an interesting start. My student, Shaneen, arrived to class one day clutching a giant fan, asking if I might have some use for it. The front of the fan is quite elaborately painted in a floral design but the reverse was quite plain. I took it and left it, folded up, in the studio for some time. When preparing for the exhibition I wanted to challenge myself to find a way to use it. 

After spraying the reverse in old gold, I visualized some botanical materials crossing the fan diagonally. The two New Zealand flax flower stems were more than two metres in length and fitted the bill perfectly. I also used flax leaves and papyrus, which was another contribution by Shaneen.

Lucy's freestyle arrangement, below, was made using two agave 'leaves' and anthuriums in a ceramic container.

Dianne's theme was a freestyle Ka-bu-wa-ke, in which two or more kenzans are used in a suiban. Apart from a harmonious combination of materials, the focus is on the space between the 'kabu' or groups.

Vicky's 'Simple Arrangement' was made using two vases, a piece of contorted hazel (Corylus avellana contorta) and an anthurium. The arrangement was placed in a freestanding, glass cabinet.

Lei's miniature arrangements were placed in a glass cabinet and were an absolute delight.

My next arrangement was, also, in a large, glass cabinet. The resin container is quite large and the tarnish on the copper pipes reflects the colour of the container. I used birds nest fern (Asplenium nidus), variegated New Zealand flax and three orange coloured gladiolas. Unfortunately, this photo was taken before the gladiolas opened.

Shaneen's theme was Dried, Bleached or Coloured Materials. She used a dried palm spathe, two ornamental kale flowers and salvias in a ceramic suiban.

Cym's arrangement was in one of two wall glass cabinets. These cabinets are quite large but not deep, necessitating a rather flat arrangement. Cym used two large bamboo poles, strelitzia nicolai leaves, strelitzia reginae flowers and two different coloured, kangaroo paws in a large, ceramic container.

My next piece is a contemporary freestyle arrangement. I used two large, truck exhaust pipes, into which I placed palm inflorescence which I coloured orange. 

I'll have more exhibition pictures for you next week.

Bye for now,

Emily