LEAVES ONLY AT THE WINTER SOLSTICE

   

During this time of Covid-19 restrictions Laurie and I have developed a pattern of a long daily walk, with the principal destination being a cafe where we have been able to buy a cup of coffee to take away. The route of our walk varies according to the weather, or just our whim.

Yesterday we crossed the boardwalk at the mouth of Spring Creek and noticed that the sand bar is only a few centimetres above the creek surface. In the photo above it is the thin brown line that separates the creek surface from the sea in the background. If we have more rain the sand bar will be breached and the creek will flow into the sea.

This view shows the board walk along the bank of the creek. In the distance it sweeps back across the full width of the creek. 

In the last week our destination cafe has been allowed to have a small number of customers inside, after 'signing in' and observing distancing protocols. It is so pleasant to be able to sit down and to use ceramic cups again.

I laughed out loud with delight when the coffee arrived with our names written in the decorated froth on the coffee.

And now to ikebana and, first, some of my students' work.

Eugenia's exercise is an arrangement that, "incorporates Australian native material and exotic materials". I set this challenge to my students because it can be quite difficult for materials to work together if they are from very different climates. In this ikebana the line on the left is the central rib of a Monstera Deliciosa  leaf which is native to Mexico and central America. The other materials are a variety of Kangaroo paw Angiozanthos and Acacia aphylla.

 

Marcia's exercise was to first create a freestanding 'sculpture' with some dry branches, for which she chose corky elm.

Then in a second step she has arranged that material in a vase with some fresh materials. In this case some white camellia.

The winter solstice has arrived and tonight will be the longest this year. With fewer flowers around, for some time I have been thinking to use some Costal Sword Sedge, Lepidosperma gladiatum to make an ikebana arrangement.

 

This is one of my favourite local materials. The leaves are long, tough and can be manipulated into beautiful curves. As they age they often colour into beautiful shades of orange before turning grey.

This is a flowerhead, which grows on a long stiff stalk that looks like a slightly thicker leaf.

I have arranged the leaves in a shallow ceramic bowl by Phil Elson. The asymmetric mass is set in a kenzan that is placed well to the left in the bowl. This placement creates a space where the water surface can be seen on the righthand side of the bowl. For a colour contrast I have added the surviving Hydrangea leaves from last week's ikebana. As this ikebana will last for at least a couple of weeks I am looking forward to re-working it for next weeks post.

Greetings from Christopher

21st June 2020