In these days when face-to-face classes are not permitted, my students continue to practise their ikebana at home. I have the pleasure of receiving photos of their ikebana via email and commenting on their work. This however is not without its challenges. The first and most obvious thing is that I am commenting on a two-dimensional photo, not a three-dimensional ikebana seen in 'real life'.
When I photograph my own work I often close one eye to get a better idea of what the camera is seeing before I press the button. It is surprising how often this alerts me to the need to alter the ikebana slightly or make a small change in the angle of the camera. The other major difference from conducting a face-to-face class is that I do not get to see the work as it progresses and observe the student's problem-solving and manual skills. However, for all of us, this new mode of communication is certainly better than not having classes.
Margaret told me that she had the good fortune of finding these Golden Ash, Fraxinus excelsior 'Aurea', branches while out for her daily walk. She has arranged them in a suiban without using a kenzan, adding two Aspidistra leaves and a mass of one of the Thryptomenes.
In the garden...
...I recently noticed that an Arum lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, planted a couple of years ago, was developing its first flower. I carefully monitored its development as I wanted to use it as an ikebana subject. My thought was to make an arrangement using one flower and one leaf.
I decided to use this vase by Pippin Drysdale because of its form and its strong colour. At a glance this vase looks purple. However, the surface is made of alternating fine lines of intense blue and red glaze. The interior of the vase is red only.
This photo of the interior shows that the stems have been gently and patiently curved. The curving of the stems allowed me to brace them against the wall of the vase to achieve the desired positions and particular angle of both the flower and the leaf.
Greetings from Christopher
22nd August 2020
It is interesting how looking through the camera at your arrangement can point out things you don’t pick up but I never thought about closing one eye while doing that, I’m going to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI like your student’s arrangements, especially what Margaret did with her materials.
The Pippin Drysdale container makes that lily pop, a wonderful combination of material with container, it’s lovely.
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