HORIZONTAL IKEBANA

Much of Australia is experiencing heat wave conditions this weekend. The temperature in Mildura in the north west of the state (Victoria) was almost 45 degrees celsius yesterday, 18 degrees above the November average. Here on the south west coast it has been cool and wet! Today we are expecting a maximum of 17 C. However we are definitely moving toward summer.

This photo is of the native clematis, C. microphylla, that grows on our fence and which flowered in early spring.

Six to eight weeks later, the fluffy seed heads have formed. This photo was taken on the cliff tops a couple of weeks ago. 

On the same walk we came across this Xanthorrhoea minor - subspecies lutea, in full flower.

I was pleased to see these two examples of X. minor - lutea, flowering at the side of a golf course, in the goldfields area in central Victoria last week. Now that we are able to travel freely, Laurie and I went there for a few days having spent the last several months 'confined' to Torquay. 

As it was early evening, a large number of kangaroos had come out onto the fairways of the golf course to graze. These two were very wary of me and bounded away just after I took the photo. There are some other Kangaroos in the distance. 

The goldfields area has long been an area of pottery production. One place of particular interest is the Bendigo Pottery, that was established in 1858 by a Scottish potter when he discovered high quality clay in the area. This was at the time of the Australian gold rushes and, no doubt, producing functional ware locally would have overcome the need to import from Britain, Europe or the U.S.A.

With the revival of Studio Pottery in the late 1960's, a number of potters set up studios and kilns in this area of Victoria and it continues to be a place of much creative activity. 

I was very pleased to meet a sculptor and ceramic artist, Mel Ogden (website), who is currently experimenting with slab constructed forms for ikebana vessels. She uses subtle pale glazes of her own making. (Link to: Mel's instagram account)

 

I was really drawn to this bold structural form and was pleased to be able to add it to my collection of handmade ceramics.

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In the garden I noticed the Acanthus mollis flower-heads were probably at their peak and one of the taller ones had two side branches that had an appealing curve. I have arranged two of them so that their lines cross and added some magenta Buddleja that picked up the colour of the Acanthus sepals.

However, this is the idea that I really had in mind. I was interested to use the Acanthus arranged horizontally. This time it is a secondary element supporting the line of the Buddleja that is the principle subject of the ikebana. This horizontal style of  arrangement is a subject from the 2008 Sogetsu revised curriculum and works well when a bold design is desired.

Greetings from Christopher

29th November 2020