DEMONSTRATION IN CHRISTCHURCH

Last week I posted some photos of driftwood on the beach at Greymouth and lamented that fact that I could not bring some back home. However, I was delighted to find the driftwood inspired creativity in others, not just ikebanists.

In particular, in Hokitika there were many examples of driftwood sculptures along the waterfront.

This was one of the first that I saw and was impressed by its mysterious, powerful and quite elemental feeling.

Further down the beach was this very large figurative sculpture that to me had a haunting feeling.

From Hokitika we travelled further down the west coast and then across the mountains in the direction of Queenstown.

The journey took us past the Thunder Creek waterfall, which had its own rainbow in the morning sun.

A kind visitor from the Czech Republic took this photo of Laurie and me while we were there.

Over last weekend I conducted workshops for the Sogetsu Branch in Christchurch and presented a public demonstration at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple. On the Friday before, we collected materials from the Red Zone, and selected some vases from the Consular Office of Japan in Christchurch. 

Mr Hada, the Director of the Consular Office also honoured the occasion with his presence.

The first arrangement I made was a Basic Slanting moribana using Japanese Maple and pale pink roses from the garden of the Director of the Christchurch Branch of the Sogetsu School, Vickie Hernshaw. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph the work because of the busy background.

Next I arranged two flower heads of Fatsia Japonica, removing all the large leaves except one extending to the left and two smaller ones on the right. To cover the base of the flower stems I inserted an inverted leaf into the vase below the water level showing its back. The lower part of the vase was 50%  bigger than is shown in the photo. It was empty of flower material to create a feeling of lightness and space within the work.

For my third arrangement I used two large dried sunflower heads. I was interested to show the back of the flowers because of their velvety green texture and their strongly ridged lines.

Two long straight lines of variegated New Zealand Flax completed the ikebana which was placed against a 30cm wide pillar.

For the sake of this photo I have created extra width in the background using photo editing.

In my last ikebana I used a dried lichen covered branch provided by Vickie Hernshaw, to which I added two branches of Holly Ilex aquifolium, one with yellow and the other with red berries. The flowers are a new hybrid of Gerbera with narrow longitudinally curled petals.

Greetings from Christopher
9th April 2023