ITS NOT EASY BEING GREEN *

At recent classes in Torquay and Geelong I set my students the exercise of making an ikebana using "Green Plant Materials" only. The logic of this is that Green is the predominant colour when we think about the botanical world. However, we often  focus on other colours, especially when it comes to flowers. The exercise is to encourage the ikebanist to pay attention to the many variations and textures of green.

Annie set her materials in a footed vessel. One of her materials was some current season Gumnuts with the beginnings of some maroon colouring.

Coralie used Bracken fern, Dietes leaves, which she interwove, and a small stem of vine (perhaps Kennedia). The Dietes leaves

were interwoven to repeat the triangular form of the Bracken.

Lyn set Pinus radiata, Olive, and Banksia. The latter was set so that the pale green backs of leaves were also visible.

Róża used two Strelitzia leaves as the principal subject, with Sage and a small unidentified herb. The right hand of the Strelitzia leaves had a striated appearance with yellowish bands parallel to the veins.

In the Geelong class:

Maureen used green gumnuts and Leucadendron branches. She also used some dyed Mitsumata Edgeworthia, one of the plants commonly used in making Japanese paper. This plant is unusual in that it naturally forms three branches at nodal points. The unusual branches are processed and bleached or coloured for use in ikebana.

Christine used the end of a Dracena branch, some pale blue-green salt bush and a large Philodendron leaf placed at the back of the arrangement.

Helen used only two materials. After arranging the Aeonium and then adding a mass of very fine-leafed Acacia, she realised that another material would weaken the design.

Ellie used some branches of Cypress Cupressus and two different types of green Chrysanthemum.

Jo's exercise was to make a "floor arrangement". She used a large branch of Silver Birch Betula pendula, as the principal material. To this she added some stems of curving Rose berries.

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My own ikebana this week uses Hydrangeas from the garden at the end of their Autumn phase. In early summer they are white; they slowly become pink; before going green then red in Autumn. The single leaf is from our slow-growing Gymea Doryanthes palmeri, a gift from my colleague Emily Karanikolopoulos. Some mechanics were necessary to achieve the floating of the leaf across the vase opening. It is secured to a vertical stem that is anchored in a kenzan at the bottom of the vase.

The vase is by the Victorian ceramic artist Arnaud Barraud.

Greetings from Christopher
19th May 2024

* "Its not easy being green"   Kermit the Frog.