CASCADING ACACIA

My Geelong class includes Anne, who is working on the early exercises that are the foundation of ikebana studies. In design terms, these exercises teach about form, proportion, asymmetry and space.

Recently, Anne progressed to the most technically difficult exercise: the Basic Upright Style in a 'nageire' vase. This particular version is the 'reverse' (mirror image) of the standard form. 

We want our ikebana to look engaging and effortless. However, it takes considerable practise to secure the branches and flowers at the correct angles in such a tall narrow vase.

Maree's exercise was to make an ikebana "Using Seasonal Materials'. She has used two branches of Camellia that have been heavily trimmed to create a sense of movement and a feeling of lightness. 

Jo's exercise was to create an ikebana expressing a "Movement". She has used partially dried New Zealand Flax Phormium,  "snaking" through the bars of the metal wine rack. A small focus of lemon-coloured ribbon has been added as a contrast.

 

Helen's exercise was to make an ikebana with both straight and curving lines. She has used fine branches from a Dwarf Pomegranate which has berry-sized fruit. Both the straight and curved lines are from the same tree. A mass of succulent flowers sits within the ceramic bowl.

The other senior students were asked to make an ikebana, using winter flowers, with or without branch material.

Maureen arranged a small mass of white Narcissus with a branch of Manchurian pear Pyrus ussuriensis also in flower. She has added some Eucalyputus leaves to increase the Narcissus mass to balance with the tall branch.

Ellie used a single stem of densely-flowering green Cymbidium orchid. The stem was so heavy that she placed it in a boat-shaped vessel that was able to provide support for the tip of the stem. The foreshortening of the photo belies the length of the stem and the space at the back of the vessel. Ellie has removed two flowers so that the mass did not look too tight.

My ikebana this week is an arrangement of the semi-prostrate Acacia Baileyana from our garden. I decided to use it in a vase with a purple-looking glaze to contrast with the yellow flowers.

To keep the long drooping line from touching the table top I created this cross-bar wired to a vertical stem, which is secured in a kenzan. This means that the cross-bar can lightly touch the thin wall of the vase without the risk of a break. Conventional cross-bars are wedged against the side of a vessel.

The final result is a light-looking ikebana that hangs forward from the centre of the vase without touching the sides. The purple appearance of the vessel is illusory as the glaze is comprised of closely-spaced, fine red and blue lines.

The vessel is by the Australian ceramicist Pippin Drysdale.

Greetings from Christopher

11th August 2024