BANKSIA SPECIOSA

The annual exhibition for 2024 finished yesterday, Saturday 23rd November, with a demonstration presented by Aileen Duke, the Deputy Director of the Victorian Branch. Photos of the final weeks of the exhibition will be posted in due course.

Classes with my students have started again for the fourth term of 2024.

Jacqueline's exercise was to make a floor-based arrangement which is to be viewed from above. She used a branch of Camellia and two Monstera leaves. 

Two partially hidden, salmon-coloured Carnations Dianthus caryophyllus, provided a contrasting colour.

In Torquay, I had set my students the exercise of making an ikebana that used three different types of flowers and large leaves.

Marta used a Monstera leaf through which she threaded dark red Rose campion Silene coronaria, flowers, two stems of Matchstick Bromeliad Aechmea gamosepala, and two pink Scabiosa flowers.

Coralie's ikebana started out more complicated than this final appearance. The three flowers in two separate vessels are, on the left: Strelitzia reginae, and at its base Kniphofia; on the right: an opening bud of Agapanthus in front of a Strelitzia leaf.

Pamela used two Monstera leaves, a Strelitzia flower, two dark purple Petunias and a trail of Nasturtians Tropaeolum at the base.

Lyn used a single small Monstera leaf with two curving stems of Matchstick Bromeliad, Statice Limonium partially hidden on the left and a Leucospermum completely hidden on the right (sorry wrong camera angle).

My ikebana is from the second week of the Annual Exhibition of the Victorian Sogetsu Branch which took place in the City Of Whitehorse Artspace Gallery.

 

I had paticularly wanted to use these large seed heads of Showy Banksia B. speciosa. They are very eye-catching because of their size, and are attractive close up when you can see that the seed capsule is covered with warm brown velvety fur. The long leaves are thin and saw-toothed. 

In the previous week senior members of the Branch had been given the opportunity to use vessels from the City of Whitehorse Ceramic Collection. We were required to use a different vessel in the second week.

My challenge was this very highly-decorated vessel by the Victorian ceramicist Chris Pittard. Fortunately, my material was more subtly coloured and did not conflict too much with the vessel. Also, the vessel was large and heavy which meant it could support the weight of the material. To emphasise the seed heads, and keep the vase from toppling over, I have kept them very low in the vessel. A line of two thin branches gives a sense of movement to the ikebana. The leafy material in the middle is Eucalyptus macrocarpa. These leaves are a blue-grey however, I was unable to correct the colour balance of the photo.

Greetings from Christopher
24th November 2024