The theme set by one of the students for the second-last Geelong class, was to make "a table arrangement without using flowers"; an interesting and slightly counter-intuitive theme given the lead up to Christmas time.
Maureen's arrangement included red Eucalyptus stems that were stripped of their leaves to show the colour and the small clusters of green flower buds. The other materials are Smoke bush Cotinus and Nandina berries.
Helen arranged Lime Citrus fruit in small wine glasses with bunches of Rosemary Salvia rosemarinum. She had wired the Rosemary together with copper giving a subtle sparkle to the green masses.
Christine used red=painted dry New Zealand Flax Phormium leaves with fresh leaves and a mass of blue-painted fine vine-like stems.
Helen also arranged a single stem of Grape vine Vitis that floated horizontally above the table surface. A bunch of red grapes sits among the leaves and two Plums Prunus subg. Prunus sit on the table.
Using a unique moulded-glass vessel, Ellie arranged coloured Dracaena leaves, shredded Aspidistra and some branches with small maroon leaves.
Maree's exercise was to make an ikebana "in a suiban without using a kenzan". She used three Manchurian pear Pyrus ussuriensis branches and an unidentified branch with green leaves. A single large pink Hydrangea sat low within the suiban.
At the beginning of December I attended a Sogetsu meeting where the presenter set the theme with the following instruction: Find something old and make it fresh with your ikebana. Where to start? After thinking of many possibilities I remembered that in the bottom of the sideboard was a silver epergne. It is an art nouveau table-centre designed to hold flowers, that was a wedding present of my father's parents who were married in 1910.
In my childhood it occasionally held Geraniums. I remember them looking like a series of posies. Thanks to my ikebana lessons I now know that there are other possibilities. Ikebana has given me the knowledge that I do not have be limited by the vessel.
This is the ikebana I made at the workshop. I found it quite exciting that I could make a more expansive arrangement. I have used three stems of Umbrella grass and some Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota flowers. The Umbrella grass Cyperus alternifolius stems both extend and unify the arrangement.
Three weeks later I re-created the ikebana on the dining table at home as my Christmas table centre.
Wishing you a happy and safe New Year for 2025.
Greetings from Christopher
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