CASCADING COOTAMUNDRA WATTLE

After last weekend in Sydney, I am back in Torquay. When I get further photos from Sogetsu Sydney's 65th anniversary I will present them or provide a link. 

This weekend's ikebana shows recent work of my Geelong and Melbourne students. 

Anne is now working her way through the second book of the Sogetsu curriculum. This exercise above is Slanting Variation No 3 in a suiban. The branch material may be Melaleuca armillaris, the pink flowers are Chrysanthemums.

Maree's exercise was to practise one of the fixing techniques in a spherical (Tsubo) vase. The form of this ikebana is, by coincidence, also Variation No 3. She has used Fig Ficus carica, branches with the leaves cut-off, and two white Chrysanthemums 

Jo's exercise was to make an "ikebana complementing an art work"; in this case, a piece of fabric printed with a design based on a painting by Claude Monet. Her suiban matched the blue of the fabric closely, and she floated three pink Geranium flowers on the water. The stem of tortuous willow salix responds to the branch lines on the fabric.

The senior students' exercise was to make an ikebana "inspired by music"

Helen said her ikebana was inspired by the idea of musical bells. She used stems of New Zealand Flax Phormium to represent rope from which the bell cups are 'supported'. Succulent rosettes and one geranium flower sit in the tops of the bell cups.

The inspiration for Christine's ikebana comes from the idea of the music of the sea. She placed three bivalve shells on the corner of her turquoise-glazed suiban and added Sea Holly Eryngium.

Ellie's ikebana was inspired by Arvo Pärt's music Spiegel im spiegel   In three narrow glass cylinders placed on a mirror, she has arranged small sections of Autumn Joy Hylotelephium Sedum pieces. This link is to YouTube and the music of Spiegel im Spiegel. 

Aileen's ikebana is more abstract visually representing the rhythms, flow and space in music.

Similarly, Eugenia's ikebana represents the swirling melody, movement, space and rhythm of music.

Marisha was also thinking of the flow of music, with the flowing lines of sound. Her materials are: Maple Acer branches, Aspidistra leaves, Match-stick Bromeliad and Bougainvillea flowers

Jacqueline was inspired with the notion of Water Music, as of course she mentioned Handel's Water Music. She set a single Water lily Nymphaeaceae bud on the rim of a clear glass dish with three small leaves floating on the water surface.

My own ikebana this week was actually made in early February. I have set some semi-prostrate Cootamundra Wattle Acacia baileyana, in a cascading arrangement with two pink roses as the floral focus. The narrow six-sided Japanese vessel has a Tenmoku glaze.

Greetings from Christopher
23rd March 2025