VIBURNUM and DRIFTWOOD

Toward the end of August in my Geelong class...

...Anne's curriculum exercise was to make a "Kabuwake" (two groups) ikebana. This is an arrangement made in a suiban and requires the use of two kenzans. The space between the groups becomes an important element in the ikebana. Anne chose to use the same materials, Photonia and pink Tulips, in each of the kenzans and, as she has clearly shown, one of the groups must be stronger than the other. The stronger group functions as the Shin or principal line and contributes to the necessary asymmetry of the ikebana.

The senior students were given the task of making an ikebana incorporating paper. In this case, the paper needs to be an essential element of the arrangement.

Jo used honeycomb packing paper. In a suiban she made a climbing mass with the paper which was supported by a number of fine metal rods which also became part of the work. No water could be put in the vessel because it would weaken the paper. Therefore, for her botanical materials, she used two Billy buttons Craspedia, which do not require water.

Maree created a hanging vase using cardboard and some paper tubes she made from magazine pages. Her botanical materials were a small stem of pink Cymbidium Orchids which harmonised with the colours in the paper tubes. A single leaf from the same Cymbidium plant was added for the freshness that green leaves provide.

Ellie chose to use Christmas wrapping paper with a design of musical notation and gold stars. She cut the paper to the shape of two of her three Aspidistra leaves and applied it to the underside of each leaf. Her floral material is a small mass of Alstroemeria 

Christine used corrugated cardboard which she cut to different widths. She then placed them so that they stood with the corrugations arranged vertically, this created strong irregular "tubes". Arum lilies Zantedeschia were then arranged in some of the supporting "tubes".

My ikebana this week was made using a particularly convoluted piece of driftwood, and a stem of Viburnum plicatum as the fresh material. The branch of the Viburnum on which the particular stem grew was hanging down, making the flowers curve upward. I had thought this would make it easier to arrange in this vessel. That proved not to be the case. After some working on the stem I have got it into a more horizontal position. 

I do like the contrast between the textures of the unglazed vessel and the wood, compared with that of the fresh material. The vessel was a gift and I do not know its maker.

Greetings from Christopher

4th October 2026