Year End Celebrations

Pine, roses, chrysanthemums, berries, bare branches and gerbera

Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee!

Cedar, Lily, Poinsettia, Vine branch

Experimenting with Loofah

Lily, Salix and Loofah Sponge

Horizontally placed green salix branch is the first element of this composition. I combine it with a thinner branch which is put into the vase upside down. In this course we experimented with loofah sponges, cut to different sizes by a seesaw, they are really tough when dry. These vegetable based material give another point of  interest to the arrangement. The lilies still in buds complete the tonal harmony. It may be necessary to reduce their numbers once they are bloomed in the vase to keep the balance.

Morimono

In Morimono arrangements we use fruits and vegetables along with other plant materials. It is usually done as an offering. I enjoy a lot while composing a morimono. It is such fun to see the interesting features of fruits or vegetables and combining them with different recipients.

For my previous morimono arrangements, you can check this post from 2017 band  this post from 2016 and this one from november 2014.

All Chrysanthemums

Arranging with only chrysanthemums is a very challenging lesson each ikebanist has to learn. For more explanations and compositions using only mums, see these earlier posts: 

Chrysanthemum Challenge from October 2015

The Imperial Chrysanthemums from November 2014

Decompose - Compose

Gladiolus and a Banana Leave

Red Gladiolus Flowers with Banana Leave

For more:
Gladiolus Fire, October 2017

Sword Lilies: Gladiolus, October 2016

A Full Basket of Flowers

Basket Arrangement, detail

Hairspray For Gynerium

Ribes, Sunflower, Gynerium argenteum (pampas grass)

A fun note for this arrangement: The white panicle of the gynerium in the back is sprayed with hair spray before put into the vase because its particles tend to fly around which we don't want.

Summer with Sunflowers

Allium, Sunflowers, Typha latifolia (bulbrush),
Multiple glass containers

See also this post from May 2018 for more consideration about glass containers.

Callas

Various sort of hosta leaves and and beautiful white calla flowers,
View from front

Hosta and calla,
View from above

Details of hosta leaves

For my earlier compositions using hosta leaves, see this one from June 2017, and  May 2016 or May 2014.

Playing with Leaves Only...

New Zealand Flax Leaves

This is not a proper, finished ikebana arrangement. But I love recycling and playing with the leaves or branches of previous arrangements. This is one of them. Note that the kenzan should be covered in a correct composition.

Sculptural Plants

Anthurium and phormium (new zealand flax)
multiple containers, no kenzan

How many glass vases are there? Two or more?

Water is always being considered as an important element of Ikebana arrangements but in this particular case of glass vases, water is the shin. So we 
pay great attention to the branches or leaves seen through the glass container. Here I use small glass vases within the big ones to keep the phormium leaves neatly in place and let the water have center stage.

The New Zealand Flax (phormium) leaves are used to create a sculptural presence while the red and green anthuriums accentuates and enhances the whole composition.

For a similar arrangement in a glass container, see this post from May 2015.

For another see-through arrangement, you can check this earlier post from December 2014.

Papyrus and Iris, Again.

Papyrus and Iris
For my boys to celebrate the Japanese Boys' Festival 

For the other arrangements with the same materials, check this post Double Delight, Papyrus and Horsetail from May 2017.

You can also see my earlier Japanese Boys Festival arrangements where irises  are used here (5.5.2014) and here (5.5.2013). These two posts are in Turkish.

Dried Cycad Leaves

For another arrangement where the Cycad Leaves play the main role, see this post: Cycad Leaves and Deep Time

Ikebana without Plants or Flowers: Arranging Unconventional Materials

I had great fun in this week's lesson. Before the lesson, all week I have searched the house for objects and materials that can be used for a 'quasi' Ikebana arrangement. I have looked at the things around me with a new gaze and searched for qualities that can be interesting and to a certain extent liberating to use in an Ikebana setting. I have arrived the course with two bags of materials including a ceramic objects, boxes, biscuit tins, chopsticks, fans, wires, paintbrushes, tissues, plastic wraps etc... then I have let my imagination get loose.
Here below are some of the arrangements I have come up with.

A year ago, we made another arrangement combining unconventional materials with plants and flowers. Time to time adding a different material to an Ikebana is quite refreshing and fun. However arranging only with unconventional materials is another story. It forces you to open up, experiment and create differently. I love it.

Composing With Branches

Expressing your creativity in Ikebana requires a certain skill set and techniques without which reaching a higher level is not possible. Therefore, in the recently-published 5th book of Sogetsu School Curriculum, the technical side of Ikebana is highly emphasized. The methods of binding, fixing, wiring, weaving, interlacing, in short, composing with various materials in a better way have been taught systematically. 

So this week, we studied once again "composing with branches" which requires at first to create a stable structure with the branches themselves. The branches could be fixed together by wire, nail or screws to be a self standing composition. Only after then, you can choose your flowers and vases to go with the branches. You can see these steps in the following photos. 

Check this other arrangement of the same method with wonderful protea from South Africa.

First, composing with branches only

Self standing branches fixed with wire and
the willows thin and flexible ends

Gerberas added to the arrangement afterwards

Wind

Beautiful Tulips

Birds and Snakes

Relief Work from Sogetsu Curriculum
Dried and colored plant materials

My relief work over the beautiful mantelpiece
of our classroom. 

Relief work of Sogetsu School is to broaden one's creativity with plants in various settings. Here, only dried, colored or bleached plant based materials, branches, leaves, twigs and grains can be used. There is no specific beginning point to the composition, feel free to create abstract work and enjoy.

Spider

Composing with branches 

"Composing with branches" requires at first to construct a stable structure with the branches themselves. It is an important technique we use in Sogetsu Ikebana which one can create bigger and impressive exhibition pieces with heavier branches and even tree trunks. The branches could be fixed together by wire, nail or screws to be a self standing composition. Only after then, you can choose your flowers and vases to go with the work.  

Check this other arrangement of the same method with willow branches and gerbera flowers.

Wonderful Protea from South Africa

A Bouquet of Flowers

Magnolia, Forsytia, Eryngium and handful of others...

Valentine's Roses, Twisted...

Roses for the Valentine's Day

Getting Bigger

Palm tree bark, Palm grains, Tulips, Birch Branches

In accordance with my increasing ikebana skills, I am drawn to go for bigger, taller, more assertive arrangements. This is one of them. And oh boy, I love using palm bark, its sculptural presence elevates the whole work. For my similar compositions, you can see these:

Sogetsu 90th Years Celebration Exhibition Switzerland October 2017

Freesias and Palm Bark January 2015

Sunny Colors for Winter