ROADSIDE IKEBANA
AEONIUM ARBOREUM 'ATROPURPUREUM
MASSED EXPRESSION
BELLADONA LILIES and SEDUM
Yesterday was partially cloudy with a slightly chilly wind from the south when we had a walk in Iron Bark Basin, part of the Great Otway National Park.
The dense bush on the right of the path has an understory dominated by small Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea Australis. These Grass Trees all appeared during the natural regeneration after the 1983 bushfires. Hence they are much the same height and may eventually grow to over 3 metres tall. The left side of the path is bare because it has been slashed as a fire break.
I have arranged the two materials naturalistically closely placing the Belladonna stems to emphasise their vertical movement. Unfortunately, I did not photograph them as soon as I finished the ikebana; and in the warm room two more of the flowers opened. The consequence was that I missed the strength of the buds reaching upward. However, it reminds me that ikebana can be translated as "living flowers". The rich pink of the Sedum flowers and the green leaves make a strong mass at the base of the ikebana.
3rd March 2024
DRIED MATERIALS
In the previous week I had set my Geelong students the task of making an ikebana expressing their, "Memories of summer (holidays ?) ". Their interpretations were surprisingly varied, as were those of my Melbourne students that I posted two weeks ago. Tess and Helen thought back to childhood memories.
Tess grew up in Cornwall UK and had memories of walking on the Quantock hills of the Somerset Moors. Her ikebana, using materials available in her garden, invokes the memory of ferns, English Heather and Broom.
Helen spent her childhood in rural western Victoria. Her memories were of visiting her grandparents' property, where her grandfather kept a productive vegetable garden. When I saw the silverbeet leaves, my first impression was of tall poplar trees. Partially hidden in the vessel is a small Zucchini flower.
The theme of the workshop was the preparation and use of dried materials in ikebana. I used a, now rather old, dried unopened bud of Artichoke Cynara Cardunculus var. scolymus. It was given to me by my student Marcia. Also a dried Aspidistra A. elatior and some green, spent Agapanthus A. praecox flower heads. The Aspidistra leaves were curved before drying. The fresh green material brings the ikebana alive.
The ikebana vessel is by Tom Cockram who, at the time I bought the piece, had his studio in Daylesford Victoria.
Further photos from the Victorian Branch workshop.
25th February 2024
A SMALL MASS: TWO HYDRANGEAS and SOME LEAVES
Tess created a loose ikebana using bamboo stems and a pink Statice, Limonium. The open ikebana felt like a light breeze was blowing.
BACK TO CLASSES
SOME EUCALYPTUS BARK
A few nights ago, as we were having our dinner in the conservatory, Laurie drew my attention to the shaft of late afternoon sunlight that was backlighting a Canna 'Phasion' leaf. This leaf is finely striped in red, yellow and bronze lines. Who needs stained glass? Of course it was only a chance effect, which makes it all the more delightful.
Earlier in the week while walking along the creek path I came across some Eucalyptus bark. It had evidently come off a smallish branch and retained its cylindrical form. The inside was a warm soft orange colour while the outside was pale grey. The contrast between the inner and outer surfaces looked like an interesting ikebana subject.