The new year brought a new challenge for me, and that challenge was leading my very first workshop. Earlier last year I had attended the 8th North American Sogetsu Seminar and took part in several workshops. One of the workshops was “Hana Dome” or “flower fixture”, and I was asked to teach that for the January workshop for the Washington,DC Sogetsu Ikebana chapter. Basically Hana Dome is a method of fixing branch material together, using either wire or nails, to make a fixture that will hold flowers and greens in place without the use of a kenzan.
I first demonstrated Hana Dome made from curly willow branches, and secured it with wire. Using the willow I chose to make a more organic form, something that I think the willow lends itself to. I placed the fixture in a ceramic container and added white calla lilies and a monstera leaf. You can use the ends of the wire as an interesting focal point by covering them with material such as the red hypericum berries pictured below, or simply bend the wires to blend with the fixture.
In part two I will talk more about the process of wiring branches together, and show another example from my demonstration.
Last month I was fortunate enough to attend the workshops held here in Washington,DC by our local chapter of Ikebana International . Mr. Shuji Ikeda of the Ikenobo school of Ikebana conducted the workshops, held on a particularly rain soaked Saturday morning. Mr. Ikeda was really inspiring and genuinely enjoyed every moment of both workshops. His ikebana students are lucky to have someone who loves what he does, and uses that knowledge and wisdom in such an energetic way. Both sections of the workshop gave me some insight into Ikenobo Ikebana, but I came away with a much deeper appreciation of Sogetsu. Ikenobo, being a classical school of ikebana, is very structured. Sogetsu has a very modern approach, and much more freedom. Perhaps that is what I like so very much about it , that it allows me greater personal expression.
Following the workshops I rushed in the rain to get downtown to see Soho Sakai’s demonstration, or so I thought. I got to the hotel to discover that the demonstration had happened the night before. I had written the wrong date on my calender! It was a big shock to me, and I know I missed a great demonstration. I’m still upset about it today. Lesson learned: always check and recheck your dates.
Demonstration: Sunday, September 20, 1:00pm-2:30pmNational Bonsai & Penjing MuseumSpecial Exhibits Wing Members of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area Sogetsu Branch fill the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s International Pavilion and Special Exhibits Wing with dramatic arrangements in this modern style of Japanese flower arranging. Sogetsu promotes an ikebana of no limits in which designers use plant materials of any type to create sculptural compositions. Watch master teachers demonstrate their techniques as they create a series of basic and free style arrangements during the drop-in session on Sunday, September 20 from 1:00pm to 2:30 pm. Free. No registration required.
The poll in my previous post is still open, so take a look and VOTE! The poll is asking the question: “Is it Ok to actively study another school of ikebana?”. This question came to me by chance a few months ago. I know someone who is studying with one school of ikebana and has just started studying another, and wants to keep it somewhat of a secret. Why, you might ask, would this be kept quiet? It seems that this person’s sensei might not approve of their study of another school. So I was very curious about why that might be. I know lots of people who have have studied at least two schools, some have even gotten certificates from multiple schools. I started asking around and found that people were either very open to studying another school or very devoted to their current school. Perfectly understandable responses in my opinion.
Then I found MY answer to this question, from the So magazine, Volume 67, November-December 1987 in an article by famed Sogetsu artist and teacher Norman Sparnon:
“It was classical Rikka of the Ikenobo School which next took my attention. On receiving my Sogetsu Diploma I asked Mr. Sofu if I should study this classical style. He said “Yes, it will be good for your technique, and I will introduce you to a good teacher.”
This week I signed up to attend Ikenobo Ikebana workshops and a Sogetsu Ikebana demonstration . The two workshops are sponsored by Ikebana International Washington, DC Chapter #1 on Saturday, October 17, 2009 featuring Mr. Shuji Ikeda, Sokakyo Professor with the Ikenobo School of Ikebana. Details and registration are available on the Washington,DC Chapter #1 link above. After the workshops I will be going to see a demonstration by Ms. Soho Sakai, Riji of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana. The workshop is part of the World Association of Flower Arrangers 2009 Excursion Botanicus, a ten-day multi-state Seminar. The cost of Ms. Sakai’s demonstration is $50, the event is at the L’EnfantPlaza Hotel in Washington,DC and it is open to the public . More information on tickets is at WAFA’s website.
So this brings me to a question I have been pondering, and also asking for opinions on: Is it OK to study more than one school of ikebana? I know that you should not do more than one at the same time, but after you finish the curriculum for one school do you think studying another school is a good idea? I’d really like for your vote in the poll below, and also for some comments and thoughts on your opinion or your experience with studying with more that one school of ikebana.
It’a a secret to some, unless you live downtown. I’m talking about some of my secret sources for containers for ikebana, and I am going to tell them to you now. The first one is Miss Pixie’s at 1626 14th Street NW, here in Washington,DC. Miss Pixie’s has a small, eclectic mix of items and things go quickly there. It’a a place to hit often to see what’s new. I grabbed this ceramic vase there for only $12.
It did have some white paint on it, but with a little delicate scrubbing I was able to restore it just like new! Miss Pixie’s website has a unique “window shopping” section so that you can get a preview of what is currently in the shop, hooray!
We’ll continue down 14th street to my absolute favorite Ruff N’ Reddy at 1908 14th Street NW. Open from 11AM to 6PM on Saturdays and Sundays ONLY, but well worth the wait. I have found an absolute treasure trove of items there. Be forewarned, it’s chocked full of stuff and can be difficult to navigate due to narrow pathways thru the store. Here’s the view from outside:
Here’s the view inside, just so you see why it is much like a scavenger hunt. I must admit I would crawl through hell and back for a great piece of japanese pottery or antique bronze container.
Here’s what you might find if you look long enough:
Since my partner and I moved into our current apartment six years ago we’ve been working hard on our urban backyard garden. It’s great for growing flowers to use in ikebana, and in my mind that makes them the best kind. We’ve dug up lots of the backyard(with permission from our landlords) and created a space we love and cherish. Every year brings new things and a sense of excitement before, during and at the end of the growing seasons. I try to choose plants that I know will make great flowers for ikebana, but always seem to also get things that can be difficult to use. That’s part of the challenge of ikebana, the mystery of what the outcome will be. If we knew exactly how it would turn out, some of the fun, challenge and discovery of creating would be lost.
The arrangement that you see here is made entirely with flowers from our garden . I wanted to used all blue flowers, since that has been our featured color this summer in early plantings. However I also used some violet colored flowers, and some chartreuse plant materials and I figured since they were all located together on the color wheel that they would be perfect together. I included lisianthus in both violet and white with a blue rim, blue balloon flowers, blue echinops, green spearmint and scented geranium leaves, blue angelonia and some stems of lavender. You might wonder what this arrangement has to do with ikebana, and there is a good answer. This would be considered a Moribanaarrangement which literally means “piled up”. If you would like to know more about ikebana , you can visit Ikebana International.
It’s been a while since I posted, I got busy and I also ran out of steam. For a while I have been thinking about what I could do to get myself to post, and what I could write about. So to help me out a bit I decided to take the Blog Triage course with Alyson B. Stanfield and Cynthia Morris . With their knowledge and creative efforts and the support of other artists striving to improve their blogs, I can’t fail.
Now on to my very first lesson , which is about who I want to read my blog. Who am I writing for ? I guess first and foremost I am writing for anyone who is interested in ikebana and flowers in general. I want people to share my journey, and maybe also to share theirs as well with me. But I also want artist of all kinds to come here also. Sogetsu Ikebana has a long history with arttist of all kinds: painters, ceramic artist, sculptors, glass artists, installation and environmetal artists and others as well.
I also want to make connections with other artists, not only ikebana but other types as well. It’s a big world out there and there is so much to see and do. So feel free to leave a comment and share a little too!
This blog was started originally as a way for me to show my work, maybe get some feedback,and to chart my progression. I thought it would also be a really great way to encourage me to do more, and to some extent it has greatly helped.
It’s not easy for me to write, as you may be able to tell from this post. That’s going to be the one thing I really need to work on. I’m looking forward to see what I can do with this blog in the next month and beyond.
Here’s what you might find if you look long enough:
