Journal archive
November 27, 2011
This was my chance to use the vase I bought a few months ago. It’s unusual shape and color never seemed quite right for an arrangement until today. The pale blue vase and light green fuji chrysanthemums were made for each other, and I added in a few bare Bradford pear branches and some stems […]
Read story →November 25, 2011
My practice today was doing a cascading arrangement, and I did practice and practice. Not quite what I wanted, but I kept thinking about what pratice really is. It’s being willing to practice, even when you seem to be getting no where. One of the best books to read about pratice is Mastery: The Keys […]
Read story →November 23, 2011
Back to the very beginning today, and by that I mean back to the very first arrangment in the Sogetsu ikebana curriculum. Basic upright style is the basis of Sogetsu ikebana. It’s where we learn to measure length of line, placement of branches and flowers and how they relate to each other. Even if it […]
Read story →November 20, 2011
The Bradford pear branches are in full color today, so I clipped some on my walk today. I’ve waited for the leaves to turn, and the cold weather earlier in the week helped speed that process along. The arrangement is done in two containers, both designs relate to each other to form one arrangement. I […]
Read story →November 19, 2011
The rust/red chrysanthemums were so beautiful that I decided to use them again to create a different design. This vertical composition with the chrysanthemums also has akebia vine and dried aspidistra leaves. The rule for a vertical compostion is that the movement of the design must continue upward, lines can be straight, vurved, zig zag, […]
Read story →November 18, 2011
Hooray! I think that I have my groove back, today’s ikebana arrangement seems to confirm that too. Manipulated curly willow branches and rust/red chrysanthemums were used to make this fall nagiere. This is what an arrangement with chrysanthemums should look like. Only a few were needed, and there is some interesting negative space created with […]
Read story →September 19, 2011
My return to my Sogetsu Ikebana classes tonight after a brief summer break was a delight. I didn’t have to go cut flowers, or go buy them, I just went to class and had them handed to me. The hard part about that is trying to work with a combination that you are given. The […]
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