Ikebana and us

The light blue colour of dry vine and geometric shape make it an effective arrangement, writes Hema Vijay Stay fresh: Dry vines retain their colour and texture for years. The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Giving ikebana a modern feel Tired of reading meanings or concepts from plant material? Looking for an arrangement that is not just decorative either? How about abstract ikebana? Apparently, abstract art can be configured with ikebana, as elucidated by this dry vine and orchid arrangement by Vaishali N. Vasa, Ikebana teacher and model maker. The modern-looking chocolate brown Indian ceramic vase with its three tiny holes was the starting point. “The vase seemed too small and I wanted to make a big ikebana with dry material. So, I decided to arrange the dry vine (called mitsumata in Japanese) in a triangular format”, explains Vaishali. The vines, which are four times lengthier than the vase, are kept tied by soft metal wire. The vines enclose space and enlarge the ikebana. The light...

The commanding height of bamboo stalk radiates strength while chrysanthemums spread grace, writes Hema Vijay The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : A winning combination Even traditional art forms can accommodate cultural confluences. In any case, art is never the exclusive prerogative of a culture. Elucidating this theory is this thoughtful ikebana arrangement by Sogetsu Ikebana teacher Malathi Pandurang. At first glance, the striking bamboo stalk that towers over the bunch of chrysanthemums set in an antiquarian brass urli celebrates the vividness of nature. “In ikebana, leaves and flowers go together. They complement each other and give an enriched look”, Ms. Malathi says. Water has meaning Explore further. The brass urli resonates with Indian ethos. While today, the urli has come to be used as a decorative piece, Indians had been storing water in it for centuries. Malathi has filled the flat urli with water, and remember, water holds a lot of meaning in ikebana. Malathi has used a min...

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Seventh Chords: Pretty (and) Sturdy Check out these lovely garden flowers!

Ambika, now the blog really looks alive. Looks like I did indeed miss loads of fun!! And man, havent you created some beautiful Ikebana!! But for that fire in that A/c of the bus, I should have been there !! Do we have a new member - Chainika?? Good to hear that. And where was Ashok ?Now, on to some serious work. What do you think I did all the while...???? After hours of serious thoughts, prayers, meditation and so on, I decided to post the picture of the arrangement I did at home while the workshop was on... Don't laugh. Honestly, I had to gather up all the courage I had and borrow some more, to post it before the Senseis :) I know you will excuse this 7 month old kid (only for Ikebana) and will write in your comments, opinions, comments etc etc. It would really help me learn, understand, correct, improve and grow. I had picked up some lotus leaves day before yesterday, to bring to the workshop. They were just getting dry and beautiful today. I would have used a black vase, if I ...

Today's workshop was so much fun! (Venkatesh, what a pity you couldn't make it - missed some good food as well!!?) The theme was all leaf arrangement, and all the ladies had come prepared with such beautiful and varied leaf material. I dont think any 2 of us used the same material! Unlike flowers, where we have a limited choice in Madras, our weather is so good for leaves of different colours, textures and sizes. Unfortunately, I had only my little phone cam, and so the pictures are not that great. And also, I just took the pictures as we created, so there's no eye for backdrop or light, so just enjoy! Chainika (I hope I have her name right) had a lovely combination of green and dry material, and the photo has chopped off the long lines in her moribana, while Seetha brought these interesting leaves - are they a kind of monstera? - with aspidistra leaves rolled up. Chitra used her favourite sans savera, while prerana experimented with the brown of the acalipha leaves an...

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : A symbiotic effect in place This ikebana arrangement maintains perfect rhythm with three natural elements – water, earth and the sky, says Hema Vijay. In tune with nature: Ikebana arrangement can still nurture natural beauty and provide pleasure. The fact that Sogetsu ikebana gives you freedom to use any kind of material gives a shot-in-the-arm for the creative process. This has made Padma Swaminathan to come up with an ikebana arrangement that comments on contemporary environmental concerns. Conceptually, this arrangement highlights the need to protect the environment by maintaining the right balance between three of the five panchabhuthas - water, earth and the sky. “I wanted to show the benefits of keeping our water bodies free of pollution, which would foster a favourable and symbiotic relationship between marine and plant life”, says Padma. Trimmed and cut Padma opted for a rectangular black ceramic vase from Korea. She placed oyster and coral s...

This is the piston / syringe that is used to pump liquid into stem of the lotus leaves. A friend of mine, from Japan, who is also an Ikebana Teacher of the Sogetsu School sent me this picture. She tells me that we can buy it through the Sogetsu School store.

The Hindu : Property Plus Chennai : Even marsh weeds come handy! You can create great effect with the use of wild marsh weeds in a classic ikebana frame, writes Hema Vijay. Natural feel: A handful of marsh weeds set upright on a shallow ceramic vase. Need Ikebana be expensive and fanciful? Are those spectacular orchids and imported flowers a must? Not at all. You can use plant material you see around and create a great effect. Like Venkatesh Sthanusubramanian, who has brilliantly created a classy ikebana arrangement using marsh weeds growing wild in the countryside! “I keep travelling in the countryside and the bull rush weeds that inevitably grow near water bodies caught my attention”, says Venkatesh. That was the inspiration which culminated in this arrangement. Venkatesh caught hold of a handful of these weeds and set them upright (using an ikebana pin holder) on a shallow ceramic vase. A few stalks of tiny white star daisies and pink asters arranged casually at the base of the weed...

I love the Lotus and always wanted to do an Ikebana with it. I was thrilled to discover a lotus pond very near my home, on my way to work. My daughter and I now visit the pond frequently - sometimes to collect flowers and sometimes just to look at its beauty. However, it was not a very joyful experience trying to make an Ikebana with the lotus and lillies. The lotus would immediately droop - the moment it is cut and taken out of water!! Those lilies from the pond are better - they stay upright for some time. However, I had to insert thin sticks like the rib of coconut leaf into the stem to keep them straight. Even then they last only for about a couple of days maximum. The Sogetsu Lesson says to inject liquid in which tobacco is soaked into the stem. I tried doing it with an ordinary syringe and ended up in a horrible mess - dejected and disappointed. Then I saw this picture of Iemoto Akane's arrangement in the Sogetsu Website. It was telling me that indeed, a beautiful Ikebana IS ...