Exploring Miniature Ikebana with sensei Prerana

November 17th 2016

Sensei Janaki reports:

The November 2016 demo and workshop in the ABK premises was well attended, with 12 members present. The theme of the day was miniature arrangements.

Sensei Malathi mentioned that miniature style was a favourite of Kasumi Teshigahara. It is a very personal style, from the heart and ideal for personal spaces like dressing tables, desks and so on.

Sensei Prerana gave a demo on Miniatures and shared her experience of attending a class with Mr. Christopher Lim in Singapore earlier this year. She said that was her first exposure to miniatures, and enabled her to gain a proper understanding of this.

The key points are that the container should be small enough to fit into one’s palm, and the materials used should not be overpowering. It should be possible to make the same arrangement on a larger scale.

Sensei Prerana did ten arrangements with a variety of vases and flowers, each one a beauty to behold and conveying her energy and creativity. Her vibrant narrative and efficient work kept us engrossed, like a drama unfolding on stage.

A brass cup with coloured stones serve as a base for this piece

Prerana used the materials to maximum effect and created a spectrum of styles from shy, delicate to bold and energetic.

A dash of pink and green shows the hope of spring

Sensei Prerana created a breezy, outdoor effect with the yellow ceramic dish, fresh greens and gypsophilia

Sensei Prerana used a single red anthurium to add colour to the aesthetic vase and base that were beautiful on thier own.

Another striking piece by Prerana sensei

The bright yellow chrysanthemum with curled palm leaf and gypsophilia was her choice for this timeless ceramic vase

The perfect miniature, using a diya and a single flower with a tiny wooden base.

Trimmed draceana leaves echo the light violet chrysanthemums in a black ceramic vase

Wooden chopsticks glued together formed a delicate lattice for this piece with just a single chrysanthemum for colour

The workshop on the same theme was equally engaging and everyone presented unique and appealing pieces. The air of seriousness was akin to an exam and at the end, a joy to see the completed miniatures. The variety of vases and other objects deftly used as containers was an eye opener.

A dainty glass vase with pretty pink antigonon heightened the effect of this piece by Chelvi

Bhuvana used a palm to symbolise a peacock, and her second piece was in a small urali

Chelvi used a brass shell to advantage with just a couple of blue daisies

Chitra Thiagarajan used pieces from a tea set that were ideal for the workshop theme

Dessert cups with artistically curled leaves and yellow roses that perked up the composition by Divya

Divya chose a tiny pomogranate from her garden for this composition in a blue-green ceramic vase.

Malathi sensei used twin ceramic vases that stood out with ixora leaves, berries and a hint of lavender.

Sensei Molly used a white soup bowl with dianthus, tulasi leaves and Chinese bamboo for refreshing look

Pink zerbera was a perfect choice for Roopa, to go with this black vase, with a single green leaf and gypsophilia.

Shylaja offset the deep blue vases with yellow chrysanthemums and blue daisies, with touches of green

Sensei Trishala created a fairytale effect with pretty colours and a unique woven coffee pot that reminds her of relaxed mornings with hot coffee. Minimal use of materials highlight the vases.