The challenge of glass containers

December 21^st  2017

The last workshop for 2017 was held on December 21st   at ABK Hall, Chennai.  Eight members   were present and Chitra Rajan, who attended the workshop in Delhi by Sensei Yoko Hosono on curriculum updation, shared with us her experiences of Sensei's demo and narratives. She commented how Sensei Hosono noted that simplicity is the key, and one should consider the three lines as representing the materials, the artist and the viewer.

Chitra Rajan sharing her experience of Sensei Yoko Hosono's demo

Thank you Chitra for the crisp and lively presentation.

Sensei Ambika took over the second half of the workshop to present a slide show and demonstrate on the day's theme. A visit to Seattle, USA, is incomplete without a day at the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. She  had the opportunity to be there and gave  the group a virtual tour through the fascinating world of glass in hundreds of colours and designs. As students and teachers of Ikebana, the series Cylinders and Baskets  was of special interest to observe the colours, shapes and how we could relate to them through Ikebana.  Her experiences can be found here.  

           To know more about Dale Chihuly and his works click here.  

Ambika then gave a demo on the workshop theme, “The Challenge of Glass Containers” to showcase the beauty of this fragile but truly versatile material.

Her first arrangement was with a beautiful yellow-orange glass vase with interesting detail.  This was her reaction to the Chihuly experience

The vase as the inspiration

The glass Iwata vase belongs to her mother, and  reminded Ambika of the Chihuly glass creations.  she contrasted this with the tangled roots of lady's finger plants and complemented the warm colour  with orange heliconia and brown shades of dried hydrangea.  It was a well balanced arrangement adding height and space.

Twists and turns make an eye catching statement

An elegant transparent glass nageire vase was the focus of the second piece. Ambika stressed that the ikebanist  has to ensure  the materials are arranged aesthetically, since whatever is placed in this container will show through the water and glass. Both have to be spotlessly clean and stems inside the vase should also form part of the composition. She  achieved this effortlessly,  creating a striking piece with hosta leaves artistically arranged and purple and white flowers to provide balance

Ambika’s final piece was  a table arrangement wit a Christmas theme in a glass fruit bowl, with red anthuriums, gypsophilia and boxwood leaves to create a simple yet striking piece that looked equally beautiful from all angles. The three pictures give a fair idea of this.

The group then moved on to their arrangements.

Sensei Mrs. Malathi Pandurang used a transparent glass vase for heliconia and dracaena creating dramatic lines. Bundled up dracaena leaves and a hint of gypsophilia provided  artistic tension to the arrangement.

Simple elegance of white and green in a transparent glass

Chitra Rajan chose a transparent glass for her single white zerbera

that stood out against the hosta leaf and delicate frond of  fern.

Pushkala used a tall nageire glass vase with rolled leaves to create interesting lines

 reflected in the green lines of eunonymous, green chrysanthemums and a bunch of ixora 

for the colour highlight.

Divya Selvam’s artistic weaving of colourful dressing leaves with a hint of white 

from the temple tree flower was deceptively simple and could sit proudly

 on any drawing room table. It looks beautiful viewed from any angle.

Pretty maids all in a row 

Tall mineral water bottles in transparent glass was Prerana Mehta’s choice and three of them in a row with dried branches for lines, gypsophilia a single orchid for colour was truly a work of art.                                         

.

Janaki Rao made two arrangements—one using a deep red tea light holder

 and offset it with gypsophilia and a few blooms of temple flower and leaves. 

The use of  Christmas colours was apt for the season.

Welcoming the festive season with
Christmas colours

Look at me...I can fly!

          She used a transparent pickle jar with a single stem of  heliconia

          and dracaena leaves   with an interesting twist.

Pushkala's Second piece