Ikebana and us

I am fascinated with arrangements with lotus flowers or leaves. Here is a lovely arrangement by Iemoto Akane. It is described as "A powerful lotus arrangement in a small jade vase, the pomegranate fruits give movement to the overall." The Container is a Jade vase.

Click on the pictures and enjoy a full-screen view.  Taken on my mobile phone.  The Flower is amazing, and it is no wonder that it holds a special place in Indian culture!

The September workshop was hosted by Seethalakshmi at a farmhouse near Muttukadu, and it was a enjoyable morning, for besides the Ikebana, we saw a stone art gallery on the farm, went to the beach, had refreshing yelaneer, and a sumptuous lunch!  Thank you Seetha! We were joined by the ladies from the Japanese Consulate, including Ms Minagawa, as well as her French guest Claire, who brought along 2month old Theodore, who was most adorable, and quickly developed a huge female fan following among us! Over to the Ikebana. The material in focus was casuarina, which grows on the farm, and there was also some lotus available. Ashok used both in this creative composition below.  For me, the amazing aspect was the stiffness of the lotus stem. It did not need to be wired or anything!  (I have used it at home now, and the lotus has stayed erect as a bud for the last two days! Seetha created this moribana arrangement, with red roses contrasting the yellow vase, and the brown berries providing a n...

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 ...