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Monday, February 20, 2017

Herald of Spring Ikebana

I've been studying the art of ikebana for several months but hadn't done any arrangements yet.

"Ikebana (生け花?, "arranging flowers") is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道?, the "way of flowers").  Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form

As is true of all other arts, ikebana is creative expression within certain rules of construction. Its materials are living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms.

What distinguishes ikebana from other approaches such as "flower arrangement" is its asymmetrical form and the use of empty space as an essential feature of the composition. A sense of harmony among the materials, the container, and the setting is also crucial. These are characteristics of aesthetics that ikebana shares with traditional Japanese paintings, gardens, architecture, and design.

Another common but not exclusive aspect present in ikebana is its employment of minimalism. Some arrangements may consist of only a minimal number of blooms interspersed among stalks and leaves. The structure of some Japanese flower arrangements is based on a scalene triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolize heaven, earth, and man, or sun, moon, and earth. Use of these terms is limited to certain schools and is not customary in more traditional schools."  Wikipedia


My first arrangement is about 14 inches high.  I especially selected the left stem as it reminds me of the bushiness of a natural forsythia bush.


The second arrangement is much smaller at about 8 inches high.

My pots were made by a local Tennessee potter. 


8 comments:

  1. Oh these are delightful, Teri - and such a shame that people are a bit hesitant to try this sort of style as it is essentially so simple, but SO elegant! I must look out for more vases suitable for this style of arrangement - although I could peobably find all sorts of containers to improvise with... Thanks so much for joining in and hope to see you again soon

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    1. With a frog or balled up woven wire, just about anything will work for ikebana. Simple design but not so simple to make. It's something I really enjoy. I'll definitely be sharing more arrangements in your lovely blog!

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  2. Replies
    1. We've barely had winter here in TN. But the return of color is definitely nice.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thank you. Ikebana vases can become an obsession. LOL

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  4. Very pretty and springlike, Teri. I love the fresh green of the leaves on the Forsythia too. Nice little 'vases'. :)

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    1. Thanks! The greenery has really shot up in the week. It's looking kind of 'Dr Suess' right now. Ikebana vases are quite fun.

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