The Nordic Lotus Ikebana Blog

It's Snowing Again

2012-01-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Pine and Lisianthus

no sky

no land -- just

snow falling

Kajiwara Hashin (1864-?)

Hiroshi Teshigahara Garden Design

2012-01-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

It is commonly known that Hiroshi Teshigahara, the second iemoto of the Sogetsu School, was also a skilled and internationally renowned film maker. Not so many know that in the 1980s and 1990s he was also working in garden design. Hiroshi Teshigahara created a garden for the Ken Domon Photography Museum, in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture (northern Japan), and also several Japanese style gardens for exhibitions in Tokyo, Minneapolis and at the UNESCO Headquarters Piazza in Paris. In the Sogetsu Plaza, a building by architect Kenzo Tanba completed in 1977, Noguchi designed the indoor rock garden “Tengoku” (Heaven) on the 1th floor.

The garden at Ken Domon Photography Museum was featured in the 1992 documentary "Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese garden". In this beautiful film director John Junkerman explores the tradition of Japanese gardens.

There are a few clips from this film on YouTube. I'm posting a sequence in which Hiroshi Teshigahara appears in an interview talking about his garden design (it's about 5 minutes into the clip). If you'd like to see more of this stunning movie the easiest way is to make a YouTube search. I've also seen it for sale as VCR, but I don't think it's available on DVD.

The film music is Toru Takemitsu's music for a Japanese moss garden. Takemitsu also made the film music to Hiroshi Teshigahara and Kobo Abe's extraordinary film collaborations in the mid-1960s.

Preassure and Creativity

2012-01-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt the pressure to come up with something interesting or artistic? It's a paradox that these feelings appear in the process of creating ikebana, trying to express simplicity and humbleness. Still they do appear. And - you're in good company when they do.

I found an interesting and personal interview with Akane Teshigahara, the present iemoto (headmaster) of the Sogetsu School, on the internet. The interview is from 2005. At that time she was in her 4th year of leading the Sogetsu imperium. I would think she still felt relatively new in the position. Many people compared her to her father Hiroshi Teshigahara, who held the leader position before her.

"As the headmaster, I must manage and guide the school as a whole. It is also my responsibility and duty to pass on the precise teachings of our ryugi to coming generations. Yet, simply abiding by the teaching of Sogetsu and handing down that tradition is not enough. Although the basic teachings are never to change, new ways and forms of expression through Ikebana must constantly be sought. In fact, it is embedded in the Sogetsu teachings that while utilizing the traditional, you must always seek something new. As simple as this may sound, it is very difficult to accomplish and at times I feel pressured. At the same time, when the people of Sogetsu agree with my new vision, come together, and work towards that one goal of a new creation, I feel a strong sense of encouragement and happiness."

In the interview she also talks about ikebana as living sculpture. It is created for the moment. The fact that it is a short-lived art form is part of what makes it's impression on people so strong.

"Ikebana is the art of creating three dimensional pieces using plants. The difference between Ikebana and other forms of sculptures is that the materials are “alive”. Ikebana is a form of sculpture that exists only within a limited time span, transforms from moment to moment, then perishes.

 In the Sogetsu School, there are times when we create pieces exceeding the average or standard size. Yet, no matter how grand or powerful the piece may be, it too will transform, deteriorate, and come to an end. This undeniable fact of all living things, that they are perishable, is the essence of Ikebana. I believe that because of its limited time, Ikebana has the power to touch people’s hearts strongly."

Read the whole interview at Frank151 Media Group.

Folding Fan for a New Year

2012-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Flowers only. No. 3 oyo, fan shape.

Roses and anemone.

A boat shaped ikebana vase brings good wishes for the year to come. May the trip be adventurous and safe for us all. I'm starting off the new year with a fan shaped arrangement using flowers only. In Japanese culture the folding fan is a necessary item at celebrations to mark important events in life. The fan symbolizes friendship, respect and good wishes. It is also used when performing arts such as tea ceremony, traditional dance, Noh songs and traditional comic storytelling.

Last Call - Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers

2011-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today we had a stroll in Manhattans midtown East heading for Japan Society and the exhibition "Fiber Futures: Japan's Textile Pioneers". If you're in New York there is still time - tomorrow will be the last day of this absolutely beautiful exhibition showcasing the dynamic field of Japanese fiber art.

"The works on display range from ethereal silk and hemp to paper pulp and synthetic fiber using methods that are sometimes deeply traditional, but sometimes employ the latest weaving and dyeing technology along with an environmentally conscious "green" ethos. Moving far beyond traditional utility, Japan's textile pioneers fuse past and present to create innovative, beautiful and sometimes challenging works of art."

Fabulous!

Ichiyo Hana Festa

2011-12-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

I love stage performances with large scale ikebana arrangements. It's not often that I get to see any live performances, but watching them online is fun as well. This video is from the stage performance at Ichiyo Hana Festa 2011. Akihiro Kasuya, headmaster of the Ichiyo School creates a magical landscape of ikebana arrangements.

One of my Flickr friends received his instructor certificate from the Ichiyo School earlier this year. If you're interested in seeing more Ichiyo ikebana I recommend his photo stream on Flickr. I especially like his arrangements without kenzan.

Avant-Garde Christmas

2011-12-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas ikebana.
Metal wire, birch bark circles, pine, red tinsel.

It's time to prepare for the Christmas season. Why not go for an avant-garde ikebana this year? I'm posting to versions of this nageire free style emphasizing curved lines. Materials are metal wire, birch bark circles and pine. In the first one red tinsel has been added. In the second version I've used red roses and silver tinsel. Which one do you prefer?

Christmas ikebana.

Metal wire, birch bark circles, pine, red roses and silver tinsel.

7500 Visitors

2011-12-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

This video presents a slide show with ikebana arrangements that are previously posted on my blog. The last year I've had 7500 unique visitors, and I made this slide show to mark the occasion. I'd like to thank you all for visiting, and especially my regular followers. Enjoy!

Music: Kôjô no Tsuki (Moon over the Ruined Castle), Jean-Pierre Rampal and Lily Laskine, Japanese Melodies for Flute and Harp.

Hong Kong Exhibition

2011-12-03T04:01:00.000-08:00

The Hong Kong Branch of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association held their annual ikebana exhibition in November. This years theme was "To create is to love".

This YouTube video was uploaded by a visitor at the exhibition. You'll find a lot of ideas for large size ikebana installations and interesting material combinations. If you need to get inspired and start planning for your own installations, or you just want to enjoy the beauty and variety of the arrangements, you'll love this exhibition.

Teachers Certificate

2011-11-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

In June this year I had my first teacher's exam for the Sogetsu School of ikebana. Yesterday I finally got the certificate issued by the present iemoto (headmaster) Akane Teshigahara. What can I say - it was worth waiting for.

As you can see my new teachers name is Senju. I don't really know what it means, so if any of you that know Japanese have thoughts on the interpretation of the name I would appreciate a comment. Thanks!

Mass and Lines

2011-11-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Mass and lines.

Birch Witch's Broom, Gerbera, painted sticks, Bergenia leaves.

Very often the structure in modern ikebana is based on the balance between mass and lines. This way of working with sculptural free style ikebana takes the traditional styles a step further, reinterpreting the traditional use of main branches for the lines and a focus point or a weightier part at the base of the arrangement for the mass.

For these arrangements I've used Birch Witch's Broom as the main material of the mass, combining the messy twigs of the "broom" with soft textured and collorful Gerbera. I've never used Witch's Broom before, so that was an interesting experience. It's a quite fragile material and not that easy to arrange. On the bright side it has a lot of character and eye-catching texture.

Mass and lines.

Birch Witch's Broom, Gerbera, painted sticks, leaves.

Heaven, Earth and Man - A Mongolian Perspective

2011-11-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

Heaven, earth and man are the main branches in all major ikebana schools. But it is also a philosophy of balance between the spiritual and the material, and a vision statement for mankind. The "heaven, earth and man" philosophy is a basic component also in Chinese culture and you will find it in Tibetan philosophy as well.

In this video Professor Bira, an 85 year old student of George Roerich, speaks about "heaven, earth and man" in Mongolian thinking, since ancient times depicted as three circles. He gives a modern interpretation naming the principals cosmos, planet and humankind, and explains how this came to be an international symbol of peace and the inspiration for "The Roerich Peace Banner".

The Poetry of Leaves

2011-11-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Working with large leaves last week, I revisited one of my favorite ikebana books: The Poetry of Leaves: Creative Ideas for Japanese Flower Arrangement by Norman J. Sparnon. I bought this 1970s book on eBay a couple of years ago and I love it. It contains 107 arrangements focusing on leaves in different ways, from very modern sculptural works to classical Narcissus and Aspidistra ikebana arrangements. Most of the pictures are black and white. On the second hand marked this is a quite expensive book. Mine is an ex-library copy, not as fun as a nice book from a private collection, but surely cheaper.

Norman Sparnon from Australia lived in Japan for 12 years where he studied both classical and modern ikebana. One of his teachers, Sofu Teshigahara of the Sogetsu School of ikebana, talked very highly of Mr Sparnon who for many years was considered the best-qualified master of Ikebana in the western world.

In the introduction Sparnon writhes:

"Harbingers of both spring and autumn, with their vivid colors and delicate patterns, leaves are one of the miracles of nature and are considered by the Japanese to be one of the major elements of flower arranging."

"The Poetry of Leaves:

Creative Ideas for Japanese Flower Arrangement"

by Norman J. Sparnon

Walker/Weatherhill; 1st edition (1970)

ASIN: B0006C07HS

Large Leaves

2011-11-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

Leaves only.

Aralia and Aspidistra in a turquoise raku vase.

These leaves have been standing in a vase in my kitchen for a while. I almost thought they were spoiled when I finally got time to work with them today. Using a curved rake vase by my friend Brigitte Schneider to go with the wavy lines of the leaves. The Aralia leaves are actually collored, which I don't really like but it gives a nice contrast.

Believing in the Power of Flowers

2011-11-11T15:29:00.001-08:00

Akane Teshigahara is celebrating her 10 years as iemoto of the Sogetsu School this year. The 93rd Sogetsu Annual Exhibition "Believing in the Power of Flowers" closing earlier this week, was part of the 10 year celebration program. The photos from the exhibition are now published on the official Sogetsu website. Have a look and get inspired!

More Birch Bark

2011-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

"After the storm"

Vertical arrangement. Mass and lines.

Sibirian Dogwood, Birch bark, Chrysanthemum.

Wild boars and all
are blown along with it --
storm-wind of fall!

(Haiku by Matsuo Basho, 1644-1694)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

Tanjou - A Sculpture of Rebirth

2011-10-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Tetsunori Kawana is back with a new sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden:

Guests in the Old Forest

2011-10-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

I love using lichens in ikebana. Lichens shows the patience of time and represents the long perspectives and the slow living. I found an old branch covered with lichens on the ground in the forest the other day when I was looking for materials for a wall ikebana arrangement. What I had in mind was something more sturdy, but I felt that this branch had something special about it. I also found some nice Birch Bark that had been curled.

Wall ikebana.

Pine branch with lichen, Birch bark,

flowers from a Protea bouquet.

I ended up with a construction emphasizing curved lines, and thought of what additional materials I would need. My first thought was sticking to local flowers, but in this case I ended up using something totally opposite. Flowers from a Protea bouquet from the grocery store on the corner added the colour needed without being too flashy. I actually think they have something of the same magic as the the materials from the old forest.

The Flower of Pain

2011-08-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

Not everyone will agree that art must be born out of pain. It has to be heartfelt though. And the creative process may require that you give your utmost.

"The Flower of Pain".

Chrysanthemum, Steel grass,

Gladiolus.

In this ikebana arrangement I have used dying branches with black bark, cut into small pieces and put together with nails to create a rather compact Hana dome, a flower fixture that becomes an integrated part of the arrangement. Dark red Chrysanthemum and two more vivid red Gladiolus gives the colour.

This is my interpretation of the rather dramatic woodcut "The Flower of Pain" (1898) by Edvard Munch. The artist is kneeling on the ground with his upper body twisted in pain, blood pouring out of his heart. Out of the soil that is soaked in his blood grows a lily. The flower nourished by the blood symbolizes art forcing it's way as a necessity of life.

This is the last ikebana arrangement from the series inspired by Munch's art that I made earlier this summer for an exhibition at Oslo Rose Days. I hope you have enjoyed them. The exhibition takes place every summer in the Freia Hall, an integrated part of the Freia chocolate factory in Oslo. The walls of the hall are covered with large paintings by Munch. This hidden gem of art is now to be sold, so this might be our last year.

The Dance of Life

2011-08-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Passion, longing and despair are central motives in the art of Edvard Munch. The painting "The Dance of Life" (1899) pictures a midsommer night with dancing couples in the sunlit night.

This painting has been interpreted as a reflection of his own turbulent relationship with love. Munch himself is dancing with a woman in red, the passion of his life who betrayed him. When he again is struck by love Munch is not able to respond and he becomes the one who betrays, leaving the lover in grief.

"I am dancing with my true love - a memory of her.

A smiling, blond-haired woman enters

who wishes to take the flower of love

- but it won't allow itself to be taken.

And on the other side one can see her

dressed in black troubled by the couple dancing

- rejected - as I was rejected from her"

(from Munch's diary)

"The Dance of Life".

Wild rose, white and red bush roses,

Monkshood.

I'm using three vases by a friend of mine, and winding or dancing branches of wild roses to capture the energy between the three main characters in the painting. White and red bush roses and dark purple black Monkshood are used to reflect the different roles in the dance of life. White being the colour of expectation and hope, red the colour of passion and life, and black beeing the colour of greif and death.

Four Girls

2011-08-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Four Girls in Åsgårdstand, from 1902, is one of Edvard Munch's more harmonious motives. It exists in several versions dating from the same periode. Twenty years later Munch painted the four girls once more. This time as one of 12 paintings for the Freia Hall where the yearly Rose Days ikebana exhibition takes place. Munch reused his motives, this time in a more optimistic colour scheme.

"Four Girls", miniature ikebana.

Thistle and Astilbe, Rosebud and Verbena,

Echinacea and Freesia, Cosmos and Maple.

I've tried to catch the spirit of the four girls posing for the artist in this set of miniature ikebana, by putting together parts from different flowers in new ways. Miniature ikebana was introduced as a new style in the 1950s by Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu School of ikebana. Later Sofu's daughter Kasumi Teshigahara developed the miniature style and made it one of her trademarks. Originally minitaure ikebana were made in very small containers such as lipstick caps. I'm using small sized Norwegian and Danish midcentury pottery for this set, which makes the arrangements a bit larger than the original style.

Munch painted many of his well known paintings in the small town Åsgårdstrand where he had a house. He said walking around in Åsgårdstrand was like walking around in his paintings.

Under The Chestnut Tree

2011-07-28T14:58:00.001-07:00

Earlier this summer I was invited to help out with the ikebana exhibition at Oslo Rose Days. Since the exhibition took place in the Freia Hall, a room with large paintings by Edvard Munch around the walls, I decided to create a series of ikebana arrangements inspired by Munch's art.

"Under the chestnut tree".

Maple, White Singapore Orchids,

Gypsophila and Delphinium.

Along with his more existentialist motives and his self portraits, Munch also painted portraits of models trough all of his career. This portrait called "Under the Chestnut Tree" was painted rather late in Munch's life. It is one of the highlights from his 1930s production and is a portrait of the model Hanna Brieschke.

In the ikebana arrangement I wanted to catch the refreshing feeling of sitting under a large tree. The white Orchids echoes the large flowers of the Chestnut tree, and the cooling blue colour from the painting is seen in the flowers under the branches and in the water.

Refreshing Summer Flowers

2011-07-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Fan palm and Sand lily.

Intertwining plant materials.

In the summertime water is an even more important component in an ikebana arrangement. Water is essential for all life. It's refreshing and calming, especially on a hot day. A container of glass with a large opening adds to the cooling qualities of water.

I'm working in South of Spain this summer, which gives me the opportunity to try out local plant materials. I found this Fan Palm leaf close to the beach and decided that it would make a nice structure to highlight the beautiful Sand Lilies. The smell of the lilies is similar to Narcissus and they are growing directly out of the sand many places.

Spiral Garden

2011-07-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Akane Teshigahara, the present iemoto of the Sogetsu School, held her 10 year solo exhibition in May this year. The exhibition was called "Heartlines" and was held at Spiral Garden in Tokyo.

Browsing for pictures from the exhibition I was lucky enough to find I new ikebana blog. Sogetsu teacher Christopher James from Australia has been blogging every week while he was studying at the Sogetsu headquarters this spring. The result is a fascinating weblog giving an interesting behind the scene peek.

He has also published pictures from exhibitions on his other blog recent ikebana exhibitions. Have a look at the many pictures from the "Heartlines" exhibition. It is truly amazing (The picture posted in this post is used with permission).

Chistopher is now back home in Torquay and has started a new blog where he will publish ikebana works from Australia. It's already in my blog list!

Flowers Are Like a Mirror

2011-07-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

Flowers only.

White Amazon lilly and red Calla lilly.

Flowers are like a mirror.

I survey the flower.

The flower surveys me.

I - changed to a flower -

am looking at me.

(Old Japanese poem)

Ikebana at Oslo Rose Days

2011-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

If you are in Oslo this weekend, make sure not to miss the 2011 Rose Days arranged by the Norwegian Rose Society. It takes place in the Freia park, a secluded garden at the Freia chocolate factory.

There will be an ikebana exhibition in the Freia Hall. My ikebana teacher Lisbeth Lerum and I will be there to meet you. I'm doing a series of ikebana arrangements inspired by paintings by Edvard Munch.

The exhibition is open this Saturday and Sunday only, from noon to 5 pm. Welcome!

Alexandra Shenpen: Ikebana

2011-06-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

video platform video management video solutions video player

Alexandra MacKay Shenpen begins her practice of ikebana by observing what stops her during a walk in nature - what catches her attention.

Watch this video from Odyssey Network and get some inspiration. Alexandra Shenpen is a Sogestu ikebana teacher based in Boulder, Colorado. She is also practicing and teaching Kalapa ikebana, a flower practice based on Shambhala Buddhism.

Modern Curved Lines

2011-06-23T01:48:00.001-07:00

My last post was about slanting and hanging arrangements and the philosophy behind these fixed styles. Slanting and hanging arrangements are more sweeping than the upright style that is stretching upwards. In modern ikebana this translates to the difference between curved lines and straight lines or between vertical and horizontal lines.

Untraditional materials.
Coke and beer cans, Horsetail and Cow Parsley.

Today I'm following up with two resent works using curved lines in modern free style ikebana. If you compare them with the pictures in the last posting I think you can see the resemblance, but also that modern free style ikebana has more emphasis on a sculptural expression.

Whether you prefer the traditional naturalistic or the modern sculptural expressions in your life, I wish you a day with a lot of good energy. Curved lines has a lot of potential in them of holding back or letting go - it's up to you to find the balance.

Ishu-ike, leaves only, intertwining.
Cattail in red wooden container.

Back to Basics

2011-06-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been working mainly with freestyle ikebana lately, so it's been a while since I practiced the more traditional styles with fixed rules. When I do, it's almost always like the arrangement wants to show me a new side of the philosophy behind the rules. Going back to basics is always refreshing.

Variation nr.2 slanting moribana.
Fern and roses with Cow Parsley
.

The idea behind the triangular form with three main branches representing heaven, man and earth, is that mankind stands between and has the ability to balance the energies of heaven and earth. I like to think of this as the possibility of being visionary and grounded at the same time, and therefor in balance.

In Sogetsu ikebana there is a series of variations on the basic styles, that each reflects an aspect of mankind and nature. Working with ikebana is an invitation to connect with what is growing and what surounds us.

Variation nr.4 hanging nageire.
Redcurrant and roses.

The slanting and the hanging style reminds us that the spiritual world is not only about reaching up to the heavens. Heaven is also in the wind that surounds us blowing softly between the low sweeping branches.

In variation nr.2, shown in the first picture, the "man"-branch is positioned lower than both heaven and earth. The arrangement represents the humble and surprised human being, contemplating creation and the universe.

Variation nr.4, in the last picture, has only two of the three main branches. The "man"-branch has been left out. This is a peaceful assurance that it's not all about me; n
ature, heaven and earth, will still be there when I am no longer.

Lunch by the Poppy Bed

2011-06-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Naturalistic Free style, using curved lines.

Poppy stems, Lupines and Astilbe.

The weather has finally changed and yesterday the sun came through for the first time in many days. We were spontaneously invited for lunch in the garden of a couple of friends that have moved outside the city centre. Amongst many things we were talking about ikebana and the different plants in the garden, and when we were leaving our host asked me to help myself to some flowers if I could see any that I would like. We agreed that the Poppies next to where we sat would make an interesting arrangement. So I picked some, already planning to go for a naturalistic style emphasizing the curving stems of the Poppies.

Poppies can have many meanings. A poppy field brings hope, colour and reassurance. In Chinese art Poppies represent rest, beauty and success. They are also associated with the loyalty and faith between lovers. In ikebana to, Poppies represents rest. The orange Poppy also symbolizes vanity and combined with Lupines that represents avarice the message isn't that nice. Let's stick to hope, colour and reassurance - a Poppy can really make your day!

Ikebana 1956

2011-06-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hiroshi Teshigahara, headmaster of the Sogetsu School 1980-2001, was a well known film director with an international career. His surrealistic films from the 1960s based on stories by novelist and screenwriter Kobo Abe, have acquired the status of cult movies.

His short films are less well known. The 2o minutes long "Ikebana" from 1956 is one of his first productions. It portraits his father Sofu Teshigara's work with ikebana.

I've recently watched this charming short movie that retells the history of ikebana up to the modern postwar styles of the Sogetsu School. What makes this film a must see for everyone interested in Sogetsu is that the camera of Hiroshi Teshigahara takes us to the studio of his father Sofu where he is working on new creations. You can also see him teaching an ikebana class at the Sogetsu headquarters. The film offers a rare opportunity to get a deeper understanding of this great master who totally changed the world of ikebana.

"Ikebana" is published as extra material to the DVD box set "Three films by Hiroshi Teshigahara" by The Criterion Collection.

Rebuild Mashiko

2011-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

The resent earthquakes in Japan caused significant damage to the pottery community in the town of Mashiko, known for its long traditions of pottery. Many kilns are ruined and ceramic works are destroyed. To raise money for the restoration the artists have started the organization "Rebuild Mashiko" and the exhibition project "Traveling Pieces".

This months Utsurawa-ba session at the Bar Brim in Tokyo was in collaboration with "Traveling Pieces". Ikebana artist So-sen Imai arranges flowers in potsherds from Mashiko and small vessels by Chietsu Mizugaki.

Practice to Become Fluent

2011-05-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

"Once a flower is cut, it must be set by someone who understands the language of the flower. Just as musicians express themselves through the language of music, ikebana artists must use the language of the flowers. Creating good ikebana meens becoming fluent in this language. ... This is what ikebana means - always facing flowers with candor and listening to what they say."

Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu School of ikebana,
from "Kadensho; The Book of Flowers"

Rowan and purple wild flowers.

EN Japanese in NYC

2011-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've just had a wonderful evening at EN Japanes e Brasserie in Manhattan's West Willage. Excelent food served in an enviroment combining a trendy NYC feeling with modern Tokyo aesthetics, flowering branches arranged in large vases and authentic Japanese antique panels. I'm posting some photos for your inspiration.

We had their Soyo Kaze menu with Kyoto-style appetizers, Saikyo Miso Grilled Black Cod, freshly scooped chilled tofu, and other goodies. Try it if you have the opportunity.

Photos: Svein G. Josefsen

Playing with Straight Lines

2011-05-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Bamboo and wooden sticks.

I was going through the Sogetsu textbooks with my ikebana teacher the other day. We were finished earlier than expected, so I got time to do a quick ikebana arrangement as well. It's interesting to see how the textbooks are designed to help develop your creativity and your individual expression. Bamboo is a material with natural straight lines. I've chosen to emphasize the thin diagonal lines by sticking wooden sticks in a contrasting colour through the bamboo stems.

Sorry about the lousy photo quality. I didn't bring my camera so I had to use the iPhone, which didn't turn out that well. Anyway, I hope you can find some inspiration. Let's be playful today!

A Blessing in the Park

2011-05-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Magnolia and Spirea.

Spring is a great time for walking in The Botanical Garden. On my way home tonight I stopped by to experience the evening sun and the blossoming trees. Under a Magnolia tree I found a fresh flower laying on the ground. Someone must have broken it and then left it.

I always feel blessed standing under a blossoming tree. This time I got the rear opportunity to bring home a little bit of blessing from the park. Magnolia blooming on bare branches symbolizes love of nature. Spirea symbolizes victory.

Sakura

2011-05-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

Cherry blossom and forsythia.
Contrasting branches.
Arrangement without kenzan.
Focus on lines at the base.

Sakura, the cherry blossom, is considered to be the national flower of Japan. There are more than 350 different kinds of cherry blossom. Every year people are gathering to picnic under the trees and celebrate the spring.

One cherry blossom opens and everywhere is spring - o
pen the blossom of enlightenment in your heart and eternal peace dwells in you.

Old cherry branches with lichen,
two sizes of white cherry blossom.
Ishu-ike with branches.
Mass and lines.

The mountain god Oho-Yama had two daughters. He wanted the incredibly strong daughter Iha-Naga
to marry Ninigi, but he rice-god preferred her younger sister Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime, the flower princess.

It has been told that this caused Iha-Naga to trow her sister out of the heavens. The flower princess landed on mount Fuji at the same moment as the cherry blossoms opened. Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hima makes the flowers blossom, and the Sakura trees got their name when she landed on them.

According to another story Iha-Naga
cursed Ninigi for choosing her sister over herself. Iha-Naga who's name means "princess long-live" cried out that had he chosen wisely his children would have lived long in the land, and continued: "Now that you have chosen my sister, you and yours will perish as quickly as the blossom on trees, as quickly as the bloom on my sister's cheek."

Ikebana Studio Visit

2011-05-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to invite you on a tour to the ikebana studio of my teacher. She lives outside the city and it takes me an hour to get there, first by commuter boat across the Oslo fjord and then half an hour by bus. The trip is long enough to help me tune inn and leave the busy workday behind.

Getting off the bus and walking down the steep road to the house you'll notice that you're in the right place. A Japanese metal lantern is placed on an old stump. A bamboo fountain provides an atmosphere of tranquility.

Walking closer and following the path around the next corner you're facing the small entrance door to the studio. Welcome, come inside!

Behind the screen is a low table with cushions for drinking a cup of tea before the ikebana lesson starts. On the shelfs are lots and lots of vases and containers to choose between.

After a cup of tea and an introduction to todays lesson; ikebana with cherry blossoms, we're ready to start working.

Euroflora Inispiration

2011-05-06T01:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Euroflora exhibition i Genova together with friends in South of France. In addition to a lot of outdoor plants there was also a section with floral art.

Euroflora 2011, Genova, Italy.

Phillytea: The Fallen Blossom

2011-05-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

In addition to ikebana blogs I also follow a couple of chado (tea ceremony) blogs. This week Morgan of the Chado Association of Philadelphia has posted a beautiful and thoughtful ikebana related story about a tea master arranging a Camellia blossom in the tokonoma.

"The moment when the blossom falls is a moment of transition ... There’s beauty in all moments, in all phases of existence, in endings as well as beginnings."

Read the full story here:

The Fallen Blossom

LA Luncheon 2

2011-05-04T13:26:00.001-07:00

I made a new friend that I'd like you to meet. At the anniversary luncheon of the Sogetsu Los Angeles Branch in April this year I sat at the same table as Norma McDonough who was also helping out with the arrangement as a volunteer. Norma is a Los Angeles based art director and web designer. In between the courses I found out that she is a member of the Soho Study Group in San Francisco, a really creative group of students of ikebana master Soho Sakai. Together with three other ikebana enthusiasts Norma is also part of Renka Design Group working together on big projects such as exhibitions. The arrangement pictured here is their latest installation at the Bouquets to Art exhibition at DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, March 2011.

I like the name of the group and the idea of working together. Renka is a collaborative form of ikebana that was introduced to the Sogetsu School by Hiroshi Teshigahara in the 1990s. Inspired by the classical poetry genre renga, wich is a form of linked verse that became the basis for the modern haiku, he created an avant-garde method of ikebana that involves several people. A renka work consists of a series of interdependent arrangements. Since each participant interprets the previous works in the series of arrangements the completed form of the renka ikebana is not known until the last contributor has finished her work. Unlike a joint work, in renka the individual work is created by a single artist. One by one, the participants challenge the given space until the work is completed.

Heaven and Earth are Flowers

2011-05-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

It's often said that you should choose one ikebana School and then stay faithful to your choice. I remember my teacher advising me to concentrate on Sogetsu ikebana rather than comparing it too much with other schools. Trying to grasp the many rules and styles of different schools would be like studying several languages at the same time. The focus may get too broad and the whole situation confusing. Still I can't help being fascinated by the differences. I'm especially intrigued by the old classic schools. I find that their teaching enriches my understanding also of modern ikebana.

Lately I've been reading "Heaven and Earth are Flowers: Reflections on Ikebana and Buddhism" by Joan D. Stamm. This is a quite new book. I've been reading it really slowly allowing it to stimulate my own reflections while reading. Joan Stamm is an authorized teacher of the Saga School, a school that traces its traditions back to more than 1200 years and has as it's motto "to unite flowers and religion". She merges stories from everyday experiences with the wisdom of Buddhist philosophy, traditional ikebana, and insights learned from living the way of flowers.

Finding a place for the book in my bookshelf I feel grateful for stories that are shared and teachings that are handed down. I'll place it together with Gustie L. Herrigel's book "Zen in the Art of Flower Arranging" sharing her gradual understanding of ikebana and buddhism in the 1920's Japan, and a book by the Swedish author Ida Trotzig telling the story of her life in Japan in the early 1900's and her fascination with ikebana that, as for Joan Stamm, started with a visit to the old temple Daikaku-ji.

Reading this books has been stimulating. I know I'll keep exploring the balance of opposites in ikebana known as In Yo in Japanese and Yin and Yang in Chinese. I'll also keep thinking about the differences between Japanese and Western views on how to cultivate a humble personality.

"Heaven and Earth are Flowers:

Reflections on Ikebana and Buddhism"

by Joan D. Stamm

Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2010

Congrats LA!

2011-04-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Members of the Sogetsu Los Angeles branch celebrates their 25th anniversary this year. Earlier this month I had the pleasure of joining the festivities at their anniversary luncheon at Omni Hotel. It was great to be part of such a large gathering of ikebana enthusiasts. And I was so happy to finally get to see an ikebana live demo with their special guest Tetsunori Kawana. Especially since I have been a few days too early or too late to attend his demonstrations in New York at earlier occasions.

Kawana Sensei made at least ten large arrangements in vases with different kinds of branches and flowers before the finally; a Flo'Work arrangement with Cherry blossoms taking up most of the stage. I'm posting two photos of the Flo'Work arrangement so that you can get an idea of the working process. The first photo is of the structure of branches working as a skeleton for the different kinds of branches and flowers that were added to form the finished arrangement, shown in the second photo. Some of the branches were fixed to the structure with an electric drill, others were just sticked into the arrangement. Pretty impressive. I actually like the look of the bare structure even more than the finished work.

Easter Greetings

2011-04-22T15:58:00.001-07:00

Reshaping plant materials.

Easter ikebana, pine branch and Daffodils.

The spring storms blowing the winter away caused a large pine branch to fall to the ground outside the ikebana studio. Pine symbolizes longevity or eternal life. Daffodils in Christian tradition symbolize resurrection. Beeing a bulb flower returning each spring, it reminds us that life and beauty is capable of following the harshest winter or tribulations.

Happy Easter!

Scandinavian Ceramics

2011-04-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Scandinavian and Japanese design have much in common. The clean lines and the idea that the simplistic and harmonious is what is beautiful. The emphasis on thoughtful design and workmanship in everyday objects. I like to use Scandianvian midcentury ceramics as containers for ikebana arrangements. It enables me to add something from my own culture and still keep a classical and elegant look. It's true that you can use any container from any culture, but the result must always be harmonious.

Swedish midcentury ceramics, Rörstrand Studio,
Gunnar Nylund and Carl Harry Stålhane.

In the early 1900s European ceramicists started experimenting with stoneware using Japanese techniques. Uneven surfaces and running glazes were new and exotic. Japanese ceramics such as 16th century raku tea wares, wood fired pots from Shigaraki and Bizen and Jomon figures, could be studied up close at the world exhibitions in Paris.

Danish midcentury ceramics,
Saxbo and Palshus.

In Scandinavia ceramicists started working individually and in smaller workshops in the 1940's. The Japanese traditions and the new French 'art de feu' ceramics had a great impact on Danish and Swedish ceramics. The Swedish pioneer Gunnar Nylund learned the new techniques in Denmark before introducing stoneware at the Swedish Rörstrand porcelain factory. In Sweden elegant stoneware was created by now famous ceramicists like Wilhelm Kåge, Carl Harry Stålhane and Stig Lindberg. Today as Danish and Swedish ceramics and porcelain from the Scandinavian design era is becoming increasingly popular in Japan, the circle is closed and influences are going in both directions.

Stones and Sand

2011-04-20T03:40:00.000-07:00

Morimono is usually ikebana arrangements with fruits and vegetables together with plant materials. The literally meaning is "things piled up", like moribana means "flowers piled up". A morimono arrangement can also be made with other natural materials, such as in these arrangements with stones. They can be made with nothing but stones and sand or with additional moss and branches, whichever one prefers.

The sand is raked with a fork in patterns, resembling the raked gravel in a Zen buddhist rock garden. That reference is quite obvious, and the goal is that the arrangement should have a floating feeling and a calming effect on the viewer.

When using stones instead of plant materials it is the stones you need to examine, pretty much the same way as you do with the flowers when you're using them as the main material. What is the character of the stone? What movements and energies can you find in it? What happens if you turn it up side down? The most important thing is that the stones are similar in colour, shape and texture, and that they are placed so that there is a communication between them. As you can see in these two arrangements, the size of the stones corresponds with the main branches in a basic ikebana arrangement so that there is one Shin stone, one Soe stone and finally one Hikae stone.

An Afternoon in Little Tokyo

2011-04-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Los Angeles has a large Japanese community? Downtown LA you'll find Little Tokyo, one of only three official Japan towns in the US. I had a look around one afternoon on my LA trip last week, hunting for ikebana related items.

It was a charming experience strolling the historic district, but I must say the shops were somewhat disappointing. I probably didn't find the right places until I stumbled across Rafu Bussan, a store filled with Japanese china and giftware.
So I finally got what I was looking for. I came out of the store with a white winter ikebana container, a nice bamboo dai and a large kenzan especially made for fixing larger branches. I even got a Japanese lucky cat gift from the nice people in the store.

Haran, Haran, Haran

2011-03-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

The basics of a classical Haran ikebana.

My ikebana teacher loves to quote the expression "Everything starts and ends with Haran" - meaning Haran, or Aspidistra leaves, is the most important material in ikebana. In classical ikebana it is often used as isshu-ike, one material only arrangement, with 7-10 leaves shaped into artistic curves according to detailed rules. The arrangement should show both the sunny (front) side and the shadow (back) side of the leaves, as well as the side view. The basics is the triangular shape with three lines put together to form a balanced and harmonious design. I actually find this basic skeletal quite appealing. Today when we are often looking for simplicity and calmness we might not need the rest of the leaves that makes the arrangement more complex and crowded.

Classical Haran ikebana the Sogetsu way.

In the Sogetsu School classical ikebana is taught as an insight to traditions giving a deeper understanding of the meaning of ikebana. Not going to much into the strict rules of a traditional ikebana arrangement, but rather imitating the style to get a feeling of what it's all about. Creating an arrangement like this is actually quite demanding and takes a lot of practice if you should do it according to all the rules. An obvious mistake in my attempt is that the base is not clean enough. It should be one clear and thin line as in the first picture. To manage this you need to have both large and smaller leaves so that you can get the right size without having to cut the long stem. Haran is also much used in modern, abstract ikebana. This of course is much less time consuming, and shows the leaves from a totally different point of view.

Modern Haran ikebana (mass and lines).

Aspidistra leaves and Stocks.

Hanami Day Exhibition

2011-03-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

"In the eye of the storm".

Siberian dogwood, white Cherry blossoms, Lisianthus.

Ohara School Madoka container.

Without kenzan, straight and curved lines, focus on water.

Hanami Day March 27th 2011 at Historical Museum in Oslo, Norway.

Theme: Pity, compassion, and human kindness.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ... Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:4,7)

"Storm".

Plastic mesh, Dried and fresh Aspidistra leaves, Ornithogalum.

Mass and curved lines, untraditional and fresh materials,

dried materials.

Materials, Creativity and Nationality

2011-03-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

“Americans are excellent at putting together combinations of color and material that Japanese people would never think of", says grandmaster of Sogetsu ikebana Yokou Kitajima. Since moving from Japan to the US in the 1970s he's been teaching ikebana to Americans and should know from experience what he is talking about. You can read the whole interview with Yokou Kitajima on the Discover Nikkei website, a project that is documenting and sharing the life of Japanese people living outside of Japan.

Yokou Kitajima says he's impressed with his students ideas that he himself, being a Japanese, would not be able to come up with. "I believe these are not qualities that can be taught, but an ability that they possess naturally", he continues. He also relates the differences to the amount of flowers and plant materials that are available in different parts of the world. In California, where Mr. Kitajima lives, there is a wide range of materials available that allows for other opportunities than in Japan. He sees the differences in national consciousness and climate as an enrichment to the world of Sogetsu ikebana: “When I show it [a piece created in America] to a person from Japan, I want them to think, “Ah, indeed, American Sōgetsu is different.” I want it to be a piece with even more freedom of creativity—not just something big, but a piece of work that would really intrigue them.”

As a person living in Norway I find Mr. Kitajima's reflections on ikebana materials and national consciousness quite interesting. In California you can cut impressive flowers, like Bird of paradise flowers, in your back yard. In Norway it's much more limited what you can grow outdoors. The cold season with frozen ground and bare branches on the trees lasts for at least one-third of the year - I'm sure this also has an impact on people living here.

When I look at the expression of Norwegian ikebana arrangements compared to creations by ikebanists from further south in Europe and other parts of the world, the importance of our culture and natural surroundings becomes quite obvious. In Norway we are using less green materials and flowers. As a result the ikebana arrangements are less decorative and maybe more fragile and cut to the bone. To me celebrating the differences becomes part of being "here and now" and accepting things as they are rather than pretending to be somewhere or someone else. I will definitely keep thinking about the meaning of nationality and surroundings as I continue my ikebana work.

I came across the Discover Nikkei website preparing for a trip to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. I would be happy to hear from you if you now of any must do's in the area. On the website there are several other interesting articles on Japanese culture that you might want to read, including a portrait interview with Haruko Takeichi, also a high ranking Sogetsu ikebana master in Los Angeles.

Photo of Yokou Kitajima borrowed from Sogetsu Los Angeles Branch.

Preparing for an Exhibition

2011-03-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

This years Hana mai day (Cherry blossom day) at The Historical Museum in Oslo will be a special day in solidarity with the people of Japan. I was invited to make to ikebana arrangements so I spent the evening preparing and planning. I decided to go for a hana dome arrangement with Cherry blossom and a boat arrangement reflecting the violent forces of the sea.

My fellow ikebanist in Washington DC, Keith Stanley, has been working a lot with hana dome lately. He has also posted some information and pictures on the internet, so I wanted to try it out. Hana dome basically means flower fixture, and is a visable structure of any kind to help fix the flowers without kenzan or other fastening techniques.

These photos are of a work in progress, to illustrate the process of preparing for an exhibition. You'll first have to find a theme and an idea for the arrangements. Next you'll have to try out the basic form and the materials. In the end the result will always be different from the sketch depending on all the small but significant details of the flowers that are available on the exhibition day.

A Floating World: Then and Now?

2011-03-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week a new exhibition opened at The Historical Museum of Oslo. A collection of old Japanese woodblock prints by the great masters are exhibited together with samples from a resent donation of contemporary prints by the artist Okamoto Ryusei. The exhibition is called "A floating world: Then and now?" and is running until June 5th.

My ikebana teacher Lisbeth Lerum was asked to create ikebana arrangements to go with the exhibition. With the tragic events in Japan in mind the task of creating beautiful ikebana of course took on a deeper meaning than expected. The arrangements are referring to themes such as kimonos, woodblock printing and nature.

If you are in Oslo tomorrow you can take part in a lecture about Japanese woodblock printing at the exhibition, or you can bring your own or other peoples children to an exciting printing workshop with Okamoto Ryusei. Sunday March 27th there will be more ikebana arrangements in the Museum as the traditional Hanami day is offering a broad selection of Japanese culture. This years Hanami day will be held in solidarity with the people of Japan.

Three Themed Windows

2011-03-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Spring sale in the Hardware store, (lines).

Metal vase, chicken wire, metal objects,

dried branches, miniature Lisianthus.

Modern ikebana is often seen in department stores in Japan. In the Sogetsu School these large scale installations created for public spaces are called Flo'work, meaning Flower+Work. You'll also find Flo'Work displays in hotel lobbies and other places where people are passing.

Tea shop exhibition, (mass and lines).

Teapot with cups, tray, tea powder, Roses, Hydrangea,

Chrysanthemum and branches with red berries.

Creating themed displays for shop windows is a fun and creative exercise. These three exemples are not very large scale, but they are all ment to draw the attention to the environment were they are placed and the products that are sold in the store.

Book store exhibition, (masses).

Books, paper, lacquered wooden vases,

Roses and Hydrangea.

A Prayer for Japan

2011-03-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Winter season simple shin style ikebana.

to my upturned face

as I pray, blossoms

drip down

Haiku by Issa (1795)

translation by David G. Lanoue

Flower Ceremony Revisited

2011-03-14T17:19:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in Kaden Otemae, traditional Japanese flower ceremony, you should watch this video (there are three parts to be watched on YouTube). Some of my readers might remember Véronique Masurel, a master of the Kaden Ryu living in France. In these videos you'll get a more detailed version of Masurel performing the flower ceremony than in the video I posted a year ago.

Flower Woodblock Prints

2011-03-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

A while ago I bought some Japanese woodblock prints on eBay. They are depicting scenes from everyday life and they all have references to flowers, flower arranging or flower symbolism. I guess that's what caught my interest. I recognize some of my own relation to flowers in these pictures.

To my untrained eye it doesn't look like high quality prints. I'm not an expert on woodblock prints, but I guess the affection value is higher than the financial.

This is perfectly fine with me. I've been told that the same woodblocks were used many times, and even sold to less scrupulous editors when they

weren't good enough anymore. The quality difference between the first edition and later prints is reflected in the price level.

The first print has a motive of a young man balancing on a fence, holding on to some kind of flowering branch. In this print Harunobu (1725?–1770) emphasizes the contrast between the long perspectives in life, represented by a small pine tree, and the present moment that will soon pass away, represented by the short lived blossom.

The second print also has a spring motive. A woman with long hair walking under a Sakura, Cherry blossom tree. I love the way she is catching the flower petals blowing in the air, or maybe just protecting her hair with a scarf. This woodblock was designed by Kunisada (1786-1865).

Lastly an autumn motive. In this design by Shigenaga (1697-1756), three young women are admiring and measuring a very large Kiku, Chrysanthemum, in a vase. To the right are three other Kiku of different colours prepared for an exhibition.

I love my woodblock prints. Next I'm going to look for prints of men working with ikebana. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Talking, Working and Communicating

2011-03-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was invited to Oslo University College to give a lecture on Japanese esthetics and ikebana. The lecture had a practical approach, giving the basics of esthetics and culture while I was creating a series of ikebana arrangements. I'm impressed with the students, their interest and attitude. It's quite challenging to switch between talking, working with the arrangements and interacting with the adherents, all at the same time. Especially as I also want to give an experience of the slow, calm and meditative aspects of working with ikebana.

Anyhow, it's inspiring to get the opportunity to meet with others and share. This was a group of students taking a course in Japanese literature. I got to think about the relation between modern authorship and the practice of following a traditional meditative path. This also raises questions about the relationship between esthetics and storytelling - enough to keep the brain busy for quite some time. I'm grateful for the opportunity to think in new directions.

Techniques Revealed

2011-03-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

Traditional ikebana techniques goes back several hundred years in history and used to be secret knowledge handed down from teacher to student. This beautiful video from the Kadou Enshu School demonstrates the use of a traditional flower fastener called Yagen that is used by Kadou Enshu for classical style ikebana. It also shows bending techniques that includes using wedges and wire, as well as carefully cracking the branches.

Personally I find this ikebana style to manipulative and idealized. I prefer working closer to the natural form of the materials. Nevertheless it's a beautiful arrangement and most of all an inspiring video with an authentic feeling to it.

Playing with Vases

2011-02-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

Tubular ceramic vase with tilted top.

Isolation materials, green Carnations and an Aspidistra leaf.

One thing that fascinates me in Japanese flower arranging is the attention that is given to the vase or container. There always has to be a harmony between the vase and the plant materials, but this is more than just finding a vase that looks good with a flower bouquet. The container is considered an important and integrated part of the arrangement, or even the starting point of the arranging and the first thing to look at when standing in front of the completed ikebana.

Boat shaped porcelain container.

Aspidistra leaves and blue Hyacinths.

These two ikebana arrangements are exercises in focusing on the shape of the container as the starting point when creating. It doesn't have to be a very special container. Every vase has it's own character, shape and texture.

Inspired Fingerworks

2011-02-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this new video from the Japanese group Utsurawa-ba. So-sen Imai creates sophisticated simplified ikebana arrangements in dark glazed ceramics by Taketoshi Ito. Music is by Koyu.

I love the fingerwork capturing the inspiration before getting started, and the contrast between the weightless small white flowers and the compact ceramic vase.

Iemoto Akane Teshigahara 10 Year Celebration

2011-02-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

This year the present iemoto of the Sogetsu School of ikebana is celebrating her 10 years as headmaster. Akane Teshigahara is the granddaughter of Sofu Teshigahara who founded the school. In 2001 she succeeded her father as headmaster.

The first exhibition marking the celebration has already taken place, but there will be several more events throughout the year. The official Sogetsu website has a blog section with updates from Akane Teshigahara, called "A bunch of thoughts", where you can follow her celebration year.

A Hint of Spring

2011-02-21T16:21:00.001-08:00

Window display: A Hint of Spring

cellophane rolls, two wooden containers, old hemp string,

blue Hyacinths, yellow Roses and green Carnations

Frozen layers of winter are still covering spring. It's all silent and cold - but not for long. Life is coming back!

eBay Iemoto Class

2011-02-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Sogetsu School was started a little more then 80 years ago and have since then had four iemotos (head masters), all from the same family. The iemoto is leading the organization of the school and is also responsible for the artistic development - so it's a complex and difficult task.

If you are lucky to be in the right place at the right time you can take ikebana classes, referred to as iemoto classes, held by the present iemoto. My favorite iemoto is the late Hiroshi Teshigahara, who died in 2001. I started my ikebana studies in 2005 so I have never had the chance to experience him in person. Still, I feel that I know him from books and from his legacy that is still highly treasured by many ikebana teachers and students.

A few weeks ago when I opened my mail box I found an envelop with a preowned card book that I had bought on eBay. A card book is a paper back book that can be taken apart, so that the thick pages can be used individually as studying cards. This particular card book is quite rare and consists of 20 cards with photos of ikebana arrangements by Hiroshi Teshigahara. On the back of the cards the arrangements are explained. I felt so privileged to be able to follow this "iemoto class" card by card in my own pace. Reading this book I really am in the right place at the right time.

Ikebana Sogetsu

by Hiroshi Teshigahara
Paperback, 20 colour cards
Diane Pub Co, 1986
ISBN-10: 0756750849
ISBN-13: 978-0756750848

Born in a Broken Heart

2011-02-12T03:28:00.000-08:00

"Ikebana is an organic training in gentleness...

Flowers are vulnerable - that is their strength."

In this thoughtful short film, "Born in a broken heart: A smile mixed with tears", ikebana teacher Stéphane Bédard is discussing the role of a teacher and how ikebana practice can give a more direct relationship to art and to our life. He also gives an interesting introduction to a philosophy of gentleness and fearlessness. It really is worth seeing if you would like to understand more about ikebana. Being an ikebana practitioner I feel that this video deepens my appreciation of the way of flowers.

Stéphane Bédard is trained in the Sogetsu School of ikebana and he also teaches the Shambhala art program. You'll find two more videos with Bédard on the website of Shambhala art in the Resources section, Media Library. It's the two videos from Shambhala art Ottawa.

Flowers for Valentine's Day

2011-02-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

"Spring Cleaning" - unconventional materials
Dusters, branches, pink roses and table wiper hearts,

in two wooden containers.

Using unconventional materials was one of the new ideas in ikebana introduced by Sofu Teshigahara, the founder of the Sogetsu school. The underlaying idea was that ikebana is mainly about form, lines, colour and space, and that ikebana can be made by anyone, anywhere and with any materials. Using objects from everyday life helps develop your creativity and also grounds your ikebana practice in life "as-it-is".

"A Secret Sign" - surfaces of lines and leaves

Dried bamboo/some black painted, pink rose and Aspidistra leaf,

in a wooden box with a sign.

When creating ikebana for Valentine's day I have focused on the unexpected love message that brakes through the repetitiveness of continuing everyday work, a secret message that is at the same time hidden and visible.

I have no idea what the sign on the wooden box means. I've used it as an abstract pattern with a hidden message. Still - if you now the true meaning I'll be glad if you let me know.

Knitting a Vase

2011-02-10T02:02:00.001-08:00

The young ceramicist Laurence Laurent is knitting the structure of her creations before painting them with several thin layers

of white porcelain. The knitting yarn burns away in the firing process leaving an interesting pattern in the fragile vases.

Last month Laurent exhibited her vases and objects in the well known ceramic centre Vallauris-Golfe-Juan in South of France. My local friends took me there on an exhibition tour that I will not forget. I love the way the light passes through the porcelain and the familiar knitted pattern.

"Today Laurence Laurent has found her way, her mode of expression and continues her journey", the exhibiton organizer says. Let's hope we'll see more knitting porcelain from Laurence Laurent.

Photo © Svein G. Josefsen

Origami

2011-02-08T02:02:00.000-08:00

"A process of making is the point of it. This needs to be a kind of ballet."

This clip is the official trailer for the documentary "Between the Folds". It is not about ikebana, but it's fascinating and origami is also a Japanese art form.

I found this video on the Collage Diva blog. Thanks Kathryn for sharing!

The First Day of Spring

2011-02-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

Spring branches and a pink rose in an icy glass container.

It's snowing again - this really is a country made for winter ikebana with naked branches. Even so, today I'm posting an early spring arrangement, in honor of the Japanese first day of spring "Risshun" that was February 4th. Slightly curved lines signalizing that nature is coming back to life, and a pink rose to remind us of the first blossoming branches in the snow - I can't wait.

Utsurawa-ba Again

2011-02-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

Ikebana artist So-sen have posted some inspiring pictures from the January Utsurawa-ba event. This month features contemporary Japanese ceramics by Katsumura Akito. I find the simplicity and balance of these small size ikebana arrangements very to the point. The ceramics is beautiful too and reminds me that i should make a post about the relation between Japanese and Scandinavian ceramics - it will be on the blog soon so please come back if you'd like to read it.

Have a look at the Utsurawa-ba pictures on this page.

A Ship of Good Fortune

2010-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

Dried straws, Lisianthus and an Aspidistra leaf.

In classical ikebana the boat arrangements form a category of their own. There are ships lying in the port, ships coming in, ships going out, and ships in storm. A treasure ship coming in is a symbolic wish for all the good things in life. In addition to being related to the potential dangers of being out in a boat, ships are also metaphors of the voyage of life.

Pine and Freesia.

I'm posting two boat arrangement as a New Years greeting. The first is a modern interpretation of a ship resting on calm water in the port after a long trip. The other has more of a classical Seika form and represents a ship going home, bringing treasures from far away. Since this is a winter arrangement I've used very little materials.

Ikebana arrangements for New Years are usually not boat arrangements. As all seasonal ikebana they have their own flowers with symbolic meaning. Still - what can be more appropriate for New Years than an arrangement that carries all our wishes for a good year to come.

Red and White for Christmas

2010-12-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Spirit of Christmas.

It's been a snowy December, so I decided to go for a white and red themed Christmas ikebana this year. Silver painted Matsumata branches, pine, red Carnations and Baby's breath.

I'd like to thank all of my readers and contacts through 2010, and wish you all a happy holiday.

Web Greetings

2010-12-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

Through working with ikebana and writing this blog I have made new friends from around the world. We have never met, but we communicate and we exchange pictures and ideas.

This last year, Facebook has become a great meeting place for ikebana enthusiasts. Yesterday Hitoshi Inoue, one of my ikebana friends, sent me a greeting telling me that he had created three Christmas ikebana arrangements that he wanted me to see. Since the greeting was also to all of my friends, I'm reposting Hitoshi's artwork for you all.

If you are on Facebook you should visit the group simply named Ikebana, which I believe is the largest ikebana group on Facebook. There is also a Sogetsu Ikebana group, and several others.

More Christmas

2010-12-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

Branches with lichens, Poinsettia, Gypsophila and pine,

in a black wooden container.

Black and red, with a little dash of green makes a stylish colour scheme for Christmas. Add a silver or gold coloured ornament for a more festive look, and give the luxurious large roses a coating of glittery red metal threads. Pine is a symbol of long life, and driftwood and branches with lichens brings the good feelings of old traditions.

Black painted driftwood, roses, pine,

and Christmas ornament in a tall black vase.

This last arrangement I am not too fond of myself. It reminds me too much of the 1970's plastic decorations of my childhood. It would probably be a lot better with nicer candles though. Anyhow, it's an idea that you can work on if you like. All the materials are fixed on a large kenzan in the shallow bowl with water.

Dried salix, candles, pine, red carnations
and Christmas ornaments on a red glass bowl.

White Christmas

2010-12-13T04:27:00.000-08:00

Driftwood, Poinsettia, cypress and glass icicle,

with a white porcelain vase.

Christmas is getting closer. It's fun to plan and make preparations. I haven't decided yet what this years ikebana arrangement will be, but I found an old photo of a white Christmas ikebana from my archives to put us all in the mood.

I will be posting more Christmas arrangements tomorrow - please com back for more inspiration.

Purple for Advent

2010-12-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

Purple is the colour of advent. In churches it's the liturgical colour of penitence and fasting as well as the colour of royalty to welcome the advent of the baby Jesus as king. Here in Norway a lot of purple candles and paper napkins are sold in the interior design shops. In the flower shops purple flowers are competing with the red or with Christmas flowers.

Advent arrangement in a white porcelain vase.

Norwegian spruce, purple tulips, pine

and thin handmade Japanese paper.

Seasonal ikebana arrangements is a big thing in Japanese culture. Every seasonal feast has its own flowers with a symbolic meaning. Today ikebana is spread around the world. Why not make a special ikebana arrangement for the advent season? I made this arrangement a couple of years ago. It has a seasonal feeling to it - like walking in a snowy forest on a crispy cold winter's day. If you want you can use red instead of purple and make it a Christmas ikebana.

Collage Lotus

2010-12-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

I was pleasantly surprised today as I took a tour visiting blogs I'm following to check out what's new. I started following Kathryn at Collage Diva a while ago because she was posting ikebana arrangements from her ikebana class. Reading her blog have also opened my eyes to her beautiful original collage artwork that is displayed on the blog.

The surprise this time was that she had created an original artwork for some of the bloggers that have left comments on her blog. Each piece is a combination of her own illustrations and hand-painted papers - all in her very own Collage Diva style. I love it, thanks Kathryn!

I'm posting "my" collage for you all. Please visit Collage Diva for more original artwork.

Scrapbook Traditions

2010-12-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Taking ikebana lessons usually also means taking photos of the arrangements, and sometimes drawing the finished results. This will help you see the development in your work over time. When you are drawing the arrangements you also learn to pay the attention to details, which is really important in ikebana.

There is a long tradition of collecting pictures and drawings of ikebana arrangements into books. In the Sogetsu school every student is expected to document his or her work in workbooks that are handed in when it's time for a new exam, a bit like a scrapbook or an ikebana diary.

I'm currently updating my workbooks with new ikebana arrangements. Some of the photos can be found on this blog. This process reminded me that I had planned to post a link to an interesting collection of ikebana drawings that is available on the internet. The library at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington DC holds a collection of old ikebana books that were collected by Ellen Gordon Allen, founder of the organisation Ikebana International. On the website of the library you can download the book "Rikka shodoshu", published already in 1684 in Japan. The book title means "The right principles of rikka". It's a three-volume set of color woodblock illustrations. Each volume represents one of three styles of rikka arrangements known as shin, gyo, and so. They are also categorized by season. Volume one contains an introductory text in Japanese and English - so go ahead and explore the long traditions of documenting ikebana arrangements.

U.S. National Arboretum Ikebana Rare Book Collection

Anticipation and Originality

2010-12-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Anticipation or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure (and sometimes anxiety) in considering some expected or longed-for good event. (Wikipedia)

I found this video for you on YouTube today. A guy and his scissors in an autumnal landscape.

You never know what awaits you when you are out looking for materials to use in an ikebana arrangement. Branches and plants look different when you take the time to notice their character. In anticipation and with a smile on your face you walk home with your newfound treasures.

Facing the Winter Naked

2010-11-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

Goat Willow and Japanese Beauty Berries in a ceramic container.

Abstract freestyle.

The days have turned cold - much colder than usual in November. Plants are withering. Flowers are gone. Still winter can be a good season for ikebana. The trees are bare and the branches have to face winter naked. On the bright side, all the straight and curved lines of the tree branches are clearly visible against the sky when there are no leaves to cover them. At last we can see them as they are, and in all their variety.

The founder of the Sogetsu school, Sofu Teshigahara has said this about branches and lines:

"Branches consist mainly of lines, both necessary and superfluous.

In order to emphasize the necessary lines,

you have to discard all the superfluous and conflicting ones."

"One should study how to contrast the sense of stillness with movement

using a combination of curved and straight lines."

Honeysuckle and Trumpet Lily in a lacquered wooden vase.

In the winter, when branches aren't that easy to bend, one will have to cooperate with the material and chose carefully what parts to use. The two arrangements in this post are variations on the theme "intertwining". In the first I have used Goat Willow branches, straight and slightly curved lines. The thin branches are fixed by sticking them through splits in the thicker ones (the intertwining). The second arrangement has a more naturalistic form and uses strongly curved lines. Vines of Honeysuckle are intertwined into a swirling three dimensional shape. The wooden vase has straight lines that contrast the curved ones.

Quotations from:

Kadensho: The book of flowers

by Sofu Teshigahara

Sogetsu Shuppan, Tokyo, 1979

More Water

2010-11-29T14:13:00.000-08:00

Many people have liked my clear water ikebana with four glass cube vases and an Amaryllis, that I posted earlier this month. So I thought it only fair to post the arrangement that was the inspiration behind it.

This Japanese maple arrangement is by the ikebana artist Naoki Sasaki. It's pictured in his latest book "Japanese Contemporary Floral Art" that can be bought from Amazon. It's a great book with many stunning designs, and the price has been reduced. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone interested in flowers.

Ikebana + Bass Performance

2010-11-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this video - improvised bass music and ikebana creations in Japanese ceramics. Now that's an innovative and original concept! I love the way the clipping sound from the ikebana scissors becomes part of the music.

The live performance concept "Utsurawa-ba", consisting of ikebana artist So-sen Imai and bass player Koyu, has become a monthly happening in trendy Tokyo bars. The vessels by contemporary Japanese artists are selected by Kenshin Sato of the Utsuwa Kenshin gallery - a new artist is featured in each performance.

The focus on vessels as starting point of the arrangements is typical of traditional ikebana philosophy. There must always be a sense of harmony between vase, flower materials and surrounding. So-sen Imai is an ikebana master of the Ryusei-ha school, who have made collaborative live ikebana performances with DJs, dancers and musicians his trademark. You can follow him on his blog or at Myspace, and he also has a website in English.

Stylized Gestures

2010-11-15T05:14:00.000-08:00

One thing that fascinates me about traditional Japanese culture is the thoroughness - the focus on the details. I've been writing in earlier posts about practicing ikebana as a flower ceremony with a set of rules for how to move. It's similar to tea ceremony in the movements and is still practiced by some traditional ikebana schools.

I found this video on YouTube and decided to post it on the blog because of the gestures of the kadoka, the ikebana artist, as she creates a traditional Seika arrangement in what looks like a bamboo vase. The school is Saga Goryu, an ikebana school that goes back to the Emperor Saga in the 9th century and the style of flower arrangement that is said to have been created by him.

The motto of Saga Goryu is "to unite flowers and religion". The students practices a ceremony of floral tribute to Buddah. Notice the stylized gestures and movements of the ikebana artist in the video as she takes out her fan from the kimono belt, bows, and dries off the vase. Since this is a demonstration in front of a public the branches are prepaired, cut and bended in advance. Fortunately you can see some of the bending in the video as well. At the end the assistant also bows, takes her fan out, and carries the ikebana vase to the tokonoma alcove.

Water: Reflecting Heaven

2010-11-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Clear water arrangement with Amaryllis.

Abstract freestyle.

Water is refreshing and calming. The surface reflects the sky in all its changes.

Clear water arrangements are cooling an full of life. The dark bottom arrangement creates a mystic darkness - the eyes are drawn towards the bottom of a deep pond. The arrangement with bridge is a special style that invites you to leave your safe surroundings and walk across the water into a mysterious world.

Dark bottom water arrangement. Bergenia leaf, yellow rose and black sand.

Naturalistic freestyle.

Arrangement with bridge. Abstract freestyle.
Iris leaves and Amaryllis.

Flowing Energy

2010-10-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Climbing Hydrangea and Ornamental Cabbage in a hand made ceramic vase.

The flowing lines of vines are like raked circles in the gravel of a Japanese rock garden. The drifting circles in the sand surrounds a solid rock. In the centre there is nothing but calmness - flowers coming to life.

Sand and stone garden, Portland Japanese Garden.

Hop vines and Ornamental Cabbage in an oval-shaped ceramic suiban.

Day 7 - Simple Living

2010-10-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Simple is often best. Our days are full of impressions - all the time we have to process a lot of information. I guess that's why nothing is more refreshing than a single flower.

Chabana. Red Rose, Hosta leaf with holes and thin Iris leaves.

1950s ceramics by Gunnar Nylund, Rörstrand Studio.

Gautama Buddha once said “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” It's been questioned if this is an authentic quotation. To me the important thing is the meaning of the words: In the single flower you can grasp the miracle of life, including your own life. Because we as humans are also part of nature our life conditions are basically the same.

The puristic esthetics of Japanese simplicity is the key to arrangements such as Chabana, the flowers used in tea ceremonies. To me that's the essence of following the way of flowers - flowers teach us to let go and to live a simple life.

This is the last of my flower practice week postings. I hope you have enjoyed them.

Day 6 - A Closer Look

2010-10-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Things look different when you take a closer look. There are many other truths than the ones you are used too. That goes for people and it's also true when it comes to flowers. Today I've been looking out for surprising details and life's little pleasures in my search for ikebana materials.

Miniature ikebana. Tree seeds, Cosmos, grass, berries of Cotoneaster, Red clover, unknown purple flower, Rose hips, autumn leaf and Larch.

Scandinavian mid century miniature ceramics.

This is my first experiment with ikebana miniatures. In this set I've been working mainly with colours and balance, trying to give a playful and amusing presentation. Katsumi Teshigahara, the second Iemoto of the Sogetsu School of ikebana, introduced miniature ikebana as one of her trade marks in the 1960s. I've also seen groups of miniature ikebana by her father Sofu Teshigahara in old books. They often used very small glass vases, lipstick caps and other shiny cups as containers, giving the arrangements a kind of fairytale ambience. I've chosen to stick with ceramics to stay in the autumn season.

Enjoy your day - take a fresh look at life!

Day 5 - Outdoor Meditation in Action

2010-10-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has an allotment not far from my house. I went there today to help planting bulbs for next year's flowering season. This kind of monotonous work is quite meditative - a good preparation for the outdoor ikebana work that I had planned to do with plants growing on the allotment.

Outdoor ikebana. Sunflower, Curly kale and a Marigold in a glass drop.

As we were pulling weeds and withered plants I found a Sunflower that had made a loop in the ground when it started growing out of the seed. With the roots still on it had quite an interesting shape. I fixed the stem upside down between some granite blocks that will be made into a patio, and added a leaf of purple Curly kale. Then I hanged a glass drop filled with water from the Sunflower loop and placed a single Marigold in it. The arrangement still needed weight at the base, so I took the top of the Sunflower and placed it under the Marigold so that the glass drop "falls down" into the seeds like a dew drop.

It feels different to work with ikebana in the outdoors. It involves your whole body as you are assembling, cutting and fixing materials and transforming the space. Like weed pulling and bulb planting it becomes a meditation in action.

Day 4 - The Beauty of the Imperfect

2010-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect - that's the beauty of life. The Japanese words wabi-sabi stand for an aesthetics of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Wabi refers to the loneliness of living in nature, rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and understated elegance.

Intertwined leaves of Siberian Iris with Potentilla flowers.

Stoneware bowl by Gunnar Nylund, 1950s Rörstrand Studio.

In todays ikebana arrangement I've used yellowing leaves of Iris, intertwined in shape of a drifting movement. I also found some Potentilla flowers that are still in bloom, reinforcing the yellow colour. One of them is actually just a bud - nature never gives up.

October is considered the most wabi month of the year. According to my friend Margie of the SweetPersimmon blog, in tea ceremony this is the time to find again the cracked and broken utensils that have been lovingly repaired. In the world of flowers autumn is a time for reflection and seeing things as they are, honoring the flawed beauty of withering plants.

Day 3 - Three Vases and What's Left on the Trees

2010-10-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

For the arrangement today I've started with the task of using more than one vase. I bought these three vases this summer. They are made by my friend Brigitte Schneider of Atelier Tokibana in the South of France. The white and the blue vases are porcelain, while the black one is made of faience clay. The plant materials are autumn leaves with dark berries, Yarrow and Hydrangea.

As you can see it is still naturalistic freestyle, but more obvious than yesterday this arrangement uses lines and masses, and matching and contrasting colours to create a harmonious balance. The spaces between the vases and branches are also very important.

Using more than one vase. Naturalistic freestyle, Autumn leaves with dark berries, Yarrow and Hydrangea. Vases by Brigitte Schneider, Atelier Tokibana.

Today I've also been browsing the net for inspiration. I came across an interview in French with Marcia Shibata, who is a leading Kado teacher in Shambhala Buddhism and co-founder of Shambhala Kado Europe. Even though I have only met her once I still consider her a friend of mine.

In this interview she explains the meaning of the words Kado and Ikebana. Kado comes from an ancient Chinese term that is derived from two words. Ka is flower and do is path or way, dao in Chinese. It means "the path or the way of flowers", and indicates a journey; you start somewhere, you walk and you arrive somewhere. The term Ikebana, Ike-bana, exists only in Japanese. Ikeru means "to breathe" and as a consequence "being alive". Bana is a transformation of hana "flower". The Japanese like to combine things in a harmonious way, while ike-hana would sound too hard, ike-bana is more rounded at the same time hard and soft. It's like the ultimate desire for balance in life, as you try to have enough sharpness and enough softness or enough weight and enough lightness. So, Kado involves more the concept of a (spiritual) path to follow with flowers, while Ikebana puts more emphasis on the respect for the living nature and to give life or "breath" to the flowers. Both aspects are always present in flower practice, but to different degrees.

"The whole philosophy is that you don't try to be artistic, but you just approach objects as they are and the message comes through automatically. It is like Japanese flower arranging. You don't try to be artistic... it just seems to happen by itself." (Chögyam Trungpa, founder of Shambhala Buddhism and Sogetsu master)

Day 2 - Mother and Child in Autumn Dew

2010-10-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is the second day of my flower practice week. I went out hunting for flowers today but found that there isn't much left - autumn is definitely here. What I did find was a tree with really nice round yellow leaves and some Yarrow. To add a bit of colour a picked a few branches of Heather from the balcony. Studying the branches I saw that the yellow leaves had red stems that corresponded nicely with the grayish purple of the Heather. I was even more surprised to find what looked like small bean pods under the leaves - so I decided to strip parts of the branch to show off their bright green colour.

Naturalistic freestyle. Autumn leaves, Heather and Yarrow in a Sogetsu vase designed by Sofu Teshigahara.

For this arrangement I've used a vase that I bought on eBay a few years ago. It's a modern vase that could take an abstract ikebana, but I often find that autumn leaves look best in a naturalistic arrangement. The branches are so beautiful in their natural shape. Also the round shape of the leaves brings out the natural softness in the shape of the vase. Earlier this week I got some information about this vase from a Facebook discussion. The vase is named "Komochi" meaning Mother and Child, and it was designed by Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu School of ikebana. According to the person who gave me this information it can still be bought at the Sogetsu shop in Tokyo.

To get a feeling of "here and now" i sprayed the arrangement with a light water mist. This is often done in Chabana arrangements (tea-flowers) to add freshness. “The moment is the moment, and you can never recapture it.” My friend Margie Yap of the SweetPersimmon blog has taught me that one should also let the spray be seen on the walls of the tokonoma to show that the mud or walls of the tokonoma are accepting of the flower.

Day 1 - Flower Practice Week

2010-10-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

I had planed to go on a vacation starting today, but since I don't feel too well I had to postpone the trip. To compensate I decided to treat myself to a week of flower practice - using a little time each day to meditate and create an ikebana arrangement with plant materials that can be found around my home.

Ikebana or Kado, meaning The Way of Flowers, is a contemplative practice. Working with plant materials is a grounding experience and teaches us to see what is before us.

Focusing on the shape of the container. Iris leaves and red berries.

Wood fired ceramic by Michiko Takahashi Nilsen.

I'm starting off with an arrangement using a new container by the Japanese-Norwegian ceramicist Michiko Takahashi Nilsen. At first site it looks like a round bowl. Studying the shape of it I found that the bowl is actually a bit like a boat. It has two quite distinct lines adding irregularity to the shape. I've used bended leaves of Siberian Iris to echo these lines, combining them with some red berries on vines that goes with the roundness and the warm brown colour. The container also has a wonderful pale bluish-gray inside that you can't see in the picture.

Warhol Watercolour Variations

2010-10-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

The pop art of Andy Warhol typically comes in simple lines and strong colours. This series is a bit different. The sketchy lines are the same but the colour variations are unusual and sublime. The Flowers (Hand-Coloured) portfolio from 1974 is a coloured version of the silk screen printed Flowers (Black and White) from the same year. Every print has a unique watercolour hand-colouring that was made by a studio assistant. The edition was 250 and there are 10 motives so I guess Warhol needed the assistance. Warhol very rarely used this technique - the only other time was in the 1950s. I've put together three of the same print to get a feeling of the variation in colour.

Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, exhibited their Flowers prints earlier this year. According to this exhibition Warhol's inspiration for the Flowers came from wallpaper samples and from the book Interpretive Floral Designs by Mrs. Raymond Russ Stoltz (South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes, 1972) which he interpreted using an opaque projector.

The book Interpretive Floral Designs also featured Japanese flower arrangements, and in my opinion Warhol's fascination with ikebana is the obvious driving force behind the Flowers 1974 series. The same year as the Flowers were printed Warhol met Sofu Teshigahara, headmaster of the Sogetsu school of ikebana, in Tokyo to take Polaroid pictures for a portrait that he wanted to make. I have not read Raymond Russ Stoltz's book, but to me several of the prints in the Flowers series seams to be freestyle and avant-garde style Sogetsu school ikebana arrangements. It would be great if someone who has the book could check this up and let me know.

Moon Viewing

2010-10-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

Autumn is the best time of the year for moon-viewing, a very popular activity in Japanese culture. To an ignorant person the moon can be full, half or simply gone. To a true moon enthusiast every night has its own unique moon. The thin waxing crescent moons, "Second-day moon" and "Third-day moon", have a special quality. And so has the Jûsanyazuki, the "Thirteenth-day moon", which is two nights before full moon - and of which the one of the ninth month (mid-October) is thought especially beautiful. I could go on for ever, but the most popular moon is definitely the harvest moon, Mangetsu or Jûgoyazuki, the full moon on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month (late September).

Last autumn I posted a series about moon flowers on this blog. I'm reposting the photo that was rated the most viewed, to give you all a renewed feeling of the magical autumn moon.

Waxing moon ikebana (slanting variation no.4): Japanese maple and white Chrysanthemum in a moon vase.

The harvest moon seems to be bigger, brighter and more colourful than other full moons. And since there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise at this time of the year, the farmers could continue working to bring in their crops, hence the name.

If you are in Japan and not busy with the harvest you can visit the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto, which is known as a moon-viewing palace. The villa, that was built by Prince Toshihito in the 1600s, is famous for its minimal and orthogonal design, and has been an inspiration to modern architects such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. This villa is constructed to offer especially enjoyable viewings of the moon. The drawing rooms with their sliding screen doors are aligned exactly to provide the best view of the harvest moon, and the Gepparo (Moon-wave Pavilion) sits perfectly positioned for viewing the reflection of the moon on the water. It all sounds amazing.

Plastic is Fantastic

2010-09-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

One of the new features in ikebana introduced by Sofu Teshigahara, founder of the Sogetsu school, was abstract freestyle arrangements using nonorganic materials. Sofu, who was fascinated by modern western avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Surrealism, started experimenting with what he called avant-garde ikebana, or Zenei-bana, at the end of the 1920s, using scrap metal and other unconventional materials.

Although Sogetsu ikebana is again turning to more naturalistic arrangements, the avant-garde ikebana is still an important style. I was handed a plastic chopping board by my teacher to be used as the main material for a series of ikebana arrangements. As many variations as possible using one Aspidistra leaf, two Carnations and three straws of Bear grass in a green on green composition.

The Story of a Tea House

2010-09-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Not far from the centre of Stockholm, Sweden - in the park outside The Museum of Ethnography, you can enjoy a genuine tea ceremony in the Japanese tea house named Zui-Ki-Tei, The Cottage of Auspicious Light. This tea house was built in 1990 as a replacement for an earlier tea house that unfortunately burned to the ground in 1969. This early tea house has an interesting and fascinating history.

In 1888 a young Swedish woman named Ida Trotzig moved to Japan to live with her newly wedded husband who was a Swedish businessman in Kobe. She stayed for more than 30 years, studied Japanese culture and wrote a book on tea ceremony that was published in Sweden in 1911. She studied for many years with the Omotesenke School of tea.

After publishing her book on tea ceremony she decided to take up ikebana studies and was accepted, probably as the first European, by the Misho school in Kyoto. When she died in 1943, a manusrcipt for a book on ikeabana dating from the 1920s was discovered. She was especially interested in the symbolism and culture of arranging flowers, and the book that was finally published in Swedish in 1990 gives a good insight into ikebana theaching in the early 1900s.

Through the eyes of a westerner, Trotzig experiences the magic of an ikebana exhibition held in the spring of 1915, at Saga Gosho in the old temple Daikaku-ji. At first, she writes, the many traditional flower arrangments that were being prepared in front of her eyes looked the same. Only when she looked closer, the many details made each of the arrangemnets uniqe and special.

Trotzig studied thoroughly and got the highest degree of the Misho school that was open to women at this time. Only men could reach the highest levels and the tradition was treated as secret teachings thought trough the different steps.

To Ida Trotzig there was an obvious and close relation between the arranging of flowers and the practice of tea ceremony. After moving back to Sweden she became a driving force behind the building of a the first teahouse in Europe. This was the first Zui-Ki-Tei in the garden of The Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, inaugurated in 1935.

Books:

Ida Trotzig: Japansk blomsterkonst, bokförlaget Signum 1990, ISBN 91-87896-04-4

Gaby Stenberg: Ida Trotzig, min mormor, Japanpionjären, Ellerströms förlag 2009, ISBN 9172472162

Leftover Sunbeams

2010-09-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

It's kind of chilly outside. Still, if you are lucky enough to get in the way of a sunbeam you'll feel the warmth. It's almost like leftovers from the hot summer days.

I had some Sunflowers that I used in the ikebana class, and decided to let them light up my dinner table to remind me to make the most out of the sunny moments.

Floating ishu-ike (one material only) arrangement with Sunflowers in a triangular container.

Earthy Colours

2010-09-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Summer is over and I'm taking up my ikebana studies again. Early autumn with clear air, a lot of moist, and if you are lucky - bright autumn sun. In ikebana autumn arrangements are meant to bring out the thoughtfulness and the beauty of sadness.

The trees have only just started getting their red and yellow colours so it's a bit early for poetry about falling leaves. Even so, and so that I don't forget, I'm posting an autumn poem by the great Chinese poet Li Bai. Enjoy it now or save it for later:

The autumn air is clear,

The autumn moon is bright.

Fallen leaves gather and scatter,

the jackdaw perches and starts anew.

We think of each other- when will we meet?

This hour, this night, my feelings are hard.

Sunflower, Daylily leaves and dried Tansy in a yellow vase.

Autumn is also about the energy of colours. Yellow brings joy and optimism. Brown brings safety and grounding. In these two arrangements the starting point is the colour of the container, reinforced by the plant materials. The container is always as important as the flowers in ikebana. Focusing on the colour of the container is one of the lessons taught by the Sogetsu school to help creating a harmonious arrangement.

Sunflower, dried Tansy and Daylily leaves in a brownish ceramic container.

A Moment - Michiko Takahashi Nilsen

2010-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

If you are in Oslo this September you should definitely take time to visit Kunsthåndverkerne i Kongens gate, an artist-run gallery for exhibition and sale of arts and crafts in the center of Oslo. This months exhibition features ceramics by the Japanese born artist Michiko Takahashi Nilsen.

Takahashi Nilsen lives and works in the north of Norway. "My wish is that the contrasts should meet in an interaction, and that the result of flame and ash in the shape, colour and texture will be reminiscent of the organic nature", she says. I love her wood fired ceramic bowls with interesting shapes and sometimes strong yet earthy colours - a perfect challenge for ikebana arrangements.

The exhibition is called "A moment" and lasts from September 7th to October 3rd.

Ikebana Gift Basket Surprise

2010-07-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

Iemoto Akane Teshigahara visited Sydney, Australia for the celebration "50 Golden Years of Sogetsu in Australia and New Zealand" in May this year. She held a spectacular demonstration which can now be seen on YouTube, one video for each arrangement and one for the grand finale - a full scale installation with dramatic lighting.

One of the arrangements, using a bamboo basket made by the Iemoto herself, was surprisingly given away to a member of the audience. What a nice gesture. I hope the winner had strong arms since the arrangement is quite large and looks heavy.

I've also chosen a video for my blog where Akane is using the same intertwining technique as in one of my resent postings. The Weeping willow that she is using is a much lighter material than the Birch in my arrangement. Still I can't help thinking it would be fun to try making it into a large arrangement, maybe I will. Now enjoy the demonstration by the Iemoto.

Thank you Venkatesh Lyer of the "Ikebana and us" blog for information about the videos.