tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975011886057315922024-02-29T00:43:45.160+01:00The Nordic Lotus Ikebana Blognordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.comBlogger453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-36557158362923400732021-08-27T16:51:00.000+02:002021-08-27T16:51:02.973+02:00Playful Potato Sprouts<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">When coming back from my summer vacation I was surprised to find that the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond_potato" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">almond potatoes</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> left in the refrigerator had grown beautiful purple sprouts while I was away - an opportunity that can't be missed! The sprouts gives the potatoes an interesting energy, and turn them into a perfect material for a contemporary ikebana arrangement.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/51403732182" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/51403732182_90e7d4f29c.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Old almond potatoes with sprouts.</span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Ishu-ike free style mass arrangement with vegetables.</span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Ceramic vase by Sonja Gajic</span>, at <a href="https://www.veldreid.com/" target="_blank">Veldreid keramikk</a>.</i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div></div>Arranging fruit and vegetables in a morimono arrangement is an old Japanese tradition. In contemporary ikebana this traditional style has developed into a sculptural freestyle arrangement focusing on the shape, texture and color of the materials. Both in the traditional morimono and the contemporary freestyle, the fruits and vegetables can be combined with flowers to accentuate the character of the main materials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/" target="_blank">Sogetsu school</a> teaches as an important principal not to use more flowers than what is needed to make a strong composition. Many flowers have a pretty look, that can confuse the presentation of a more sculptural material.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I made two variations of the arrangement, starting with an ishu-ike (using one material only) with the potatoes grouped into a mass on one side of the vase, and the sprouts stretching towards the other side, adding movement and creating interesting lines in the composition. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/51404484196" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/51404484196_f3f163fa6b.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Old almond potatoes with sprouts, Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum).</span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Although I like the idea of letting the potatoes manage on their own, focusing on the contrast between the two different qualities of the potatoes and the sprouts, I wanted to try to add a flower that could enhance the color of the sprouts. Normally I would go for just one or two single headed flowers, like purple Dahlias or even </span>orchids, <span style="text-align: justify;">that could work as an accent to the other materials. This time I wanted to try something a bit more naturalistic. My favorite balcony herb, an </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agastache_foeniculum" target="_blank">Anise hyssop</a> <i>(Agastache foeniculum) </i></span><span style="text-align: justify;">plant with purple brushlike flowers, made a not too showy addition.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div></div></div>nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-7702584525391562392020-07-24T00:15:00.001+02:002020-07-24T00:31:26.936+02:00Hanakubari Versus Sogetsu Ikebana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/50145896732" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/50145896732_c6ce0a2b3e.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Dooryard dock (Rumex longifolius), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and Geranium (Pelargonium). </span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Porcelain vase by Brigitte </span>Schneider, <a href="http://atelier-tokibana.over-blog.com/" target="_blank">Atelier Tokibana</a>.</i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Any material can be used in contemporary ikebana. In this blog post I have used plant materials found by the roadside. Presenting everyday materials in unexpected ways, showing their inherent beauty, is central to the philosophy of ikebana. It gives you a refreshing experience of seeing the well known as though you see it for the first time.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKfKzqIkp8Ymhb6shLUpBE9P0WgAeXqJV1SGttc4iNW6ge-kFcgqW8I5QdDGbWNNdPwuI55X21N-MWPLJJHbk7_ZfbZjs83fFjaAPO_d95VXdBG8E_mFSYiZ_b-hhsvnBb_W7ajWtcZej/s2048/Dooryard+dock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dooryard dock" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKfKzqIkp8Ymhb6shLUpBE9P0WgAeXqJV1SGttc4iNW6ge-kFcgqW8I5QdDGbWNNdPwuI55X21N-MWPLJJHbk7_ZfbZjs83fFjaAPO_d95VXdBG8E_mFSYiZ_b-hhsvnBb_W7ajWtcZej/w240-h320/Dooryard+dock.jpg" title="Dooryard dock" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The back side of a leave often has a rich texture. Looking closer at the Dooryard dock I also found that the leaf edges has a beautiful curly finishing. This tiresome weed looks great when arranged to show it's best qualities. Showing the water surface in the arrangement has a cooling effect on hot summer days, and the green colour adds extra freshness.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/50145113443" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/50145113443_e639638a54.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Dooryard dock (Rumex longifolius), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) and Geranium (Pelargonium). </span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Porcelain vase by Brigitte </span>Schneider, <a href="http://atelier-tokibana.over-blog.com/" target="_blank">Atelier Tokibana</a>.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The technique I have used in this arrangement is similar to <a href="https://nordic-lotus.blogspot.com/search?q=hanakubari" target="_blank">hanakubari</a> techniques, using plant materials as visible fixture as well as main materials in the arrangement. "Hanakubari" consists of two Japanese words meaning a flower holder. It's a popular category of contemporary Japanese flower arrangement, promoted by the <a href="https://www.mamifds.co.jp/index_en.html" target="_blank">Mami flower design school</a>. In traditional ikebana the kubari is a twig used as fixture for the plant materials. The kubari fixture is not visible but keeps branches and flowers in their positions in the vase. In hanakubari flower arranging the fixture is an integrated and visible part of the design. The hanakubari kan be a twig, a leaf, or even a stone.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In <a href="https://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/" target="_blank">Sogetsu ikebana</a> the visible supporting materials would be considered a structure, that is not a fixture but rather a main feature of the arrangement. Although I'm not an expert in hanakubari technique I've made a hanakubari version of the same arrangement to explain the difference. In the hanakubari version the leaves are used as a fixture for the flowers (the materials). In the Sogetsu ikebana version the leaves are the main feature, kept in place by the knotweed stem. The red flowers works as an accent in a contrasting colour, hiding in-between the soft texture of the leaves. The flowers are used to accentuate the characteristics of the leaves.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Do you prefer the Sogetsu ikebana version or the hanakubari version? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/50145113418" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/50145113418_8336eaedb6.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Hanakubari, Dooryard dock (Rumex longifolius), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), Garden Parsnip (Pastinaca Sativa ssp. hortensis) and Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides).</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-24374007160004997082020-06-15T23:43:00.001+02:002020-06-15T23:43:09.063+02:00Fragrant Colour Study<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/50002471867" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/50002471867_ea23d54a63.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and double tulip. </span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Glass vase by <a href="https://kostaboda.co.uk/formgivare/kjell-engman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kjell Engman for Kosta Boda</a></span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Early summer brings an abundance of flowering plants to enjoy. The joy and enthusiasm results in more luscious ikebana arrangements than in other seasons. One of my favorite early summer flower is the Lilac. With it's characteristic fragrance it is a classic garden tree. The Lilac grows wild in parts of Europe. As a garden tree it survives the winter even in the mountain areas of Sweden where I grew up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the Lilac arrangements in this blog post I have worked with colour compositions, combining different shades of pale purple Lilac with deeper purple in the glass containers. In the first arrangement I have also added a very flamboyant double tulip, bringing more nuances of red into the composition. Using a broader section of the colour wheel gives a more complex arrangement. The red also contrasts well with the green Lilac leaves since red and green are complentary colours (on opposite sides of the colour wheel). The use of complementary colours enhances the red even more and gives the arrangement a vibrant energy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYAiulw95FGlimOtoXs7JlXq5ujgTmMn_216_QgqOkwUtsmPxhTD7UxBjYFWYk5CD3irbm5mJLonbk_g58dNK6GCg1dkvDR3fcAcWgrRDZgZ3cN69FWGIn3eBjZu7QXGu47fvXi1Nr3Vi/s774/complementarycolours.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="774" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYAiulw95FGlimOtoXs7JlXq5ujgTmMn_216_QgqOkwUtsmPxhTD7UxBjYFWYk5CD3irbm5mJLonbk_g58dNK6GCg1dkvDR3fcAcWgrRDZgZ3cN69FWGIn3eBjZu7QXGu47fvXi1Nr3Vi/s320/complementarycolours.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this second arrangement I have used some left over branches for a more simplified and calming arrangement, using a more reduced section of the colour wheel and leaving out the contrast of complimentary colours. This arrangement instead makes use of water surface to deepen the sense of colour and add freshness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/50002214121" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/50002214121_acc968ef2c.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) </span></i></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Swedish glass bowl</span></i><br /></div></div></div></div>
<br />The season for Lilac is short when the warm weather is exploding. It's already over for this time. Flowering trees truly is a joy of the moment, helping us stop up and enjoy life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGviuWltkxTdLOpGAMJ9fP9pzmMNAei8nYPiTshwhOv32amTmZJ91u4L_w1UYms2EpqDINeVwMxybe3DQlwYonTeXImsvaTg-6ek3pY0wsmmqaRBpqzxBjlQtWDWHuaQqcC7bH8PQek4a-/s2048/IMG_1822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGviuWltkxTdLOpGAMJ9fP9pzmMNAei8nYPiTshwhOv32amTmZJ91u4L_w1UYms2EpqDINeVwMxybe3DQlwYonTeXImsvaTg-6ek3pY0wsmmqaRBpqzxBjlQtWDWHuaQqcC7bH8PQek4a-/s320/IMG_1822.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgr0wzY_mdj5OM5Cm1MCA-vNBMSkXcWML6DtwWUmYPhWydvacOwfkL0iJ9I4k-x-2zZTmnSQv3aaVlefcRU1Su90Zf-zMDcUzUv1SkXYoEkxtAcuJObISWCsouzP8PCqGV-gKOFh1DVCE/s2048/IMG_7488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgr0wzY_mdj5OM5Cm1MCA-vNBMSkXcWML6DtwWUmYPhWydvacOwfkL0iJ9I4k-x-2zZTmnSQv3aaVlefcRU1Su90Zf-zMDcUzUv1SkXYoEkxtAcuJObISWCsouzP8PCqGV-gKOFh1DVCE/s320/IMG_7488.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-87467607273031523202020-05-24T16:35:00.001+02:002020-05-24T16:47:01.098+02:00Mother and Child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/49930250881" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/49930250881_2cf6cee7b5.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Bridal Wreath Spirea (Spiraea arguta)</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Vintage ikebana vase</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The vase or container is always an important and integrated part of an ikebana arrangement. Almost anything can be used as a container, but some vases are especially designed for ikebana use. In the 1950s and 1960s the modern ikebana schools started designing freestyle containers with striking shapes. Today these containers are appreciated again as they go very well with midcentury modern designs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%8Dfu_Teshigahara" target="_blank">Sofu Teshigahara</a>, founder of the <a href="https://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/" target="_blank">Sogetsu school</a> of ikebana was inspired by the new contemporary art movement in Europe after WWII. This biomorph vase designed by Sofu was named "Komochi" (子持) meaning Mother with Child. A soft egg shaped form is repeated in a smaller offshoot with identical shape, forming an organic vessel with two openings. The glaze is a pale grayish blue. I've also seen this vase with a black glaze, and also with two twin offshoots from the larger egg shape making it a vase with three openings.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID6q5HP7iq1iB654ii6f9TXW_h6rhekijGlvjL94oD1tcsgEp26j_c6LvrSAMt8LgE8rJbJliLI9w_mSvbq6NoLkR6oPiuZake3tq2W-8lKJCZQZCVbkzle-P1bq3dFviZNX1RO7heWd3/s1600/Kanon+and+child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID6q5HP7iq1iB654ii6f9TXW_h6rhekijGlvjL94oD1tcsgEp26j_c6LvrSAMt8LgE8rJbJliLI9w_mSvbq6NoLkR6oPiuZake3tq2W-8lKJCZQZCVbkzle-P1bq3dFviZNX1RO7heWd3/s320/Kanon+and+child.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Kosodate Kannon", Kanon and child.<br />
Image credit <a href="https://art.thewalters.org/detail/15457/kannon-and-child/" target="_blank">The Walters Art Museum</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mother and child is an iconic motive with strong connotations to religious art. Kannon, the Japanese bodhisattva of love and compassion, is sometimes depicted with a baby boy either in her arms or beside her. She also appeares as a goddess delivering babies to women praying for a child. The Madonna with child is very prevalent in Christian iconography, divided into many traditional subtypes. A medieval sculpture in a church from my home region in Sweden made a strong impact on me as a child. The sculpture depicts St. Anna with her daughter Virgin Mary on her lap, holding the child Jesus. The mother and child motive has relevance to us all on a personal level. We are never done with the love and tension between generations.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAVyj_T5ZIE9z2jlSPF91VsW4Ri6sDGmgly3j8Lb4iHQ-Y8wh5J0fVLPysrIXSUPbcN2DJnB2Ak2dzS6CObEdDj6MxSduRRdJ8SRV_DVa0OdSS-UPMDqII4Be_no49ClXRUhvIaIvlURu/s1600/Anna+sja%25CC%2588lv+tredje.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAVyj_T5ZIE9z2jlSPF91VsW4Ri6sDGmgly3j8Lb4iHQ-Y8wh5J0fVLPysrIXSUPbcN2DJnB2Ak2dzS6CObEdDj6MxSduRRdJ8SRV_DVa0OdSS-UPMDqII4Be_no49ClXRUhvIaIvlURu/s320/Anna+sja%25CC%2588lv+tredje.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Anna själv tredje", Mattmar church, Sweden.<br />
<a href="http://medeltidbild.historiska.se/medeltidbild/visa/foremal.asp?objektid=900603S4" target="_blank">Image credit: Lennart Karlsson/Historiska Museet.</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
In my ikebana arrangement mother and child are covered in a cloud of white Spirea flowers, reflecting the floating moment when the foliage starts to beak in spring. I made this ikebana for Mothers day but haven't had time to post it until now.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-62633467305400674372020-04-18T16:04:00.000+02:002020-05-23T20:22:43.722+02:00Peaceful Joy - Hanami series 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/49769838973" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/49769838973_aff7f9930a.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), bamboo vase</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Naturalistic freestyle</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Traditional ikebana often combines one "tree material" and one "grass material". Tree materials are mostly branches, while grass materials are flowers and other plants growing from the ground. Combining the two kinds of plant material brings out their character since they are contrasting each other. As an exception to this rule blossoming branches are often arranged on their own as a single material arrangement, <i>ishu-ike </i>in Japanese.<br />
<br />
This sour cherry has small white single flowers reflecting the light. Seeing blossoming trees always fills me with peaceful joy. The flowers are delicate and full of energy at the same time. Naked branches with gentle slanting movements.<br />
<br />
To stay with the character of these branches I decided to arrange them in a naturalistic freestyle based on the basic slanting style. This is a style that invites us to experience that heaven is not only over us, but also all around us.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>When you feel a peaceful joy, that's when you are near truth.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rumi</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-13906430776429404752020-04-11T19:18:00.000+02:002020-04-11T19:18:59.107+02:00The Energy of Spring - Hanami series 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/49760777657" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/65535/49760777657_7ef478fdc1_z.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Flowering cherry (Prunus ’Accolade’)</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Bamboo shaped porcelain vase</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Freestyle Nageire Sakura theme</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each season has its own energy. When buds on trees and flowers open a vigorous force is released. It is a time for inspired action. This is beautifully expressed in a quote by the Irish poet John O'Donohue: <i>When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere</i>. In contemporary ikebana the energy of spring is often expressed by the use of curved lines.<br />
<br />
In this ikebana arrangement in a tall nageire vase, spring winds are allowed free expression in a composition of beech branches with buds. These curved lines are combined with a branch of Accolade flowering cherry, representing the calm epicenter of circular winds. What I wanted to catch in this design is the overwhelming experience of being in the here and now of a unique moment, expressed in the Japanese saying "Ichigo-Ichie" - an encounter that happens only once in a lifetime.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>What a strange thing!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>to be alive</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>beneath cherry blossoms.</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kobayashi Issa</div>
<br />
There are many kinds of cherry trees. The one used in this ikebana is Accolade cherry, a dreamy hybrid cherry with semi-double pink flowers that open from darker buds. It's one of the first cherries in bloom in the springtime.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-38180449234496495262016-07-14T21:23:00.001+02:002016-08-30T08:51:23.487+02:00Demo in Oslo Botanical Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/28190901505" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8866/28190901505_7423050568.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Demonstrating naturally curved lines of Flowering onions, Allium.</span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.nhm.uio.no/english/visiting/botanical-garden/" target="_blank">Oslo botanical garden</a> is one of the most beautiful parks of Oslo. I know the park quite well from guiding groups as a volunteer a few times every summer. The huge collection og plants collected from different parts of the world makes it an interesting place for a stroll. Changing with the seasons it is different every time I visit.<br />
<br />
Some weeks ago I gave an ikebana demonstration in the park as part of the annual plant market day. The old maner house, which is probably the oldest still standing timber building of Oslo, gave the event a dignified historic setting.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/27575453383" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8636/27575453383_cee19c5e98.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata), paper fortune tellers, </span></i><i><span style="text-align: justify;">bamboo stick</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Freestyle Nageire with ornamental flowers</span></i><br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the attractions of the garden this time of the year is the ornamental <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidia_involucrata" target="_blank">Handkerchief or Dove tree</a>. This interesting tree with large white "flowers" hanging like handkerchiefs in the wind, was discovered in China by plant hunters in the late 1800s and brought to European parks as a fashionable novelty. I asked permission to cut a small branch at the back of the tree and decided to try it out in an abstract style nageire freestyle with paper fortune tellers as a complementing material. I've never seen Handkerchief tree in an ikebana arrangement, so it might be a first!<br />
<div>
<br />
The theme of the demonstration was blooming tree branches and the joy of lavish spring flowers. In addition to fruit trees like Crab apple and Japanese quince, I also used other flowers with springtime connotations. Wisteria flowers always reminds me of the hair ornaments of the Maiko dancing the <a href="http://www.miyako-odori.jp/english/" target="_blank">Miyako Odori</a> spring dance, that I once saw in Kyoto. Wisteria is not very commonly grown in Norway, but they are to be seen in the Botanical garden. Peonies are often used to signalize spring in ikebana. They are also symbolizing spring season in Chinese and Japanese poetry and paintings. Peonies can be difficult to arrange since the flowers are usually big and heavy. Luckily I found a style of European peony with unusually small flowers that where a good size for a traditional slanting moribana arrangement.</div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtlHTin51OYoYi3Pi_HnBVyhmQsuxIGg-D-QHL8hz5HX4eyJRTvsWHe-HExOBWrwTM-uvstbnLMtYW1kSnHqINjDTB1O95OFByLEj3SJ5WTV4p89TR62TeasGpf6-VzIcEcFe2JSWcvlN/s1600/Klosterpion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPtlHTin51OYoYi3Pi_HnBVyhmQsuxIGg-D-QHL8hz5HX4eyJRTvsWHe-HExOBWrwTM-uvstbnLMtYW1kSnHqINjDTB1O95OFByLEj3SJ5WTV4p89TR62TeasGpf6-VzIcEcFe2JSWcvlN/s320/Klosterpion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>European peony (Paeonia officinalis)</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEVn5hqQixRa_PTSIDUZkPDRx2kGe7JtwYfXwQssPR6CEsGlGO8IQMpXUebI2YpXbUp7fBEpHMvoj3pCFgx9jcQMHXBrT-SvfZr-cPMFWVZW9CaOH3PEwWb3HscBXab3AFerOjONFpga1/s1600/Wisteria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEVn5hqQixRa_PTSIDUZkPDRx2kGe7JtwYfXwQssPR6CEsGlGO8IQMpXUebI2YpXbUp7fBEpHMvoj3pCFgx9jcQMHXBrT-SvfZr-cPMFWVZW9CaOH3PEwWb3HscBXab3AFerOjONFpga1/s320/Wisteria.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Wisteria sinensis</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-7834882158541005362016-06-13T00:21:00.002+02:002016-06-13T00:23:37.727+02:00Stockholm: Bonsai & Ikebana - Living art of Japan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHx0MDh-QtngPbfz_YTR8lproQZBf1K67ka3_-ZGkHes-Xg9XIbV6Bbq74hvaAlv9t_tszf22bhYqtt5nMLTomenrwnE5QHJQEULE0vwmM6HqbFuLwhyphenhyphenXIVZv8dwCU-3_wmiEagXwofgJz/s1600/bonsai_ostasiatiska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHx0MDh-QtngPbfz_YTR8lproQZBf1K67ka3_-ZGkHes-Xg9XIbV6Bbq74hvaAlv9t_tszf22bhYqtt5nMLTomenrwnE5QHJQEULE0vwmM6HqbFuLwhyphenhyphenXIVZv8dwCU-3_wmiEagXwofgJz/s400/bonsai_ostasiatiska.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you're in Stockholm this summer, don't miss out on the exhibition Bonsai and Ikebana - Living art of Japan, at <a href="http://www.varldskulturmuseerna.se/en/ostasiatiskamuseet/exhibitions/future-exhibitions/bonsai-ikebana/" target="_blank">Östasiatiska museet</a> in Stockholm.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Get inspired by the growing power and aesthetics of living art from Japan. From June 17 encounter an evocative installation of ceramics, tools and the philosophy behind. From August 20, the exhibition is filled with Bonsai and Ikebana. See new arrangements emerge every Saturday at 13!
Bonsai is the art of growing and shaping trees in containers. The art form arrived in Japan from China, where it is called penjing, meaning "potted scenery", or penzai, meaning "potted plant".
Ikebana is the Japanese word for the art of arranging living flowers in different types of receptacles. Every part of the arrangement is significant. The emphasis on asymmetry and the void between the parts are fundamental.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In addition to the ikebana live sessions on Saturdays in August and September, there will also be ikebana demonstrations, an ikebana workshop for kids with teachers from the Sogetsu school, and an ikebana program for adults with the Ichiyo school.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The exhibition will run from 17 june to 2 October 2016. The ikebana related programs starts late August.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn6eMi7ZctEHIi9scwcbSQjxQj5a2KiaXPyljGFjaDHTf-OXLD1p2o3Ylwln1N1CTAuBE8v-NCXNeibh78ZSvFpb0hrHHWyxrbDyHTNowkx2eJS_m6bY2XRz1CuYMR8aRXZTw5Ylgh8KS/s1600/vernissage_bonsaiikebana_small-kopi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn6eMi7ZctEHIi9scwcbSQjxQj5a2KiaXPyljGFjaDHTf-OXLD1p2o3Ylwln1N1CTAuBE8v-NCXNeibh78ZSvFpb0hrHHWyxrbDyHTNowkx2eJS_m6bY2XRz1CuYMR8aRXZTw5Ylgh8KS/s400/vernissage_bonsaiikebana_small-kopi.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-16901932895555140972016-06-10T00:25:00.002+02:002016-06-11T13:45:49.174+02:00Back From the Tea Room<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/26959865613" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7310/26959865613_9fb21f5e3c.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Todays </span>chabana</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Spirea, grass, Meadow buttercup (Ranunculus across), Oxeye (Leucanthemum vulgar)</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Bamboo basket</span></i></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been a year long break from blogging. Amongst other things I've been concentrating on tea ceremony studies. Now I'm finally back from the tea room with renewed inspiration.<br />
<br />
Tea ceremony, <i>Chanoyu</i>, and ikebana have many things in common. Both are considered contemplative art forms with long traditions in the history of Japan. Both have been highly influenced by zen philosophy. Both are meditative practices, appreciated and enjoyed around the world.<br />
<br />
A special style of flower arrangement called <i>Chabana</i> is used in the tea room to integrate nature and the seasons into the tea gathering. While tea practitioners tends to emphasize the differences between ikebana and chabana, ikebana practitioners usually considers chabana to be a special style or category of ikebana.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/26959865833" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7400/26959865833_7013ee1e4a.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Chabana is truly an art of the moment. A chabana arrangement is spontaneous and natural. Ideally the flowers are harvested around the tea house right before the tea gathering. This gives the flowers a fresh and local quality. Delicate flowers that last only until the tea ceremony is over are preferred, at least in theory.<br />
<br />
I found the flowers for todays chabana outside the tea room of my teacher Marius Frøisland. Some of the buttercups didn't soak water too well and started hanging their heads as the class came to an end. Quite ideal from a chabana point of view.<br />
<br />
Marius is an experienced tea practitioner and runs the blog <a href="http://blog.chado.no/" target="_blank">Chado - Musing in the pine</a> and the podcast <a href="http://tealife.audio/" target="_blank">Tea life audio</a>. The podcast also has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tealife.audio" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/26959865373" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7442/26959865373_64813c34b0.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-28976418530475504632015-06-07T23:06:00.001+02:002015-06-11T18:55:05.709+02:00Curved Lines, Dried Materials<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18388943179" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/454/18388943179_a151d551dc.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Nageire, curved lines, dried and fresh materials.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Midelino sticks, jute fibre textile</span></i><i><span style="text-align: justify;">, Carnations.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm following up my last blog post, about arrangements to be viewed from all angels, with a somewhat similar design using dried materials instead of fresh branches.<br />
<br />
This is a smaller sized arrangement with a more abstract <a href="http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/">Sogetsu ikebana</a> look. My teacher suggested trying out working with Midelino sticks and pieces of fibre textile in a design with curved lines, and this was the result.<br />
<br />
Midelino sticks is a flower design product made from rattan. It is without glaze and is very flexible, so it can be bent into many different shapes. If you cut the end pointed and use a sharp object to make a small hole somewhere on the stick you can fix the end of the stick quite firmly in this hole.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-78862664498343709202015-06-03T23:48:00.000+02:002015-06-03T23:48:15.972+02:00Four Faces<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18433639325" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7735/18433639325_8a42a13c3d.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Linden tree, Hyacinth and Statice.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">To be viewed from all angles.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Every flower has a face. One of the surprising things I discovered when starting doing ikebana is how much differens it makes if you make the mistake of placing a flower so that it is looking down instead of letting it face the sun. It you hold a flower diagonally in your hand and turn the stem with your fingers you will see what I mean. It may look symmetrical and even, but it is not - it has a face.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Traditionally, ikebana arrangements that are placed in the tokonoma alcove, are designed to face the viewer sitting in front of it. Contemporary ikebana can often be seen from all angles and can be placed in the middle of a room.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18429437802" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7742/18429437802_3ba526b5e3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Making an arrangement so that it can be seen from all angles is an important exercise in <a href="http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/">Sogetsu ikebana</a>. When walking around the arrangment the shape will change more than you expect. The asymmetric design makes it look very different depending on the angle you're watching from. But there should always be some material facing you no matter where you stand. That's why these arrangements are sometimes named arrangements with four faces.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18407213066" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/542/18407213066_bd434d040d.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18407213366" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7750/18407213366_dc2caac949.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-31329614135640612612015-05-30T17:51:00.002+02:002015-05-30T18:56:20.900+02:00Veggie Revolt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18261838782" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8844/18261838782_e154548c9c.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Freestyle with vegetables.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Rhubarb, dudhi gourd, turnip, potatoes.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Freestyle arrangements with fruit and vegetables is a popular style of <a href="http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/">Sogetsu ikebana</a>. The idea is to make use of the shape, colour and texture of the fruit, when composing a modern, sculptural arrangement. It can be an arrangement with fruits only, or a combination of fruits, leaves and flowers.<br />
<br />
This freestyle arrangement is a further development of the more traditional morimono style, which in the Sogetsu school is a basic style arrangement on a tray, with fruits or vegetables, roots and flowers, representing the shin, soe and hikae elements.<br />
<br />
While fruit offerings have a long history, both in traditional Japanese culture and in Buddhism, the first morimono style ikebana appeared in the mid 18th century, as part of the <i>litterati</i> or <i>bunjin </i>movement. Japanese literati style was inspired by the Chinese, but since Japan was cut of from the outside world in this time, the influences were sparse and the Japanese bunjin came to develop a style of their own.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-WhMDYdqB7rNOuvnvw7dTMYjiqPtNmhO-IshIiRg8DGRsob3IPQPCuElczPBovSD8XUQxxNsnrClyDe7KUu5Y8q_gNcN180nIr3tejS6kHKmDMrFmkZgIcxQnfiH0d0DRIuOpKadeRIM/s1600/Yanagisawa+Kien+Images+of+January+May+September+1750s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-WhMDYdqB7rNOuvnvw7dTMYjiqPtNmhO-IshIiRg8DGRsob3IPQPCuElczPBovSD8XUQxxNsnrClyDe7KUu5Y8q_gNcN180nIr3tejS6kHKmDMrFmkZgIcxQnfiH0d0DRIuOpKadeRIM/s400/Yanagisawa+Kien+Images+of+January+May+September+1750s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Yanagisawa Kien, Images of January, May and September.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Hanging scrolls, 1750s.</i></div>
<br />
The bunjin movement was a revolt against orthodoxy, with its increasing focus on techniques and details. Idealizing the sensibilities of Chinese scholars and painters, the intellectuals preferred a more informal, personal expression. The intellectual, or literati, should ideally be a master of all the core traditional arts - painting, calligraphy, and poetry. Mastering flower arrangement was also in their portfolio. Seeing themselves as renewers of Japanese culture, they developed a category of new freestyle arrangements that are known as bunjin-ike or bujinbana.<br />
<br />
Being an informal style, bunjinbana is similar to nageire and to some extent to chabana, but it has a stronger focus on the beauty of the plant materials and a freer approach to form and combination of flowers and vase. While chabana breathes the austerity of the tea house, the bunjinbana expresses the taste of bunjin, the man of literature. It is characterized by personal expression, unorthodoxy, a casual character, and a new richness of color and literary nuance adopted from the Chinese art. Today the <a href="http://www.ohararyu.or.jp/english/form_bunjin.html">Ohara school</a> is the strongest exponent of bunjin style ikebana.<br />
<br />
The morimono style of the bunjin consisted of vegetables, flowers, fruits, sometimes roots, especially from Lotus plants, or rocks, placed on a plate, a basket, or even specially made dishes formed as banana leaves. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanga_(Japanese_painting)">bunjinga </a>painter Yanagisawa Kien (1703-1758) is especially well known for his paintings of arrangements with fruits, that has served as models for morimono.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP6OxC8TPKgiWQfcZHzftLq1u0wD9_xEktxS6NU0OyKAxwWdLvuWkQoVqF4nGmkUWVDN9DL9CnrMsnWyB2vsQ3wp1QlksTjkRHRckBFzD1nI6kjSlqaUQeKxnwKSs0VParaIVuBK61C6D/s1600/Yanagisawa+Kien.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP6OxC8TPKgiWQfcZHzftLq1u0wD9_xEktxS6NU0OyKAxwWdLvuWkQoVqF4nGmkUWVDN9DL9CnrMsnWyB2vsQ3wp1QlksTjkRHRckBFzD1nI6kjSlqaUQeKxnwKSs0VParaIVuBK61C6D/s400/Yanagisawa+Kien.tiff" width="262" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Yanagisawa Kien, Orchid and Pears.</i><br />
<i>Hanging scroll, painted silk, H. 57.6 cm, W. 37.9 cm.</i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-83152583569406754572015-05-25T02:02:00.001+02:002015-05-25T02:04:58.710+02:00Masses - Naturalistic and Abstract<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/18059361155" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8808/18059361155_0f4d49e431.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Mass, moribana, abstract freestyle.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Roses, Carnations, Pine.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Grouping materials together to form masses is one of the most commonly used design elements in contemporary ikebana. Masses can work as a contrast to lines and to open spaces. They also add weight to an arrangement, and works as a focus point that makes the over all impression peaceful.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When masses are used in abstract arrangements, it is crucial to arrange the materials in a distinct form. In <a href="http://www.sogetsu.or.jp/e/">Sogetsu ikebana</a> masses are kept in geometrical forms, like circles, ovals or squares. This gives a contemporary look, and if you are successful a rather dramatic effect.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17873117489" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7765/17873117489_309bbdef72.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Mass and line, nageire, naturalistic freestyle.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Apple branch, Roses, Carnations.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-85903373311329098752015-05-20T00:22:00.001+02:002015-05-25T02:04:09.575+02:00Sakura Poetry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17251494004" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5464/17251494004_3858c51b8a.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sweet cherry, Statice, Pine.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no. 1, upright nageire.</span></i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
click-clack</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
go the wooden clogs...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cherry blossoms!<br />
<br />
.からからと下駄をならして桜哉<br />
kara-kara to geta wo narashite sakura kana</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Haiku by Issa 1811</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Translation by David G. Lanoue, <a href="http://haikuguy.com/">haikuguy.com</a>)</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17251492244" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5465/17251492244_779f3dfa7f.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sweet cherry, Hyacinth, Plastic, Pine</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Freestyle Kabuwake with unconventional materials.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-78291015844210185092015-05-13T01:56:00.000+02:002015-05-15T00:47:37.836+02:00Hanakubari Workshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The last weekend Ikebana International Oslo Chapter organized a two days workshop on Hanakubari techniques. We were lucky to have Yasuko Oki to teach us, and the workshop was quickly filled up with 21 participants from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Yasuko worked for several years as a teacher, designer and manager at <a href="http://www.mamifds.co.jp/">Mami flower design school</a> while she still lived in Japan. Now she is a florist based in Oslo and runs her own courses.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_irnGYEHoDbtrCTUuZRqam76TIXRwUxj95R8ne7YK18kgIRrXu-m7XgpnXvfjMASH2HlatD4bDpMX9ji1FFTClCnIDVymLWEnI7eiJY8mPkxfEYnDtVpeEtnB_GIoTYE4LtlbZ_BnDrP/s1600/201505+Workshop+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_irnGYEHoDbtrCTUuZRqam76TIXRwUxj95R8ne7YK18kgIRrXu-m7XgpnXvfjMASH2HlatD4bDpMX9ji1FFTClCnIDVymLWEnI7eiJY8mPkxfEYnDtVpeEtnB_GIoTYE4LtlbZ_BnDrP/s400/201505+Workshop+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Every ikebana practitioner knows what a kubari is - the sticks we put in vases to fix branches and flowers in position. The kubari sometimes peeks out over the rim of the vase, but it is always carefully hidden with plant materials.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hanakubari is contemporary flower design techniques, pioneered by the Japanese flower artist <a href="http://www.keitakawasaki.net/index.html">Keita Kawasaki</a>. The idea is to let the kubari out of the darkness of the vase, and give it a more prominent place as a visible structure to support flowers. The Mami flower design school has developed innovative techniques for using branches, twigs, leaves, fruits and stones for this purpose.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKjKy0Ao8eQ-tCqxXw6Be_6XNL9nU31SRZlTnyRC_3DOJ4JIBGmupx5LYcgSy-N43onpaMecKEBxHphs3lozsg3p61pX9M3qSvA8uOvtDdD6RBd5LudOj2han-bTCfYNmuQ8Frsedhm_o/s1600/201505+Workshop+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKjKy0Ao8eQ-tCqxXw6Be_6XNL9nU31SRZlTnyRC_3DOJ4JIBGmupx5LYcgSy-N43onpaMecKEBxHphs3lozsg3p61pX9M3qSvA8uOvtDdD6RBd5LudOj2han-bTCfYNmuQ8Frsedhm_o/s400/201505+Workshop+05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Yasuko Oki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We all had a great time trying out different techniques at the workshop. These are some of the arrangements I made using twigs, branches and leaves.</div>
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17549534436" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7657/17549534436_8f85a678a5.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17389553399" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8692/17389553399_1463f3fd52.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Using branches as kubari.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sorbus branches, Trachelium and Fritillaria.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17549533586" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5338/17549533586_f38211db52.jpg" /></a><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Clipping technique.</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Bird cherry (Prunus padus), Bellflower and Larkspur.</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i>
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17575894075" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5336/17575894075_cb3947a462.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17388303450" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8888/17388303450_35585ca368.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Wreath technique.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Phormium leaves, twigs, Hypericum berries, Allium and Chrysanthemum.</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17388302960" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7707/17388302960_f12b9be5fc.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16955547483" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/16955547483_da1a729e9f.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Using leaves as kubari.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Branch, Massed Salal leaves, Trachelium and Veronica.</span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="padding: 3px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17575814241" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5452/17575814241_681afbbd14.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17388080318" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7699/17388080318_0dd6795556.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Floating technique.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Horsetail (Equisetum) and Larkspur.</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-62240001478298019052015-05-08T00:37:00.001+02:002015-05-08T00:37:46.403+02:00The Last Sweet Cherry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17385606606" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7778/17385606606_3315ab0d43.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sweet cherry and Carnations</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no. 4, slanting moribana.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are many kinds of cherry trees. The Japanese count well over 300 different kinds of <i>Sakura</i> including wild ones and cultivars.<br />
<br />
The cherry blossoms are said to remind us about the realities of human life. It can be beautiful in the moment, but it lasts for a short time only. That's why Sakura blossoming is associated with both beauty and melancholy. The tradition of gathering for parties under the cherry trees, in it's deepest sense is about enjoying life while it lasts.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_avium">sweet cherry</a> grows wild in some parts of Scandinavia. It is also a sturdy garden tree. It blossoms a bit later than its more fancy and delicate sisters. Sweet cherry plays the leading part in these two ikebana arrangements. The first is evoking the abundance of blossoms on a tree at its peek, the second one alludes the melancholy of Sakura. This last arrangement is an exercise in disassembling the material as rearranging it so as to highlight the beauty of every part of the branches.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17204163217" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7794/17204163217_e0f10e00cf.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Sweet cherry</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Ishu-ike, Disassembling and rearranging materials.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-843138333358171052015-05-02T10:54:00.002+02:002015-05-02T10:55:30.245+02:00Crossing the Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17143545670" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7768/17143545670_852394db1f.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Forsythia, Cymbidium orchid and stones</span></i><i><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Focus on water, 'bridge arrangement'.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Water is essential for life and is also a very important element in ikebana. Water is life giving, refreshing and cooling, but also calming and creates a peaceful atmosphere.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
There are many ways of emphasizing water in ikebana. The most important thing is to never add to much plant materials, and the use the flowers to point to the transparent character of the water. Transparency is a very important quality in Japanese aesthetics.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Arrangements that form a bridge over the water are ment to evoke a poetic notion of crossing into a different world.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
To go with this bridge arrangement, I found two photos from a trip to the <a href="http://www.huntington.org/JapaneseGarden/">historic Japanese garden at The Huntington</a>, Pasadena, a year ago. Enjoy!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLm5zOm_9i2cQ3I1BjilDZPilnj98ucRha2ie3Vfp3L5npb-ABD4rA_OkqmGtEPhpfhm12Xi7bBhuMA_rZl38HQax-otQVmfmj7hw7q2diCTyGGIl0gjl2MnQw4BwHSSagjmg99RdI_Wl/s1600/Huntington01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLm5zOm_9i2cQ3I1BjilDZPilnj98ucRha2ie3Vfp3L5npb-ABD4rA_OkqmGtEPhpfhm12Xi7bBhuMA_rZl38HQax-otQVmfmj7hw7q2diCTyGGIl0gjl2MnQw4BwHSSagjmg99RdI_Wl/s1600/Huntington01.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jdjDqHUxSMRm4iMd1psfjt6CzZeVP8MKvGRhhM4-bb2ypcetZVzmOrKVWkeB97e_vHzWma1jhBHbnPpumaoRsr6dBIiiIWdIo_hmHh1XXU3uKkMW2kcit4z34nvOiHRFKOSJw9jtqWAl/s1600/Huntington04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jdjDqHUxSMRm4iMd1psfjt6CzZeVP8MKvGRhhM4-bb2ypcetZVzmOrKVWkeB97e_vHzWma1jhBHbnPpumaoRsr6dBIiiIWdIo_hmHh1XXU3uKkMW2kcit4z34nvOiHRFKOSJw9jtqWAl/s1600/Huntington04.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-45170201393185249892015-04-30T00:39:00.004+02:002015-04-30T10:40:38.527+02:00Two Groups in Two Ways<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17315461531" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7667/17315461531_a42dbff287.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Goat Willow (Salix caprea), Eustoma, Spirea.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Kabuwake freestyle.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Did you ever notice that branches of Goat Willow can have a quite strong colour? I was so surprised by the shiny yellow and red branches coming up from the base of an old tree, that had been taken down. The shape of these young branches varies from straight to slightly bent and elegantly curved.<br />
<br />
I used these branches together with some other spring materials to illustrate the difference between the basic style Variation no. 5 and Free style kabuwake. The word kabuwake, meaning 'separated groups', is used for Variation no. 5 as well. In both styles the materials are divided into to distinct groups. These kind of arrangements build on the traditions from very old Rikka arrangements, that were splitt in the middle with two shin (main) lines, or just two groups allowing water two flow in between them as a fish path.<br />
<br />
Variation no. 5 moribana kabuwake is a basic style with fixed rules for the lengths and placements of the branches. The two groups represents an arrangement that have been taken apart and divided into two parts, that are incomplete without each other. The open water surface between the two groups is the most important feature of this arrangement. The kabuwake freestyle is a freestyle arrangement that has been developed from Variation no. 5. The expression is freer and the arrangement more vertical. The open space on the water surface continues up between the branches, and creates a powerful open space full of energy.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17129679959" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8760/17129679959_84faef56ab.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Goat Willow (Salix caprea), Eustoma, Spirea.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no. 5, moribana.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-52204598938457760862015-04-25T23:50:00.003+02:002015-04-25T23:50:38.209+02:00Girl Power<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16646502274" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8801/16646502274_fac495a162.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Forsythia and Calla lily '</span></i><i><span style="text-align: justify;">Flamingo'.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Without kenzan.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The typical flowers for Girl's day, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinamatsuri">Hinamatsuri</a> on March 3rd., are pink Peach blossoms and yellow Rape flowers (Brassica napus). Pretty and humble, they are symbolizing youthful beauty and fertility. This festival is also called Momo no sekku, the Peach festival. In less traditional arrangements any pink and yellow flowers are acceptable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
In this contemporary ikebana arrangement without kenzan, I wanted to move away from the expectation of being pretty and humble and rather focus on girl power. At the flower market I found a bunch of unusual pink flamingo Calla lilies with powerful vertical lines - perfect for what I was aiming at.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-89464399468369005352015-04-22T23:05:00.003+02:002015-04-22T23:10:00.077+02:00Curved Lines in Basic Styles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17030678157" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7637/17030678157_0288f9f89c.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Alder branches, Tulips, pine</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no. 2, slanting moribana.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's fun to play with curved lines in freestyle arrangements, but the energetic curves of springtime can also be expressed in basic styles, meaning styles with rules for how to place the branches in relation to each other and the vase.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In these two examples I've used the same branches and flowers as in one of the freestyle arrangements in my last blog post. Alder branches have naturally strong curves and also a nice variation in the texture of the material.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17030678277" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8723/17030678277_09862d0a73.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Alder branches, Tulips, pine</span></i><i>.</i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no. 8, combination arrangement.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-47499709592449265722015-04-11T16:41:00.001+02:002015-04-11T16:41:13.806+02:00Lines of Springtime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/17108833161" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8773/17108833161_1935c26cd9.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Curved lines.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Linden branches, Muscari grass, Hellebore.</span></i><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
In the Spring season it is still so much easier to see the lines of tree branches, than when the leaves have sprung and the tree crowns turns into a mass of green. Emphasizing straight and curved lines is important in Sogetsu school freestyle arrangements. Curved lines in the Spring are showing the increasing energy in nature, starting with a discreet bend and erupting with full power as it is getting warmer. When straight and curved lines are combined they are arranged so that they accentuate each other.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16921929630" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8702/16921929630_4e647bf603.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Straight and curved lines.</span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Alder branches, Salix branches, Tulips, paper </span></i><i>bag.</i></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-3043052384096580992015-04-10T10:14:00.000+02:002015-04-10T10:23:16.592+02:00The 49th Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/7149284821" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7149284821_75356e674b.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Birch, Hydrangea, bamboo vases.</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
first spring morning<br />
my 49th year<br />
of blossoms<br />
<br />
Haiku by Issa, 1811<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-30049752223146480722015-04-05T09:48:00.001+02:002015-04-07T22:34:56.641+02:00Holiday Cinema - Revealing the Full Potential of Flowers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vfp_f1o9QKY" width="500"></iframe></span></i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I found a really nice ikebana video that I want to share with you. If you can spare 30 minutes of your time, it well spent in my holiday cinema.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
This video takes us to Kyoto, the old capital of Japan where traditions are handed down from generation to generation. You'll meet a nice mixture of people, all related to ikebana. At the Ikenobo school of ikebana you're welcomed by Yuki Ikenobo, headmaster designate, get a glimpse of the Ikenobo Research Institute and the remake of a huge Rikka arrangement made after a 400 years old description. You'll also meet a Kyoto pottery specializing in ikebana vases, an experienced florist visiting a client to create ikebana at a tea house, a blacksmith making ikebana scissors, and finally Ryuho Sasaoka, the young third generation headmaster of Misho-Ryu Sasaoka.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-49299626264256609322015-04-03T01:13:00.000+02:002015-04-03T10:25:30.258+02:00Happy Easter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16826431938" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7590/16826431938_71b8d308fa.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Linden branches, Daffodil, Hellebore, Thuja.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Variation no.3 (fan style) slanting moribana.</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Easter gives hope for tomorrow, as after the winter comes spring.
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6F-MRRg_I8QZ5shEnqe8AClP_tCbrBvqtbGf7GSYanaOMHZm8s4ImSQX-9nEFZJLgzfrnyC3yEpI3yrliWwGntwNBdbWcRwUsCy0euKWGm-7ZfV-h0HmtMr-yV7byk_TiW96DbUnf7Cf/s1600/happy-easter_beauty-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6F-MRRg_I8QZ5shEnqe8AClP_tCbrBvqtbGf7GSYanaOMHZm8s4ImSQX-9nEFZJLgzfrnyC3yEpI3yrliWwGntwNBdbWcRwUsCy0euKWGm-7ZfV-h0HmtMr-yV7byk_TiW96DbUnf7Cf/s1600/happy-easter_beauty-things.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-397501188605731592.post-73877351579988858932015-04-02T09:49:00.000+02:002015-04-02T09:49:57.454+02:00Guests for Easter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16378850323" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8737/16378850323_3e91265283.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Japanese Fantail Willow, mini Gerbera, Blue Thuja.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Ukibana, floating arrangement.</span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
Easter is a big holiday here in Scandinavia. It marks the beginning of spring after the long winter and is a very happy occasion. Traditionally, since it is also the end of a religious fasting period, Easter is associated with an abundance of food and a cheerfully decorated table. Yellow Daffodils and Birch branches with fresh spring leaves spreads joy and new energy.<br />
<br />
Although Easter has nothing to do with ikebana, making Easter ikebana makes sense in this special context. I've made two Sogetsu style table top arrangements designed to welcome guests to the house. In this season anything yellow will be recognized as bearers of Happy Easter greetings.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="padding: 3px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nordiclotus/16811481790" target="blank" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7601/16811481790_388e32aa11.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Japanese Fantail Willow, mini Gerbera, Taxus.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="text-align: justify;">Shikibana, spreading arrangement</span></i><i><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
nordic lotushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02888022298616927839noreply@blogger.com0