Christmas dinner table setting

Wedding of Michelle and Steve at Royal Palm Resort

Holiday Open Studio

今日一日も小さな一生涯。Today is one small lifetime.
心の藏を開くには 佛の智慧のかぎ(鍵)がいる。In order to open the storehouse/treasury (藏) of the heart, we need the key of the Buddha's wisdom.
(Translated by Dr. Anthony Chambers)

Metal containers

Hiroshima

Miyajima

Sogetsu Atelier/what is behind the scene

Teacher's Workshop at Sogetsu Headquarter, Tokyo, 11/12/2010

Sogetsu Exhibition at Nihonbashi Tagashimaya, 11/8/2010

Teacher's Workshop at Sogetsu Headquarter, Tokyo, 11/8/2010

Moonviewing Festival at Japanese Garden, 10/23/10

Unconventional materials/workshop

(1) Sandy, packing foam

(2) Linda, bricks and packaging tape

Use of unconventional materials

Unconventional materials means anything non-botanical, or anything inorganic. Sogetsu school's motto is arranging using any materials (in any situation, at any time). Book 4 lesson 11 is the fun lesson, yet, the most challenging lesson in all curriculum.
Our Sogetsu study group meets today. The theme is use of unconventional materials. I agreed to talk about it and do a short demo. It's a truly challenge.

Material: flexible straws

lotus seed pods

Found lotus seed pods at Mayesh (flower shop), but they don't have lotus leaves. This is the best I can do. Love lotus. 出污泥而不染。（Grow in the mud but not contaminated.)

ikebana study 10/2/10

(1) Hanging amaranthus

(2) Magnolia

My backyard ikebana

Mass

Safflower and Sedum

(Odd combination, but that's what left over from the class. I made the containers in summer. They were just fired last week.)

ikebana study 9/4/10

(1) Curly willow
I bought medium size curly willow last week. The top part of fine curly branches were used by students in class. The bottom thick parts were left. I try to use whatever left over from the class. Hate to just throw them away.
In this arrangement, no wires were used.

(2) Ti leaves
2 pieces of Ti leaves were left from last week also. Ti leaves were cut into pieces. 3 fine sticks were pierced through, and small wax flowers were filled in between leaves.

straight and curve lines

Materials: curly willow, umbrella grass, queen ann's lace

Make the curly willow a circular form. Some small branches are stretched out, which are perfect fine. These small branches actually extended the space for this otherwise small arrangement. The straight line slice through the circular form to establish the tension. Queen ann's lace provide the lightness of the arrangement.

Desert materials

I accidentally over watered the house cactus. Their roots start to rot. Before they collapse, I thought it's a good practice for me to use them in my ikebana study.

Avage americana (century plant)

Century plant (Agave americana) doesn't live up to 100 years. When they produce flowers, they are about to die. I just learned that from our Desert Botanic Garden. The Agave flowers I used here are from my community.

intertwine study

line, mass, & color

NZ flax (line), gypsophila (mass), dendrobium (color)

without kensan study

Spirea and lily

Men's class at Sogetsu Headquarter

I was there when they were shooting the class. They also interviewed me. But I don't speak Japanese, I was not in this video. It was fun.

See my January blogs.

simple/simplified arrangement

After Saturday's class, there were only one ti leaf and a few red dog wood branches left.
This is just a quick study. Feel like a more ikenobo way. (3 inserts were in a line, not a typical Sogetsu triangle.)

study on arrangements with one kind material

(1) Statice

(2) red dog wood