Ikebana in Desert

New Year's arrangement

2012-01-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ross, my dear friend and partner, gave me a beautiful glass bowl as a Christmas gift. This arrangement is for him.

Happy Holidays/Happy New Year

2011-12-09T12:11:00.001-08:00

My study of green moss/Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto

2011-11-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Teacher's workshop 11/12/2011

2011-11-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

Teacher's workshop at Sogetsu Headquarter
Instructor: 久保島一超

What did he say: We are used to arranging flowers in the order of shin, soe and hikae. Try it in a different way, for example, arranging hikae first. Maybe you'll find out that shin and soe (sometimes) are not necessary after all. You may feel uncomfortable at first, but worth trying.

After his lecture, I cut shin and soe in my arrangement and placed them back into container as jushi. The overall view of my arrangement became tighter, or in a more unified way.

One-Two-Step photo Shoot at the HQ

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

Before & After

Instructor: Ms. Koka Fukushima

Men's class at Sogetsu Headquarter

2011-11-04T04:56:00.001-07:00

Sensei: 淺井秀英

(1) Ping, curved and straight lines, rose hip vine and bulrush

After I arranged rose hip vines, I found that bulrush are not strong enough to compete with the curve lines if I try to mix them together. So I put bulrush together upright then bend them to the height of rose hip. I arranged bulrush pretty evenly all around.
critic: grouping bulrush not so evenly. That way, the (negative) space and rhythm are achieved.

(2) Ross, acacia, cock's comb, free style
After saw the Sogetsu Exhibition at Nihonbashi Takashimaya Department Store, he's really inspired. The teacher's critic was very gentle and encouraging. This is Ross' very first ikebana.

Lisa's ikebana hands-on

2011-10-29T21:18:00.001-07:00

Lisa is a talented floral designer (western). She's coming to the class to try out ikebana. She brought her own container. So I gave her materials to work with--Ilex berry orange (mini persimmons) and Fuji mums. The middle one was her original arrangement. She beautifully placed mums and berries. Unfortunately, from ikebana point of view, mums and berries are in the same value. So, I asked her which one, mums or berries, are more important to her. It's hard to decide, because both are beautiful. Instead, I showed her 2 scenarios. If she want to show mums, she needed to shorten the berry branches (as in top photo). If she want to emphasize berries, she need to shorten the mums. (bottom photo)

Serena's arrangement

2011-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Theme: Vertical Composition (Book3 lesson1)
Materials: Dogwood, Oak leave, Fuji mums

A beautiful vertical arrangement shows the fall color. The placement of the container was originally placed side way. I re-positioned the container so it also shows the narrow width to accentuate the vertical lines.

Mazezashi in nageire style

2011-10-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

Mazezashi (まぜざし）

2011-10-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

(1) Sandy

(2) Ping

Sandy did a good job in expressing fall using mazezashi technique. The colors are beautiful. What I did here was to loosen up the branches so the air is easy to move in and out.

ikebana study 10/8/11

2011-10-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Persimmons

2011-10-01T18:35:00.001-07:00

Happen to see persimmons at Mayesh Wholesale Florist. Though the temperature in Phoenix still reaches to 103F (about 39C) today, it's fall in the rest of the country. Bought a bunch, did 3 arrangements.

Greens only

2011-09-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Myrtle and Monstera leaf

Silver tree (new material)

2011-09-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Found silver tree branches in Mayesh Wholesale Florist. The velvety silky shimmering leaves attracted me. To emphasize the uniqueness of the silver tree, I only use queen ann's lace to support and soften the arrangement.
Two attempts are made, one with upright, the other with horizontal.

Castor beans

2011-08-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

Castor beans, flax leave

ikebana study 8/19/11

2011-08-19T14:15:00.001-07:00

Summertime, and the living is "lazy."
When I saw three coconuts on sale in a grocery store, they immediately got my attention. I love cool coconut milk. More important, I wanted the coconut shells for my ikebana study. So, when I got home, I carefully poke holes and put straw in, so I can suck the coconut milk and keep the shell intact.
My first attempt to use the shells is to use them as containers. Here is the result.

Material: bamboo split, limonium sinesis

Southwest--Utah and Arizona

2011-04-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sunny face

2011-04-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Art Museum, Arts and Flowers

2011-04-01T23:15:00.001-07:00

silk flower in ikebana way

2011-04-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

A small church needs a permanent floral display on its reception desk.

Mimosa Acacia

2011-03-25T13:10:00.001-07:00

ICM Food & Clothing Bank fund raising, 3/12/11

2011-03-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Flowers are donated by Mayesh Wholesale Florist

Branches only

2011-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Cherry blossom and forsythia
(requested by a Japanese family for their grandpa's memorial)

Matsuri Festival 2011, mini ikebana lessons

2011-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

This year, I provided mini ikebana lessons for people who showed interest in ikebana. There were total 12 people took lessons. A small number. But people who took the lessons had fun.

Matsuri Festival 2011

2011-03-04T06:37:00.001-08:00

The theme for this year's ikebana is the use of local materials, agave, palm leaves.

Workshop-- experiencing ikebana

2011-02-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Ikebana workshop for Sharon's family at Japanese Friendship Garden

Japanese Friedship Garden ikebana 2011

2011-01-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Japanese Friedship Garden, annual outdoor ikebana exhibit

2011-01-28T20:13:00.001-08:00

XO (hugs and kisses)
metal sculpture piece

Phoenix Art Museum, Ikebana 2011

2011-01-28T20:10:00.001-08:00

Materials: NZ flax leaves, anthurium
Metal container

Happy New Year

2011-01-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

The dry bird of paradise leaf has to be fixed by wire.

Christmas dinner table setting

2010-12-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Wedding of Michelle and Steve at Royal Palm Resort

2010-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

Holiday Open Studio

2010-12-06T15:18:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-26T11:16:00.001-08:00

Hiroshima

2010-11-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

Miyajima

2010-11-20T22:55:00.001-08:00

Sogetsu Atelier/what is behind the scene

2010-11-12T02:23:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-12T02:21:00.000-08:00

Sogetsu Exhibition at Nihonbashi Tagashimaya, 11/8/2010

2010-11-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T03:21:00.000-08:00

Moonviewing Festival at Japanese Garden, 10/23/10

2010-10-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

Unconventional materials/workshop

2010-10-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

(1) Sandy, packing foam

(2) Linda, bricks and packaging tape

Use of unconventional materials

2010-10-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-08T19:53:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-02T15:52:00.001-07:00

(1) Hanging amaranthus

(2) Magnolia

My backyard ikebana

2010-09-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Mass

2010-09-12T08:59:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

(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

2010-08-29T21:25:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-07-07T08:23:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

line, mass, & color

2010-06-18T13:42:00.001-07:00

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

without kensan study

2010-06-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Spirea and lily

2010-06-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

Men's class at Sogetsu Headquarter

2010-05-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

(1) Statice

(2) red dog wood

ikebana study 5/8/10

2010-05-07T13:44:00.001-07:00

(1) Metal structure

(2) application: tree root ball, bouganvilla, statice

(3) metal container, horse tail, statice

Heart Sutra

2010-05-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Very amateurish, but the practice (of copying the sutra) is all the worth. This is dedicated to Peter.

more metal stands

2010-04-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

contrast color and texture

2010-04-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Dendrobium singapore, dry ocotillo

Fresh, colorful, and delicate, vs. dry, rough, and thorny (two views)

for peter's birthday

2010-04-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Quiet strength, delicate balance

2010-04-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

purple artichoke, eucalyptous

Arizona Asian American Association event

2010-04-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the diversity--Asian Festival, 4/10, 11, Phoenix AZ
I did one arrangement for the event on stage, using only local materials.

new metal frame for ikebana

2010-04-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Material: ornithogalum arabicum white

beginner's jewelry class

2010-04-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for two years before I finally signed up a beginner's jewelry class this Spring. In the first class last week, John (the talented artist, instructor) demonstrated piercing technique. In his words, piercing is very meditative. I found out that quite so.
Meanwhile, I have been fascinated about Ronen Kadushin's open design. Last night, I did two candle holders based on his design. I loved them very much.

Gloriosa

2010-04-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

new containers

2010-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

tropical Puerto Vallarta

2010-03-24T06:33:00.001-07:00

ten virtures of ikebana (the way of flowers)

2010-03-12T13:33:00.001-08:00

Went to an ikenobo demonstration this morning, which was hosted by Ikebana of Arizona and Ikebana International, the professor talked about the 10 virtures of Ikebana. A good demonstration, I enjoyed the talk/lecture part more, though.

Ikebana Study

2010-02-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

Buddha in Todaiji/Nara

2010-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day for Peter

2010-02-06T16:35:00.001-08:00

Materials: Juniper, stock, mums

Found object--eucalyptus tree branches

2010-02-04T16:23:00.001-08:00

cross-section of tree branches
nails

title: clouds

Ikebana in Japanese Friendship Garden

2010-01-29T19:52:00.001-08:00

Ikebana in Japanese Friendship Garden is set to go Saturday and Sunday. I first post these two arrangements. More will come later.

Exquisite Kyoto dinner, 1/11/2010

2010-01-24T19:53:00.001-08:00

Theme: Welcome to Spring

Sogetsu headquarter

2010-01-19T21:24:00.001-08:00

Isono Gaho and her demo

2010-01-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

using the materials left over from holiday season

Valuable lessons from Sogetsu headquarter

2010-01-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

In my recent trip to Japan, I managed to take two classes at Sogetsu headquarter. On Jan. 8, Friday, the master instructor for man's class was Isono Gaho (五十野雅峰). It was a busy evening. There were about 13 students, and a crew of camera and news staff from Asashi Shinbun. They were taking pictures and videos, and interviewing with each students. I wish I could be on. Her comments on my arrangement was honest, right to the point. Every line serves a purpose. Depends on what you want to express, some lines are essential, some are not so good, or confusing. If one line creates confusion or distraction, it has to be removed. What a lesson I learned. That comment alone is worth $60. (Just joking.)
She is extremely patient when students have questions or technical problems. There were some beginners. She was very encouraging, and teach to the level of each student. She won't over correct to try to make the student's arrangement perfect, just to make her point acrossed. So the students will learn each lesson with something focused. I also learned a lot from the way she teaches.
On Jan. 15, the master instructor was Hinata Yoichi (日向洋一). This is not the first time I took his class. His complimentary comments make you feel good. On the other hand, he would point out the direction how you can do better. He's also very gentle, patient, and very approachable.
Man's class started from Hiroshi Teshigahara. He recognized that less men are studying ikebana. He created the program to help man cultivate the interest and creativity in ikebana. It has been kept since. I love the individual attention I can get from the man's class.

Bamboo basket

2009-12-21T15:03:00.001-08:00

(1) Recently, I bought this bamboo basket, thought it would be good for a morimono arrangement.

(2) dwarf pomegranate

(3) a cluster of small button mums would be better here.

Wood branches

2009-12-21T15:00:00.001-08:00

Same woody branches from yesterday's post.

Large scale arrangement

2009-12-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

It's not always easy to do a large scale arrangement. There are so much more space need to be filled. One of my neighbors trimmed their fig tree from their backyard. I picked up a few large branches and did this study.

I cut off small branches from main branches. The first decision to make is to use a tall or a low vase. Moribana is out of the question. The main branches are pretty heavy. I need a large container. After I set the main branches across the top of the container, the only choice I have is to make this arrangement upright. The flowers are left over from my ikebana class. This is a pretty traditional arrangement.

I may try a different arrangement with the same materials tomorrow.

52"(h)x36"(w)x32"(d)
130cm x 90cm x 80cm

Container: 14"(h)x6"(diameter)

small metal sculptures

2009-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

(1), (2) Size: 19"(h)x17"(w)x4"(d)

(3), (4) Size: 30"(h)x8"(w)x8"(d)

Another tea pot

2009-11-20T13:56:00.001-08:00

More decorative than functional, though I used it today for tea after the ikebana class in the morning.

metal sculpture

2009-11-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

After learned how to use MIG welder, the real fun starts.

Matt black finish

(1), (2): triangular form, steel wire, 16"x10"x10"

(3): V-shape container, 46"(H)

(4): repeating form, 57"(H)

Beautiful Victoria, BC

2009-11-01T13:05:00.001-08:00

Coming for tea?

2009-10-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

In memory of Peter

2009-10-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sculpture and ceramics

2009-10-09T21:10:00.001-07:00

(1) "Ascending", Wood, stain and wax finish.
My very first wood sculpture project.

(2) "Wave", ceramic, Glaze: Satin white with a light spray of pearl black. Clay: B-mix, cone 10 reduction.
Inspired by the wood project. Clay is very forgiving. If the measurement is a little off, it's easy to fix. Wood requires more precision, it's more complicated. Maybe after a few years of experience, I will gain more confidence working with wood. It's definitely fun to work with different media.
It was supposed to be a sculpture piece. But I planned to use it in ikebana, I cut two openings for nageire.

(3) My first teapot attempt. I like geometric shape.

Mixed media--Teapot

2009-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wood, paper. Size: 25"x13"x7"

Time changes. Tea is forever.

Tea is an important part of Chinese culture. Friends gather for tea (not coffee), at any location, in any situation. Visiting Chengdu, having tea in a park is a must. Having tea also takes time. There's no rush, nor urgency. Sit down, brew tea, let it cool, while you are waiting, chat with friends. Do you see the point here? Tea is not just another beverage. It's the medium for people interacting.

For centuries, teapots experienced the change of time. When you look closely, every teapot can tell an unique story.

That's the idea I had when I tried to put a finishing on a wood teapot. I used an old magazine of Chengdu to dress the teapot.

Small glasses, small arrangements

2009-09-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Slide show of basic upright nageire

2009-09-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

A step by step arrangement of basic upright nageire.
Also available on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V7d45Q6bl8

A Quick Study

2009-09-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Haven't done much in summer. When classes are back to normal schedule and everyone comes back from summer away, I hope I can do some more ikebana study myself.

The materials are left-overs from Friday's class. Two NZ flax leaves in different colors. I split one in to narrow strips. Arranged in an angular way parallel with one edge of the container.

Ryan's haiku and his calligraphy

2009-08-18T16:35:00.001-07:00

(Impression of Arizona Desert)

Tea colored sea,
Dry as bone,
Wave of sand.

Experience Chinese Calligraphy

2009-08-18T15:55:00.001-07:00

This summer has been hard on me. My life partner Peter passed away. Couple of weeks ago, our nephew, Ryan, came visit. We met the first time. He's a senior at Michigan State University, majoring in Japanese and computer science. We had a great time together. We shared our common interests in Japanese culture. We had great fun practicing calligraphy. I asked him to write a haiku, so he can write on rice paper. He did a nice job, both with haiku and calligraphy. I will post his work later. Here are my calligraphy.
The first character is "Heart". We love somebody with our hearts. We need to put our hearts in when we are doing things, such as Ikebana. From heart, we love.
The second character is "longevity". Chinese way of blessing. Longevity requires good health. Good health yields longevity. Good health requires you taking good care of yourself. I cannot say Ikebana leads to longevity. Sure it helps you to reduce daily stress and maintain good health.

ikebana study

2009-06-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Queen Palm Flower Spikes

2009-05-15T17:59:00.001-07:00

It's the time of the year when palm trees starts to produce flowers, which is usually very annoying. When their seeds drop and get rooted on the ground, they form weeds called "nut grass". I'm more interested in its form and color. It's definitely unique.

I spotted a flower spray from my queen palm this morning. I was glad I could reach it by my ladder. It looks pretty, but quite messy. A lot of pollen. It's quite heavy. So I use it in a nageire way. I just made/got this ceramic container yesterday. A quite good match. Because in this kind of arrangement, you need a good heavy container.

The size of this arrangement is 30"(Length)x20"(Height)x20"(Depth)

Showing the lines at the base

2009-05-08T21:11:00.001-07:00

Showing the lines at the base, what really happens is at the top part. When I walk around my neighborhood, I see a lot of bushes and trees are trimmed that way. So, when you pay attention what's around you, you can always get inspired.

As long as there are no leaves or small branched to distract at the base, you can arrange the stems in one bundle, or split them apart. It all depends on what material you use and their character.

Here, I use pussy willow as line materials. I thought the top part needs some green. I added two palm leaves. Asiatic lilies gave the color for focal point.

Colors of the Desert

2009-05-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

It's hard to let people believe that our desert (Arizona) is colorful. From time to time, I want to do arrangements featuring only desert materials, trying to tell the story of the colorful desert.

In late Spring and early Summer, palo verde is blooming, with mass of small yellow flowers covering the whole tree. Looking closely, you can see the tonal variations all way to brilliant orange red color spines. Bouganvilla blooms year round. It also provides the mass of magenta or bright pink color. This arrangement features palo verde and bouganvilla.