Ikebana Gallery Australia

We started a new blog for Ikebana students, Ikebana Gallery Australia. Please visit it and leave your comments. Thank you.

http://ikebanaaustralia.blogspot.com/

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From Shoso's Gallery: ABC Gardening Australia Expo 2008

Rejuvenation

In this work I have returned to the theme of light returning to the world, as in the story of Ameterasu, the Japanese Sun Goddess, who hid herself in a cave and denied the world her light, then emerged to shine her light on the world again.

After a long period of darkness, light finally begins to shine again, starting with a small gap in a dark wall, which in fact has its own beauty. As the light breaks through, the joy of light after darkness, of hope in bleak times is seen as the floor material reaches up to bathe in the light’s reflection. 

The energy of light brings bright colours to life, while the dormant world still waiting for its touch remains a pensive green. Light is not seen in this work, only the response of the natural world to its presence.

http://www.shoso.com.au
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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Shoso on TV

I talked about Ikebana and gave a quick demo for a popular morning TV show. I often use this video in my Ikebana workshop as an introduction. It's short and contains great information.                  

http://www.shoso.com.au
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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Recent Work: Party Flower

Ms Renouf asked me to make three Ikebana arrangements for her home party in July. This colourful work is a welcoming flower for her guests. Following is a wonderful comment from her.


Dear Shoso,

I meant to call earlier to tell you how DIVINE the flowers are.
You are amazing.

My guests were enthralled, particularly with the one "they will never see again " I think you will have to master it so you can do it more quickly and easily, as it is SUPERB !

Many, many thanks,
Susan

http://www.shoso.com.au 
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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The Ten Virtues of Ikebana 4

Ikebana helps us learn about many kinds of flowers and trees with very little effort. We learn their names, and we become in tune with the seasons and nature.

But you may ask “how come knowing about plants can be a virtue?” or “What kind of benefit does it give?”                        
To answer these questions, first we have to consider the definition of virtue. It is not about benefitting yourself but being of benefit to others. Just like people respect cultured people, they also respect virtuous people.                                   

These values can be seen as kinds of goals for us to achieve in our lives, although getting rich seems to be the only goal in life for many today.

However, there are some who respect those who have a great knowledge of plants. In particular, we learn how short the life of a flower is. 

This in turn, makes us realise how short our life is. We all have many attachments and desires. We hope for wealth or fame or success in our short lives. How small and meaningless those goals are!

Whether people respect your knowledge or not, you will come to realise how valuable that knowledge is. Then you will agree with the idea that learning about plants is a virtue.

This is another simple work. Three calla lilies are put together using a toothpick and a rubber band. Attach them to a short stem. Then, place the stem inside the glass container. Hide the base using a dracaena leaf.

http://www.shoso.com.au 
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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Recent Work: Wedding Flowers

Bridal Tied Posy (not wired)
Materials: Roses, Lisianthus, Queen Fabiola, Silver Suade.


Working with a bride to be is always exciting and challenging. Notice that white Queen Fabiola is creating an interesting, almost playful effect for this round bouquet. Following is the comment from the bride.

"Thanks again for the bouquets and button holes. They were beautiful and we received many positive comments about the flowers. Arigatogozaimashita!" 

http://www.shoso.com.au http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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From Shoso's Gallery: ABC Gardening Australia Expo 2009

Sprit bamboos are effective materials. Even a small number of them can create dynamic spaces and movements for a large installation like this. 


http://www.shoso.com.au 
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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From Shoso's Gallery

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 2010

After Mondrian: A Celebration

This installation was inspired by the works of the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian (1872 – 1944). Robert Hughes says of Mondrian: "All his paintings are about the disentangling of essence from attributes: the enunciation of what is central, and what peripheral, in his experience of reality."

This work is a celebration of line and colour. The central section is a formal study of how line and colour influence composition. 

I used lemons with the yellow dahlias to create a sense of depth in the solid block of colour. Similarly the varying hues of red in the apples and the peppers and the combination of the purple statice and the blue delphinium add texture and draw the eye in deeper. The seeds also make a nice contrast to the darker colour of the pods.

The outer sections move into a freeform exploration of line in nature. I wanted to contrast the sharp definition in the central section with the random way in which lines form in nature. I’ve used some recycled pink netting as a backdrop and some asparagus fern and roseberry to emphasise the beautiful shape of these branches I rescued from a hard rubbish collection in my neighbourhood.

http://www.shoso.com.au 
http://shososhimbo.blogspot.com/

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From Shoso's Gallery

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 2011
http://www.melbflowershow.com.au/
"Hakanashi" by Shoso
30 March - 3 April 2011
Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

The layers in this work allow the viewer to experience a number of different works of art by changing their point of view. Hakanashi means transient in essence and is part of a very old system of Japanese aesthetics, dating back to the 10^th century. 

All floral art is by the nature of its living materials ephemeral, but this piece is in essence a series of snapshots of transient images that last only as long as one does not move. In moving a new perception emerges. Rather than a fixed and rigid artwork, no one particular perception of this work is given precedence over any other.

http://www.shoso.com.au

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Recent work

Flower for Birthday Party
Date: 11 June 2011
Venue: Cecconi's, Melbourne
Materials: Oncidium, Cymbidium, Pansy


Following is a nice comment from my client.
"Thank you so much for the magnificent 21st flowers they completed the table beautifully. 
The colour and flower choice was beyond my expectation! "

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Recent Work

Exhibition Opening
Date: 2 July 2011

Venue: Lesley Kehoe Galleries, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne

Materials: Japonica, Molucca balm, Blushing bride


I enjoy working for this beautiful gallery using some of their wonderful containers. This is a small winter arrangement using a combination of white, pale pink and light green materials. This is the coldest time of the year but the combination of the colours brings warmth.

Lesley Kehoe Galleries

Lesley Kehoe Galleries is internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading dealers in fine and rare Japanese art. With over 25 years’ experience, the Galleries enjoy an unparalleled reputation for quality and professionalism. 

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The Ten Virtues of Ikebana 3b

The other interpretation of the third virtue of Ikebana is that flowers can give us a profound pleasure, which is beyond words. 

While flowers growing in the garden belong to the everyday worlds, cut flowers belong to a different realm. In Ikebana only cut flowers are used. As soon as they are cut, they begin to die.

Ikebana artists are trying to give eternal life to mortal objects, and in trying to do so they go through spiritual experiences. 

You may not be able to experience that depth of feeling from the start. However, many students of Ikebana soon notice that they find flowers more beautiful than ever before. This is the first step toward the appreciation of non-verbal communicative power of flowers.

In this month’s work I used stapler to fix Spanish iris leaves. I put Hydrangea flower off centre and added white Madagascar jasmine behind. 

You may notice a harmony of curbing lines, those of leaves, flowers and container. To me, the combination of green and white somehow creates an imaginative, even mysterious space.

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The Ten Virtues of Ikebana 3a

The third of the Ten Virtues of Ikebana is appreciating the non-verbal communicative power of flowers. There are two ways to interpret this. Some say that we can make friends through flowers without using any words. The other interpretation is that flowers can give us profound pleasure, which is beyond words. I’ll talk about the second aspect in the next issue and focus on the first this time.


The pleasure we find in Ikebana doesn’t need to be expressed in words. When we share this pleasure with other people, we can make friends without using words. We often feel that Ikebana works “talk about” the artist’s personality.


When I am exhibiting my works around Melbourne, many strangers start to talk to me. As I improve my skills, I hope that this will happen more and more. Having said that, I only have a few regular clients in the Japanese community, Hanabishi and Koko restaurant in the city. I’m hoping to find another client sometime soon.


The experience of making friends through flowers is rather rare, but in fact many Ikebana artists would certainly have experienced this. I personally have had a few important encounters in my Ikebana life.


Seeing works by Ms Marjorie Bromilow in Adelaide was one of them. Immediately after her exhibition I was inspired to learn Ikebana and became her student. I was very sad to hear that she passed away at the end of last year.


Seeing Hiroshi Teshigahara’s works was another instance. Making “friends” may not be the best way to describe my relationship with those teachers but in a broader sense they are friends for me.


This is a work I made for Hanabishi. The three yucca leaves stand firmly as I divided the inside of the container using a short branch. Between the leaves I inserted other materials, chrysanthemums, daisies and lilies. The form of the leaves emphasize the form of the container.

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The Ten Virtues of Ikebana 2

The second of the ten virtues of Ikebana is “selfless mind”. When we face our flowers, we are free from any concerns and we can clear our minds.


The first goal of Zen meditation is to achieve such a clear mind, free from the chattering self. This first step is often the hardest for any student of meditation. But with the help of the natural elements in their arrangements, many Ikebana students come to experience this state of mind almost without realising it.


However, the important thing is not try to understand such a meditative effect of flower but to actually experience it. If you try making some of the simple arrangements I introduce in this series, you may experience the effect instantly. On the other hand, it may take for a while for you to experience it. As for me, it took almost 6 months to experience that for the first time. Actually, learning Ikebana was initially a rather frustrating experience for me.


Even if you can not experience the clearing of your mind now, don’t give up Ikebana too soon. Surely you will experience it sometime in the near future. Then, Ikebana will be an important part of your life. Actually, many people get addicted to flowers, which is much better that getting addicted to drugs or gambling. You would never break up your family through Ikebana.


It would be nice to have many flower addicts, who can appreciate the essence of traditional Japanese culture.


To create this work I stuck branches of mahonia into a glass container. Then I inserted hydrangea stems between the branches. The distinctive features of the two materials create an interesting effect.
          

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Introduction to Ikebana 2

As I mentioned in the last article, Ikebana has been defined as symbolic representation of nature. This means that a simple Ikebana work using just one flower can represent the whole universe.


“Puppy” by Jeff Koons is a very popular large work of art. He uses flowers to create a dog in a realistic way. In contrast to that, Ikebana artists try to express something invisible, the essence of nature. The Ikebana works convey something we cannot see but may be able to feel.


Making this small work, I first made holes on dracaena leaves. Then, I inserted thin geranium flowers into the holes. This is another simple way of fixing flowers. The contrast between flat leaves and fine flowers is focus of this work.

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