Father's Day Ikebana

I thought since I made my mom an arrangement for Mother's Day, I would make my dad one, too.

When I was young, my dad was a tractor mechanic. He was amazing with any type of machinery and could fix anything. He loved cars, different kinds of tools, even got into a bit of carpentry. He could do anything in my eyes. And me, I couldn't do anything! He taught me how to change the oil on my car, but it was a painful process for the both of us; and more than once, a few choice words were said by my dad. If there was anything wrong with any of the family's cars, he would always fix it himself. All you had to do was describe the problem, and he would know what to do to repair it. Because of him, my sisters and I always had a working car to drive when we were young.

We lived out in the country on 120 acres of wooded land. There was a small field near the house that used to have cows graze on it, but there weren't any when I was growing up. Every summer, he would get on the tractor and mow the field. It always smelled amazing! We lived on a dirt lane that was about a mile from from the main road. He would also mow along the lane creating a beautiful path through the woods.

He never drank coffee (and still doesn't), but always drank Mountain Dew. Whenever he would go out, he always had a cap on his head. I also remember him having a toothpick in his mouth most of the time, even while watching TV. He was a true country boy. And he still is.

So, what kind of flowers to give a country boy?

Simple, country flowers.

Hosta leaves grow all over the place here, and they sell them all summer long at the flower shops. A simple, yet beautiful leaf with lots of character, just like my dad. I thought that sunflowers would go well with the hosta leaves -- a touch of sunshine reminding me of the summers with the sweet smell of fresh cut hay. Simple materials for a simple arrangement that evokes the feeling of country to me.

hosta leaves and sunflowers

One main leaf stretches out over the water in the container, casting it's reflection on the surface of the water. Another leaf was placed low and in the front to bring a focal point to the work. Two sunflowers were used, but because they were both so large, I used them rather short in the arrangement, using them as a filler material rather than a main material. One of the sunflowers is almost hidden below the front hosta leaf, just peeking out, creating some depth in the arrangement. And then the last hosta leaf was placed in the rear of the arrangement with the back of the leaf showing, giving full play to the beautiful line of the leaf.

I also sprayed a little water on the hosta leaves. The water pools up into little beads giving a cooling effect to the viewer.

A simple, country arrangement for a simple, country guy.

I wish I could be there in person to give this to him, but an ocean separates us.

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful man that can still do anything in my eyes.

Love you.

Nageire -- Flowers "thrown in" a Vase

An arrangement in a vase is called nageire, literally "thrown in".

In the Ohara School of Ikebana, there are many techniques used to place the materials in a vase. Because there is no kenzan to support the stems, the way the stems are cut, how they are bound with vertical or horizontal stays, and the way they cross over each other to lend support is very important. To be proficient in these techniques takes many years of study.

When I first began to do arrangements in vases, some 13 years ago, I didn't like it. You could even go so far as to say I hated/dreaded it! Why? Because it was so difficult to make the materials stay in the place you wanted in the vase. I would go to my lesson, excited to do an arrangement; and then, my teacher would say we were going to do nageire. I would immediately want to go home and forget my lesson for the day. But, as I did more arrangements in vases, I learned the techniques and methods used to support the materials in the containers. Gradually, I began to like doing nageire. Now, I love it. It is one of my favorite types of arrangements to do.

In this summer arrangement, I used only two materials -- cherry plum and calla lily. There are five branches of the cherry plum, and only one calla lily. So, in the whole arrangement, there are only six stems. From the front, you see a tall rising line that has a nice curve, supported by smaller branches of the cherry plum. A single calla lily rises from the branches and helps to bring a focal point to the space created by the curving branch.

When looked at from the side, you can see how far it reaches out in front of the vase. This helps to pull the viewer into the arrangement, but it is not noticeable unless you look at it from the side. One of the magic points of ikebana.

I hope you enjoy the video of how the arrangement was made.  

As always, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below!

Spring Ikebana Exhibit -- scouring rush in a cool summer breeze

Recently, I have been very interested in zokei ikebana. Being able to create a totally unique and creative work is exciting to me. Trying to find new materials to work with, show a material in a new way, or creating an expressive work are what I most enjoy when creating a zokei arrangement.

This year, for the spring exhibit, I wanted to use just one material, to really showcase the beauty of it. I chose scouring rush. They are often found near the waters edge of a lake, stream, or river, but can also be found in moist, dense forests. They can grow to be quite tall, and when a cool summer breeze hits them, they bend playfully in the wind.

I went to the local hardware store/DIY center to look for something I could use as a base for the piece. I chose a plastic fencing material in a black color. I thought the black would go well with the green of the scouring rush, but it could also be painted if I wanted to change the color or finish (I was thinking a metal finish would also be interesting). The mesh of the fence was also the perfect size for each frond of the rush to fit into. I used some black zip ties to hold the fencing together and made a tall column. I had my base for the piece.

I played with the fronds for several hours, trying different ways of arranging them in the mesh. Some were very planned out, and others were more organic. "Playing" with the materials is an important step in creating a zokei work; it enables you to find the best way to show off the natural beauty of the material in a new and interesting manner. I finally chose on a combination of planned and organic. I arranged the fronds along one line of the fencing, extending out to the right, but the angles and length of the scouring rush were arranged in an organic way, making them look as if they were being blown in the wind.



scouring rush




slightly from the left



looking into the fronds, from the right



Can you feel the cool summer breeze?

Let me know what you think of the piece in the comment section below!

Mother's Day Flowers

It has been over 15 years since I have had the pleasure to wish my mom a "Happy Mother's Day" in person.

I always call to wish her well on Mother's Day, but it just isn't the same -- being able to give her a big hug and see her smile. I know she feels the same way. I usually get on the Internet and try to find something interesting to send her. This year, I couldn't find anything that I thought she would like. I got a card in the mail to her, but I didn't send a gift.

Instead, I thought I would make an arrangement for her. Ideally, I would love to make it for her in person, but being across the ocean on the other side of the earth makes that a bit difficult!

I chose her favorite color, yellow, as the base of the arrangement, and mixed in a little orange and red -- all happy, vibrant, strong colors, just like my mom. I also added a couple of white anthurium thinking they would like nice in the mix of colors. Of course, I also had to mix in some green to give it a fresh feeling.

I know that she will love it, and immediately download the picture to use as her screen saver. She can enjoy the arrangement for weeks to come, which is just what I wanted!

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to take a few pictures outside.

Happy Mother's Day to an amazing woman who inspires everyone around her with her strength and love for family and friends! You inspire me to be a better person, and I am thankful and proud to be your son.

Spring Landscape Arrangement

Spring has finally started to show herself here where I live in Japan. It has been a long, cold winter, and I am ready for the beautiful spring colors that abound everywhere here -- plum and cherry trees, tulips and daffodils, the greening grass, mother nature bringing forth all of her glory!

To help usher in spring, a couple of weeks ago, I created a spring landscape using Japanese cornel. It was arranged in the Traditional Method in the Landscape Arrangement form -- meaning a prescribed way to arrange the materials to express the beauty of a natural scene.

To create the natural scene, I have, in a way, created a sketch of the scene in the limited space of the suiban.

Japanese cornel grows to be a towering tree, so the rules prescribed say I have to do the arrangement in the Far-View Depiction. For this method, I arrange the Japanese cornel in the one-tree method, making it look as if all of the branches are a large tree seen off in the distance.

To help balance the scale depiction, small budding azalea branches are used low in the front of the container, and a few taller branches next to the base of the Japanese cornel. They should appear small in contrast to the towering tree.

Finally, a material is used to establish the undergrowth of the scene. In a far-view depiction, club moss is used. The moss is arranged in small clumps and covers about 3/4 of the surface of the suiban. It is still the beginning of spring, so only a small amount of water is showcased in the container.

When all of the above elements are combined, a little piece of nature is captured in the confined space of the suiban. The budding tree and budding azalea help to usher in spring and all of her beauty.




Japanese cornel, azalea, club moss
Far View, Upright Style



The club moss covers about 3/4 of the surface of the container, and the azalea are used low and small
to help create the look of a grand tree. I also took off some of the buds of azalea because there were
too many for this early in the spring.

When viewed from the side, you can see the "tree trunk" in the center of the Japanese cornel branches.

A natural scene captured in the confined space of the suiban.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or questions in the comment section.