Ikebana Demonstrations

22 & 23 May 2015

On Friday, 22 May, Karen Kirk demonstrated five Sogetsu style arrangements to a packed house. The Sogetsu school was founded in 1927 in recognition of ikebana as a creative art with the motto that "Anyone can enjoy Sogetsu Ikebana anytime, anywhere, using any material." Karen used a variety of materials to include found leaves, getting lost in the process of finding them! Her free style arrangement also incorporated a vase made by a student, plastic tubing, LED lights, and a quirky bamboo that is naturally bent near the base.

Saturday, 23 May Patricia Kimoto did three demonstration arrangements in the Ichiyo style. The Ichiyo School was founded in 1937 by a brother and sister seeking to create original ikebana suitable for modern times. The current emphasis is on balancing materials without the use of a kenzan or pinfrog, often using a standing hana tsuitate, a flower supporting frame. Pat used both round and rectangular hana tsuitate, as well as a pair of Hawaiian placemats made of loosely woven lauhala (leaves of the Pandanus tectorius tree) in which the stems were poked through the holes in the mats. Ichiyo instructor Iwalani Barbazon of Georgia was able to assist and act as spokesperson for Pat.

The crowd gathers	Karen demonstrating in a hand-made vase	Ready for display	The first arrangement
Professional working aid...	Various leaves	The second arrangement (with LED lights in base)	A delicate balance
Colorful tension	Third arrangement	Various branches	Adjusting a stem
Fourth arrangement	Starting the fifth arrangement	Crowds to the left	Crowds to the right
How to bend flax	Inserting flax	Nearly finished	E voila!
Fifth arrangement	Waiting for the second demonstration	Iwalani introduces Pat	Beginning the first arrangement
Adding popcorn orchids	The first arrangement - Ichiyo style in a standing Hana Tsuitate bamboo frame	Starting the second arrangement	Using crystal vaes from Japan
Adding another orchid	Adjsuting things	The second arrangement - round Hana Tsuitate bamboo frame	Whimsical detail - washi paper on leaf
Starting the third arrangement	Using lauhala mats	Third arrangement - Lauhala place mats in place of Hana Ajiro woven bamboo frame	All three arrangements
Part of the crowd	Admiring the finished arrangements

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