ikebana and life in japan

a blog about ikebana and life in japan

9/6/10

Free Style Ikebana

After you have mastered the basics of ikebana -- where to place the stems, at what angle to slant them down or out, how long or short to cut each stem, etc. -- you can throw all the rules out the window and creat a Free Style arrangement. In this type of arrangement, anything can be used as materials, and any type of container can also be used, if you choose to use one. Everything is free, as long as a balance is created within the work.


While going through some pictues today, I found this Free Style arrangement I had done a few months ago. I started with five leaves of Aspidistra, or it's more common name Cast Iron Plant, and went from there. I thought a white container would be a nice contrast to the green leaves, so I chose to use Madoka, a basic container often used in Ohara-ryu Ikebana.

Usually with a Free Style arrangement, some type of movement is required, and the movement should extend beyond the confines of the container. I chose not to use any type of frog or spikes to hold the leaves in place, instead relying on the tension of the bent leaves and tape used in stragic places.

Have a look at the end result.

View from the front

View from above
View from the back

13 comments:

Matty Ross said...

Beautiful! For some reason, I love this one the most...I must be a freestyle kind of gal. :)

Nora Kay said...

Very nice Son. You amaze me with the things you come up with. Thanks for the great post.

Unknown said...

matty, thanks! i like this one a lot, too! i guess were both free style!

Unknown said...

mom, glad you enjoyed it! i start teaching my first class tonight. i have 3 students. i hope all goes well!

sachi said...

スティーヴンのブログ、私のブログにリンクしていいですか?

Unknown said...

sachi,

良いよ!おねがいします!

sacchi.A said...

Being able to meet Stephen's mother next month is the enjoyment.
間違ってないかな?
ホントに今からスティーブンのお母さんに会えるのが楽しみです!

see you next week.

BSB said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BSB said...

写真のFree Style Ikebana、これもひとつのartだと考える。(まあikebabaはartではあるけれど…。)
greenとwhiteのcontrastは、私のすきなひとつ。simpleですごくすてき(^-^)v

私の考えるikebanaは、あくまでも花が主役であること。形にそのすがたをあわせるのではなく、いける花がいちばんきれいにみえるようにいけること。
私はいつもそのことを心がけている!

sacchi.A said...

スティーヴンの生け花は私に凄い衝撃を与えました。私とは流派は違うけどとても勉強になります。
The sense is very good.
It is ikebana that I was requesting.

Unknown said...

sachi.A,

thank you. looking at other peoples ikebana is a good way to study!

Unknown said...

BSB,
僕もシンプルなものが好きです。グリーンも一番好きな色だし。この作品凄く好きです。

お花を一番キレイに見せる事が大事ですね。

BSB said...

お花のとめかたが、すごくうまくて、写真だと、ハランの葉がどうなっているのか、不思議で、まるでマジックのよう。

I wanted to actually see it.