ikebana

ikebana is pretty amazing. 

there are many books on the subject, both new and vintage. there are two kinds- ones that are written in japanese, which you can either have translated, or you can just look at the photographs and gather inspiration visually. 

and then there are the ones that were written in english that flooded the market in the late 40's and 50's when attention to the "domestic arts" was plentiful. they were written for the american woman who wanted to bring a taste of the east into their home. the streamlined style of ikebana dovetailed nicely with modernism as well. 

but the beauty of ikebana is that it is so much more than sticking a flower in a vase. it is a meditation, an art form that is guided by the flowers & plants themselves- their natural shape and line determined the outcome. so often in flower arranging these days the flowers are forced into a shape, rather than the innate form itself guiding the final presentation. while i sometimes like modern arrangements, i often prefer ones that let the material do its own thing.

i have many, many books on ikebana. i look for them all over. i like this one for its simple photographs- the printing process gives them an almost silvery sheen that i love. and the arrangements are not too dated and they are all titled wonderfully: 'simplicity', 'early morning', etcetera- i love that. plus the cover's graphic feel is really nice. the writer gives demos on techniques in the back which is so handy- you can use sticks for bracing and supports, rather than buying expensive flower frogs and other implements. there are many schools of ikebana, all focusing on different aspects, that one can study. rebecca and i keep saying we are going to go to japan and go to school. to be around flowers all day- sounds pretty great.

but really, i love ikebana because there is nothing more beautiful (in flower arranging) to me than walking in with a cutting from the garden and placing it in a vessel, plain and simple. and then observing it day after day to see how it changes. this is the spirit of ikebana.