Resources
Vases for ikebana can be found almost anywhere. Target has a nice selection of affordable vases that are suitable. They also carry decorative pebbles and glass "stones" that are useful for anchoring stems or disguising the mechanics used during constructing the arrangements.
Kenzan can be a little harder to find but most floral supply shops carry some type of pin style floral holders that you can use for moribana. For heavy stems, you might need a little floral clay to anchor the holder to the vase. Both can be found at Target or Walmart.
Many craftspeople are making vases incorporating kenzan, so keep your eyes open in crafts galleries. I've seen them in glass, wood and stone, as well as in clay.
Ikebana was very popular in the US during the middle of the 20th century and now vases and books are easily spotted at yard sales and antique shops.
The flowers for this presentation were purchased at Whole Foods, in Chapel Hill. The Elliott Rd store has a terrific floral department and the staff are very helpful.
(Remember that the most suitable floral materials are the ones in season. It is quite possible you have the perfect materials right outside your own back door! Dried flowers and grasses can also be used, along with bare branches and seed pods.)
You might find the following books inspiring:
Keiko's Ikebana: A Contemporary Approach to the Traditional Japanese Art of Ikebana by Keiko Kubo (available from Amazon.com)
Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging for Today's Interior by Diane Norman and Michelle Cornell (available from Amazon.com)
The Art of Arranging Flowers by Shozo Sato (This is out of print but nearly every library seems to have a copy!)
Sources Cited
Bluefield Joiners. http://www.bluefieldjoiners.com
Dissanayake, Ellen. What Is Art For?. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1990.
Ikebana International. http://www.ikebanahq.org
Ikenobo School. http://www.ikenobo.jp
Kamachi, Noriko. Culture and Customs of Japan. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Ohara School. http://www.ohararyu.or.jp
Shibata, Kika. Web site for Ikebana Arts. http://ikebana-arts.com
Sogetsu School. http://www.sogetsu.or.jp
Yagi, Koji. A Japanese Touch for Your Home. New York: Kodansha International, 1982.
posted by cafegirl | 7:46 PM
1 Comments:
debbie~
I'm glad that the presentation inspired you!
As you can tell, I really enjoyed doing the moribana arrangements. (What's funny is that I've had some of those vases for over a decade but didn't know how to use them.)
Again, the Diane Norman book was the clearest and most concise.
I've never done any ikebana before and knew nothing about it before this project but I'm well and truly hooked.
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