Intrigued by the "ikebana vase" I purchased in wonderful Pea Island Art Gallery while vacationing in North Carolina, I began reading about ikebana. In this Japanese art of flower arranging, branches and flowers gracefully symbolize heaven, humanity, and earth; and in a quiet, meditative state of mind, the ikebana creator connects with the beauty of nature and experiences inner peace.
Today, I gave ikebana a try and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the art form, from selecting and collecting the natural elements to arranging and photographing them (while, admittedly, breaking every ikebana rule I've learned). I knew I wanted to use begonias as they are a staple on our porches year after year and will, therefore, always remind me of home; and I found the unusual greenery not in the garden but growing wild on our woodlands' edge. (Mixing two natural elements that wouldn't typically be found growing together is a no-no, but my inner peace was not disturbed by doing so. Grin.) My favorite part of this arrangement is the two leaves extending outward — to me, symbolizing openness to learning, openness to trying, openness to life!
I really enjoyed learning about this - what a graceful display you've arranged. The little dish you've used is perfect in color and texture here - everything just flows as you would expect in a Japanese style arrangement. Amazing work.
So lovely. If I ever took up flower arranging this is exactly what I would like to do. It is a wonderful art. You thought this through and presented it well - I hope it continues to bring pleasure for many days.
June 3rd, 2019
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