A Harvest of Ideas

October Garden Delights

Today I did this arrangement of materials that were cut from my backyard garden (with the exception of the Indian Summer calla lily). I had planned to do some larger arrangements with some flowers bought yesterday at the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market, but the lillies were not yet open. There is something really fun about exploring the garden to find small gems to use in a smaller arrangement. I was happy to rediscover the heuchera leaves, and the blackberry lily. I also found one lonely nerine lily that is coming up. It's a reminder to me to order some new nerine bulbs to plant this fall so I can enjoy many of them in various colors next fall. Right now the lillies from the farmer's market have been re-cut and placed in a warm spot to open. I'll work on some sketches for my arrangement, and be ready to make it tomorrow morning. Maybe I will canvas the neighborhood for some native grasses, and see what other surprises await.

Inspiring fall fowers

Autumn, my favorite time of year for color and flowers. I have a few new arrangments that were inspired by fall colors. They were fun to do, but done with the fading sunlight in mind. I have to take advantage of the light at the right time of day, and sometimes I don't have the time to get an early start. Maybe next week I can be a little better prepared. Soon I will lose my "outdoor studio" to the late fall and winter elements, so I need to utilize it while I still can.

The remaining work from last week

Here are more pictures that I did last week. I really love all of them, but the one above is my favorite. The sweet japanese tea bowl was found in an antique store, exposed outdoors to the elements with other pieces that were stacked on shelves. Most of the other pieces were low end ceramics and cheap floral glass/containers relegated to the junk pile. This great piece with a personal stamp in the clay cost me only $4, but to me it is priceless.

A Productive Period!

The month of August has been a productive period for me. I've posted more new works that have recently been photographed, and I will post others. During the Labor Day weekend I hope to do a lot more. It's been a lot of fun, and a much needed release of creative energy.

Line and Mass

August-New Work

I'm just beginning to do some new work, and I wanted to share it here. There is a tendancy for me to go a while without doing anything. I just get too busy, my brain is in a different mode, and i just don't spend time creating. That's one thing I want to work on in the coming year, being able to create works of ikebana more often. Right now I am using the back yard as my studio, which is pretty cool. I was inspired by the exhibit "In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet" at the National Gallery of Art earlier this summer. The forest of Fontainebleau became a "natural studio" for French and foreign artists. I don't have a studio to work in and the concept struck me as perfect for the warmer months. So far it is working out pretty well! So enjoy the new pictures, and feel gree to leave a comment.

You can view all my pictures on my Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sogetsudc/

Introduction

It has occurred to me that I have this fairly empty blog without any introduction as to who I am and the purpose of this blog. My name is Keith and I am a Sogetsu Ikebana(a form of Japanese flower arranging) student. Right now I am in the 3rd and 4th books of the curriculum.Books 1 and 2 start with basic classic styles, and teach line , mass, form and basic skills. Books 3 and 4 start with more advanced lesssons featuring freestyle designs. These lessons begin to incorporate more personal creative works and expression. Later I may give a brief history of the Sogetsu School, but for now I just want to get some new work loaded up for you to view online.