Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. This art is over 500 years old and there are many different schools of thoughts and philosophies that have been developed over the years. The main idea behind Ikebana arrangements is bring together humanity and nature using rules of construct. Certain types of lines and forms are used to create a minimalist and asymmetrical floral arrangement. This form of flower arrangement is extremely different from conventional flower arrangement that uses color and bloom to create arrangements.
Developing your own Ikebana
To develop your own Ikebana, you can use a combination of live and withered elements. Live elements could include branches, fruit, grass, leaves and moss in addition to traditional flowers while the withered elements can include buds, leaves and seed pods. The arrangement simplicity or creativity is only dependent on your artistic ability.
To create an Ikebana, you need to follow the rules of construction in addition to your artistic ability. There are only 3 rules of construct:
The rules
1. The longest stem, which represents haven should be the 1.5 times the height or width, whichever is bigger.
To develop your own Ikebana, you can use a combination of live and withered elements. Live elements could include branches, fruit, grass, leaves and moss in addition to traditional flowers while the withered elements can include buds, leaves and seed pods. The arrangement simplicity or creativity is only dependent on your artistic ability.
To create an Ikebana, you need to follow the rules of construction in addition to your artistic ability. There are only 3 rules of construct:
The rules
1. The longest stem, which represents haven should be the 1.5 times the height or width, whichever is bigger.
2. The second long stem, which represents earth should the size of the longest stem.
3. The third longest stem, which represents man should the size of the second long stem.
How to arrange your Ikebana
1. Take a shallow bowl or a deep plate and fill it with over an inch of water.
2. Place a floral frog at the seven o'clock position in the bowl to hold up the different elements of your arrangements.
3. Cut your different elements into the correct size before arranging. A true Ikebana will have minimum 3 types of elements.
4. The largest stem lean should lean at least 10 to 30 degrees towards your left shoulder and should place at the 11 o'clock position on the frog.
5. The second longest stem should lean 45 degrees towards your left shoulder and should place at the 8 o'clock position on the frog.
6. The third largest stem should lean 75 degrees towards your right shoulder and should place at the 4 o'clock position on the frog.
7. Add the remaining elements of the Ikebana arrangement using line, form and asymmetry. The elements should cover the floral frog only leaving the water visible.
By following these simple rules, you can create an Ikebana for your own home. Lila Smith
