LAST MEETING FOR 2019

The last meeting of the Melbourne Chapter for 2019 was held on Tuesday 12th November attended by forty three members and two visitors. This was the final meeting of our 60th year which was full of exciting activities including our 60th birthday meeting and exhibition at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show that took place in the last week of March (The blue text are links that will take you to the posts about those events). 

As is our practise at the last meeting of the year members donated money and Christmas gifts for the children's charity, Cottage by the Sea.

Margaret Wilson, a Sogetsu practitioner gave a demonstration of ikebana on the theme of a New Year Celebration. She commented that she deliberately decided to make her work informal and to use Australian native materials as the main focus of her ikebana. The large red flowers are Warratahs, the State floral emblem of New South Wales. The soft blue-grey mass is Cushion Bush. 

Margaret playfully added a spiral of gold and silver mizuhiki to give her ikebana a lighthearted celebratory feel.

Below are arrangements on the same theme made by members at the meeting.

Anne Conrick, Ohara School.

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Chieko Yazaki, Shogetsudo koryu School.

Elizabeth Angell, Sogetsu School.

Emily Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Felicia Huang, Ohara School.

Helen Gray, Sogetsu School.

Helen Marriott, Shogetsudo koryu School.

Josephine Tan, Ohara School.

Judy Hajdu, Ohara School.

Lee Johnstone, Sogetsu School.

Margaret Leung, Sogetsu School.

Midori Nakajima, Sogetsu School.

Nicole McDonald, Sogetsu School.

Rachel Lok, Shogetsudo koryu School.

Sally Wilkinson, Ohara School.

Toula Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

BOTANICA FESTIVAL at RIPPONLEA

This year, the 60th anniversary of the Melbourne Chapter of Ikebana International, has been a very busy one with many activities in addition to the monthly meetings and workshops. Some of these have been on a smaller scale involving fewer members but still presenting the art of Ikebana and promoting the activities of the Melbourne Chapter. 

Most recently, following the interest created by the members' workshop during the the Chapter visit to the Ripponlea Estate, we were invited to exhibit in the mansion to support the Botanica Festival on Sunday 20th October. This is a garden and sustainability festival that attracted 1,600 attendees to Ripponlea. Ten ikebana works were displayed in selected locations within the mansion. These were domestic scaled works that brought the fresh life of ikebana to both reception and private rooms.

Table in the Entrance Hall. Helen Marriott, Shogetsudo koryu School.

Side table in the Drawing Room. Felicia Huang, Ohara School.

Circular Table in the Drawing Room. Yukako Braun, Ikenobo School.

Small Table in the Conservatory. Margaret Wilson, Sogetsu School.

Table in the Sitting room. Marjorie Campkin-Smith, Sogetsu School.

Side table in the Sitting Room. Lorraine Langley, Ikenobo School.

Hall-table opposite the foot of the main staircase. Katrina Cunningham, Ichiyo School.

Table beside the main staircase. Josephine Tan, Ohara School.

Carved stone pedestal in Master Bedroom ensuite bathroom. Beverley Webster, Sogetsu School.

Breakfast table in Master Bedroom. Trish Ward, Sogetsu School. 

Editors note: This photograph is taken from the back of the arrangement for the purpose of showing the work in the context of the room.

JAPANESE DAY

The theme of the October meeting was Japanese Day, an annual event on the calendar which focusses on some aspect of Japanese culture. This year the focus was on Wagashi (Japanese sweets) and Chabana (Tea Flowers). 

            

Our guest speaker was Minako Asai, the owner and chef of Minnie Sweets, a specialist company that makes traditional Japanese sweets, that are usually served with Japanese tea, Matcha. 

In her presentation Ms Asai emphasised the importance of Japanese aesthetics that goes into the making of these sweets, pointing out that we first eat with our eyes before we put them in our mouths.

Ms Asai demonstrated the complex methods and specialist tools used for making this beautifully crafted confectionary. 
Below are some examples of the Wagashi she made at the meeting.

     

As usual members created ikebana responding to the meetings theme.

Christopher James, Sogetsu School

Jenny Loo, Sogetsu School

Kim Ng, Ohara School

Josephine Tan, Ohara School

Lee Johnstone, Sogetsu School

Rachel Lok, Shogetsudo koryu School

Akemi Suzuki, Sogetsu School

Margaret Wilson, Sogetsu School

Reiko Ito, Sogetsu School

Beverley Webster, Sogetsu School

Margaret Leung, Sogetsu School

Anne Conrick, Ohara School

Greta Young, Sogetsu School

Emily Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School

Toula Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School

Helen Marriott, Shogetsudo Koryu School

Kaye Wong, Ichiyo School