Japanese Day 12 April 2022

The Melbourne Chapter celebrated "Japanese Day" with five Japanese members of the Melbourne Chapter giving a presentation of their ikebana. Each presenter made an ikebana incorporating an object from Japan of special significance to them. The schools represented are the Wafu School, Shogetsudo koryu, Ichiyo School and Sogetsu School. 

The presenters all created their work at the same time. From the left: Yuko Asano, (Wafu School) Chiemi Daly, (Shogetsudo koryu), Rie Sasaki, (Ichiyo School), Reiko Ito, (Sogetsu School) & Chieko Yazaki, (Shogetsudo koryu). 

Below are photos of the individual ikebana by the demonstrators.

Yuko Asano

Rie Sasaki.

Reiko Ito

Rie Sasaki

Chiemi Daly

Chiemi Daly

Chieko Yazaki

Chieko Yazaki

The following images are the work of the members present at the meeting.

Wendy Sun

Trish Ward

Thea Sartori

Rosemary Horden

Rachel Lok

Nicole McDonald

Marjorie Campkin-Smith

Margaret Wilson

Margaret Leung

Lara Telford

Kaye Wong

Julie Ireland

Judy Hajdu

Jo Tan

Jenny Loo

Helen Mariott

Helen Gray

Greta Young

Felicia Huang

Emily Karanikolopoulos

Elizabeth Angell

Beverley Webster

Angeline Lo

9th August 2022 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

On Tuesday 9th August 36 members and 3 visitors attended the AGM of the Melbourne Chapter. A new committee was elected .  The newly elected President Nobuko Kobayashi was presented with her Presidents pin by Julie Ireland, the retiring President.

As is the custom for this meeting there was no guest speaker. A demonstration by the Heads of the following schools; Ichiyo, Shogetsudo koryu, and Sogetsu was given. The Ohara and Ikenobo School demonstrations were conducted by Jo Tan and Yukako Braun respectively. 

The demonstrators all worked concurrently and after completing their ikebana, spoke about their school and the ikebana they had just created.  

The demonstrators at work:

Yukako Braun, Ikenobo School.

Completed ikebana.

Chieko Yazaki, Shogetsudo koryu.

Completed ikebana.

Naomi Cullen, Ichiyo School.

Completed ikebana.

Jo Tan, representing the Ohara School.

Completed ikebana.

Christopher James, Sogetsu School.

Completed ikebana.

Below is a selection of the ikebana made by members at the meeting.

Toula Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Betty Karanikolopoulos, Sogetsu School.

Rie Sasaki, Ichiyo School.

Kaye Wong, Ichiyo School.

Kim Louey, Ichiyo School.

Nicole McDonald, Sogetsu School.

Karen Thode, Sogetsu School.

Julie Ireland, Sogetsu School.

Sally Wilkinson, Ohara School.

Margaret Leung, Sogetsu School.

JUNE WORKSHOP: EUCALYPTUS

The Saturday afternoon workshop on June 25th was led by senior Sogetsu School teacher, Lara Telford (https://ikebanasogetsu.com/). Lara chose the theme of using the iconic Australian native plant Eucalyptus as the principal material at the workshop. She told the members and guests that the Eucalyptus genus includes a diverse range of plants, from the worlds tallest flowering trees, to shrubs and mallees, and can be found across most of the Australian continent. Because of the very familiarity of these plants ikebanists often overlook them, instead favouring northern hemisphere exotics. Lara encouraged members to use, branches, flowers, seedpods, bark and/or  leaves of these plants in our ikebana.

Lara began the meeting presenting one completed ikebana in a vessel she had made herself. In this example Lara used three different kinds of eucalyptus, showing leaves, flowers and seed pods. She had also added Banksia Coccinea for its bright red flowers.

She also demonstrated a simple arrangement in a tall glass vase using dried seed pods of Eucalyptus macrocarpa and pendulous leaves of another Eucalyptus. The small red focal point is Nandina domestica.

Lara's other demonstrated work was a sculptural piece using two large branches. She added a bark mass, some iris leaves, Dwarf Nandina Domestica leaves and, playfully, a bright red mass by tying her jumper into knots.

The following photos are ikebana created at the workshop by the attending members. The editor regrets that ikebanists who created these works are not identified.