Joyce Lee on sun 17 jun 01
Dave asked for ideas.....
I don't make Ikebana vases/pots, Dave, and realize that it can take =
years to fully understand the process. But I do have a vase of cracked =
shino that I put in a show marked
"Not For Sale" .... so, of course, several people wanted to buy it ... =
Later I'll make more and better ones, which I will offer for sale and =
naturally NOBODY will want one (a bit cynical? Think I'd better find my =
little Zen book).
Anyway, Dave, my emphasis here is that a couple of garden club members =
referred to my strange vase as an "Ikebana." I KNOW it isn't ... I've =
seen the pictures on the net... but the point is that THEY thought it =
was an ikebana pot... It's a slab wrapped around some paper towel =
cardboard rolls with a rather primitive looking foot... looks a little =
like a boot... has anything BUT the classic look of Japanese work. I'll =
send a pic if you'd like to see it. You'll see that USA Ikebana may not =
be the same as the Japanese ikebana... at least Desert USA ikebana... =
think that's what I'll call them........... Mojave Desert Ikebana... =
then, since they'll be made by a certified (on driver's license) Mojave =
resident, I can make them any way I choose and still refer to them as =
ikebana..... right? That IS how it works.... right? ( I am joking, but =
not about the garden club members... my vase looks NOTHING like =
ikebana!)
Joyce
In the Mojave with the disclaimer that all the above happened way far =
away in another time in another land... just in case any locals are =
reading this post....... NOBODY with whom they are acquainted is =
depicted by me on Clayart ever....=20
Rikki Gill on sun 17 jun 01
Hi Joyce, Two years ago I started to take an Ikibana class. I went for
about a year. I learned that it is about as lengthy a process to learn as
is ceramics. The teacher [sensi] was the head of the northern California
branch of her style. She was born in Japan, is now in her 80's, and there
is little she doesn't know. Unlike Japanese ceramics, Ikibana values the
spontaneous, natural look. A vase can be a piece of split bamboo, a broken
pot, or a georgous, glass or marble container. What is important is that
the arrangement looks free, like a miniature garden, and works well as
indoor replacement for nature. I loved the class, but was unable to give up
as many saturdays as was required. So, in essence, anything can be an
ikibana vase, all that is required is that the arrangement look like part of
the natural landscape, something you could run across during a walk outside.
They also like rough unglazed pots, simple shapes. I know this isn't very
clear, but its about as good as I can explain it. A vase can be a small
flat container, or a tall one. The function is more important than the
form. Rikki Gill
-----Original Message-----
From: Joyce Lee
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Sunday, June 17, 2001 2:48 PM
Subject: Ikebana Vases
Dave asked for ideas.....
I don't make Ikebana vases/pots, Dave, and realize that it can take years to
fully understand the process. But I do have a vase of cracked shino that I
put in a show marked
"Not For Sale" .... so, of course, several people wanted to buy it ... Later
I'll make more and better ones, which I will offer for sale and naturally
NOBODY will want one (a bit cynical? Think I'd better find my little Zen
book).
Anyway, Dave, my emphasis here is that a couple of garden club members
referred to my strange vase as an "Ikebana." I KNOW it isn't ... I've seen
the pictures on the net... but the point is that THEY thought it was an
ikebana pot... It's a slab wrapped around some paper towel cardboard rolls
with a rather primitive looking foot... looks a little like a boot... has
anything BUT the classic look of Japanese work. I'll send a pic if you'd
like to see it. You'll see that USA Ikebana may not be the same as the
Japanese ikebana... at least Desert USA ikebana... think that's what I'll
call them........... Mojave Desert Ikebana... then, since they'll be made by
a certified (on driver's license) Mojave resident, I can make them any way
I choose and still refer to them as ikebana..... right? That IS how it
works.... right? ( I am joking, but not about the garden club members... my
vase looks NOTHING like ikebana!)
Joyce
In the Mojave with the disclaimer that all the above happened way far away
in another time in another land... just in case any locals are reading this
post....... NOBODY with whom they are acquainted is depicted by me on
Clayart ever....
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Wade Blocker on sun 17 jun 01
The word ikebana means the art of flower arrangement,or flowers arranged in
a vase. The word ikebana does not refer to a particular vase form. Mia in
ABQ
Bret Hinsch on mon 18 jun 01
Here in Taiwan, lots of people study Ikebana as well as traditional
Chinese-style flower arrangement, so flower arranging goes a long way toward
supporting local potters.
The problem is that people are so picky about the exact shape and size of
the vase they use. I'm good friends with a gallery owner down in Yingge
(the ceramic town) and he says that Ikebana students will come in saying
that they want a vase - then they'll specify the precise dimensions down to
the half-centimeter. Their teacher will tell them to go out and find a pot
exactly this size.
The weird part is - the Ikebana teachers want their students to find a pot
of a precise size, but every teacher specifies different dimensions. It
drives the gallery owners crazy.
So there is no standard Ikebana container. Lots of people have extremely
strong ideas about what an Ikebana vessel should look like, but their
preferences vary widely. As long as a pot is beautiful, simple, and humble,
it's suitable for Ikebana.
By the way - I've always thought that the key to understanding Song dynasty
Chinese ceramics lies in reimagining how these were intended to be used.
Today we usually see these pieces in modern museum settings. But
originally, lots of Song ceramics were intended to be used either as flower
vases or as pots for live plants. For example, most surviving Jun ware were
originally flower pots in the imperial palace. The monochrome Song look
makes perfect sense when we realize that these were intended to be a neutral
foil for flowers. Like the Japanese potter, the Song Chinese potters didn't
want their vessel to overwhelm the flowers that were to be displayed in
them. That's why they emphasized monochromes and subtle colors like white
and celadon. So Chinese monochromes really do make sense - there's a reason
for their deliberate simplicity.
Bret in Taipei
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Janet Kaiser on tue 19 jun 01
What seems like a thousand years ago, when Ikebana was
at the height of its popularity (i.e. newly introduced)
I made what seemed like hundreds of very shallow,
irregular forms with a dark, mottled glaze, which were
snapped up as fast as I could make them... At about an
inch, they were deep enough to hold water, stones (if
necessary) and a flower pin (Frog pin in the US?) and
the whole effect was rather like an irregular puddle of
water with a very simple, stylised "arrangement" of one
or three flowers, twigs and/or leaves.
Because there appeared to be very few potters making
suitable vases, a local Ikebana teacher asked me to
make taller vessels and vases... The ones considered
most suitable were slab-built or coiled and fairly
"knobbly" with undulating rims... Nothing thrown ever
seemed to suit, even if maltreated. Some had feet and
others did not. Square or round, as long as they looked
fairly loose and haphazard they were acceptable. The
glazes were anything from white through browns and
greys to black, but nothing coloured or with a high
gloss.
This was in the days when dolomite was en vogue for
everything, but it was not acceptable for Ikebana -
apparently it was too "lifeless". Crackled or slightly
mottled glazes and colouring was popular with that
particular teacher. Either Raku or stoneware (I did not
work in porcelain) but definitely not earthenware. No
decoration either, although impressed twine was used on
some. I also made vases imitating bamboo stalks and
some with impressions of bark.
As with other Japanese ceramic forms such as tea bowls,
the untrained Western eye has difficulty appreciating
the finer points of Ikebana vessels too... They are "My
six-year old could do better than that" sort of pots! I
do not claim my Ikebana vases were anything near the
real McCoy, but they certainly were popular at the
time.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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