Oct 24, 2021 Big Impact Freestyle with Jeanne Holy

Our Zoom workshop this month was with visiting Sensei Jeanne Holy – President of Holy House, the Illinois Prairie Chapter of Ikenobo, Ikebana Society of America. The Workshop assignment was Jiyuka (Free Style) Sakuhim (Exhibition Style) – “BIG IMPACT.” These Jiyukas are typically bigger than those you would arrange for displaying in your home. Imagine the space you have to display your arrangement is 36” x 36” x 5’ tall, the arrangement will be displayed on a table or sculpture stand 30” tall, and your guests will be viewing it from a standing position. As you’ll see from the photos below, the theme “Big Impact” can mean many different things.

Sensei Jeanne gave us some wonderful tips for creating and presenting an exhibit piece. We learned “Important Points” to consider when exhibiting for the web and when presenting an exhibit piece for in-person viewing; reviewed the “Fundamentals” of Jiyuka, and interesting “Ideas” to help emphasize the Ikebana arrangement.

This is what she encouraged us to think about when arranging:

BEAUTIFUL EYE MUSIC – SEE THE MOVEMENT

Important Points to Remember:

– Small can have BIG IMPACT
– BIG can have LITTLE IMPACT or no impact at all if you forget the fundamentals
– The vase is part of the arrangement
– You need “green” and “space”
– Think about the Guest viewpoint or angle

Fundamentals:

– Unification – horizontal, vertical, slanted, surface, lines, mass, points (reflecting the vase)

AND – THEN – ADD

– Variation – size, space, color, texture, depth, different length and texture, asymmetry

Ideas:

– Building a “frame” can emphasize what’s in the Middle
– Use the same color materials “up high” and “down lower” in the arrangement for bounce
– Make arrangement Simple and Eloquent
– To Increase Size – use multiple vases
– To Modify the Vase – add non-floral material to it
– To Expand the Vase – add non-floral materials around the vase
– Use artificial materials to support the theme
– Use vase(s) with a folding picture frame behind
– Use vase(s) with multiple openings & overlap
– Know as many techniques as possible