2 Free Style Arrangemants Using Leftover Materials

I will be absent and not be able to post on my blog for two weeks from 4/9 to 4/20/2017, because I am going to Okinawa, Japan for the 11th World Ikebana International Convention and visit my relatives in Taiwan afterwards. Since I will be going away, I cleaned up my ikebana room and used the leftover plant materials to create. Here are my arrangements:

cymbidium, climbing hydrangea/ ceramic vase

Self made recycled container with leftover materials

Free Style Arrangement Using Rope Structure

In Hata Sensei's class this month, each student was asked to purchase 15 feet of twisted rope or hemp and 15 feet of #8 gauge wire, copper or other. We untwisted the rope a bit as we inserted the wire into it. Then we created a swooping movement with the rope to construct arrangements. It was a fun and creative class. 
The resulting arrangements shown below are 5 different designs of 5 students. Sensei's suggestion and correction made each arrangement look much prettier.  See below to compare the before and after.

My arrangement: rope, sunflower, mum, burning bush and magnolia leave/ ceramic vase

before

after cut the thin burning bush

Moved the calla lily down, looks more powerful

before

before

added some willow to soften

Interview by PHS "GROW" Magazine

If you are a member of  Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS), you will get the seasonal magazine "GROW" four times a year. In this Spring issue, it has a lots of information about the 2017 Philadelphia flower show having the theme "Holland: Flowering the World." Beside all of the other topics is an article about Ikebana, for which I was interviewed by writer Laura Brandt.  On page 29-30, the article is called "DESIGN-Fresh Ideas for Building Beauty." It features my flower arrangement for the 2015 August Summer exhibition of Ikebana International Philadelphia Chapter #71,  held at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Laura asked me lots of questions about Ikebana, its history, my learning experience and what kinds of  hints that I could give to the readers who are interested in Ikebana.
If you would like to see the article, here is the link: GROW magazine