Workshop with Tetsunori Kawana

Yesterday, March 19th, I had the pleasure and honor to attend an ikebana workshop with artist and Ikebana master, Tetsunori Kawana! Mr. Kawana is known internationally for large scale bamboo installations. His website is http://www.kawanaworld.com/I enjoy working with ikebana for two reasons – first of all it is 3-dimensional – which is a valuable mode of seeing and working - especially if you work in 2-dimensions a lot. Secondly, it is a temporary art form. Plant materials wither away – the process of decay is inherent in the work – unlike most studio work! In fact, ephemerality is one of ikebana’s most intriguing formal elements! During the workshop, Mr. Kawana really focused on space – the ‘negative space’ of the arrangement. I got a glimpse of space as being alive – not just important in a work – but ALIVE!!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone