All my talk about the joy of eating a frosted pink Dunkin’ Donut as a kid – when pink was my favorite color – must have had a big effect on me, even more than I thought.
A few days later, I went out and bought a bouquet of multicolored pink roses for my weekly zoom Ikebana class, which is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Marie Kondo would have approved since the flowers sparked joy – in her words – and still do looking at these photos. The lesson was our first centerpiece, designed to be viewed from all angles including top down. So it did well on my low ottoman.
Of course, I couldn’t resist putting the final arrangement near the pink donut pillow and painting, where I could enjoy the combination every time I walked by. (Admittedly the day glow, hot pink pillow in the first photo somewhat overpowers the arrangement, but didn’t in real life.)
It wasn’t just the finished product that sparked joy (which I was initially not sure about), it was the process of assembling the entire centerpiece – and looking at it from every point of view. I was completely absorbed and challenged by the task at hand.
The hardest part was getting the first 3 branches in (actually 2 branches and a long stemmed rose) radiating outwards at 120 degree angles to each other. It was like drawing a math pie chart with 3 equal size pieces in flowers. Only it was more challenging since the center of the design is off to one side, as you can see below. I was struggling until I got out a step stool and looked straight down onto my kitchen counter, where I make my arrangements.
The low cluster of roses in the center went in last. It was an iterative process. Put a flower in, turn the container, take a flower out. Maybe put greenery in, and turn again. Raise a flower, shorten a flower. Turn. Made me think of that song Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) by The Byrds.
During our zoom class, I showed my finished arrangement for the end of class critique (just like art classes!) by turning the container the full 360 degrees with both hands. For this blog, I haven’t quite mastered the art of turning with one hand and taking a stable video with the other.
So here are a few of the still photos I took after class of Sogetsu Ikebana Variation No. 6 Horitzontal Style Moribana (meaning low container). Notice how water, with its reflections of light and color, is a key element in this arrangement.
Sometimes I’m not quite sure what my daughters truly think of my pink Ikebana arrangements. It’s fascinating that they both seem to avoid wearing pink (if at all), perhaps because it has Barbie-like connotations from old fashioned generations. I still enjoy putting on deep pink to brighten myself up, with its positive connotations of cotton candy, romance and sweet memories. In high school, Mom told me I looked great in pink, which I should wear if I wanted to “snaggle” a guy…
Ah, the joy of pink endures – aside from donuts. Now it’s manifesting itself creatively in a whole new and unanticipated way through the spirit of Ikebana.
