photographs by rinne allen
ikebana
ikebana book
this is the time of year when i am drawn to ikebana. all that is left in the garden are pods and stems, with a few sasanquas here and there. this book from japan always inspires me (i think i may have shared it here before, because i love it so much!). there are some beautiful moments inside it. hopefully it will encourage you to try a simple flower arrangement this winter too!
photographs and words by rinne allen
a week of favorite books: flowers & gardening
continuing with our week of favorites...today we are sharing books about flowers & gardening...enjoy!!
rinne:
simple ikebana inspiration here...rebecca & i love ikebana so much...(and, i am awaiting on the translation of this book title from rebecca's son zack (who knows japanese)...!
rinne:
i am a big gardener and this book was one of the first ones that i purchased for my library...eventhough the setting for derek jarman's garden is completely different than my own, i look at this book alot because i love his beautiful space and how he made the landscape his own.
rinne:
i have written about my love for this book before. i just love it.
rinne:
this book was in my family's library when i was little....it was written by a schoolteacher in nyc and encourages the reader to explore nature anywhere you can find it, be it a crack in the sidewalk or in a small city park. i have shared this book with many others, and its simple principle has encouraged all of us to explore nature with our children, even in the most urban of settings. it is always good to be reminded that there is so much to learn from right beneath our feet.
rinne:
like the above book, this book encourages us to find inspiration in unlikely places. in this instance, in the bolted, overgrown plants in our yard. i love the textures and forms in these wild plants.
rinne:
i am not normally drawn to cactus, but they pair perfectly here with the textures of adam silverman's amazing pottery.
rinne:
another ikebana book, this one from the 50's...'japanese flower arrangement'.
rinne:
another inspiring book that embraces the beauty of flowers.
rinne:
this is hands down one of the most important books in my collection, because seeing the 2004 exhibition that went along with it inspired me to start making light drawings again.
rebecca:
i love to study japanese flower arranging, the history and the styles. 'arranging flowers' is a wonderful guide to the history and styles of arranging. there are spectacular color pictures of huge arrangements as only the japanese can do. highly recommended.
rebecca:
this book was written at the end of the 1800's by the first westerner to really study ikebana. so much wonderful info concerning appropriate flowers for different occasions, as well as appropriate arrangements for all the different parties they had, like moon viewing parties,incense parties,flower arranging parties, and poetry parties. i love the picture of the couple entering the tea room to observe the ikebana!
ikebana
photographs by rinne allen
a flower with love
i love this little book. i am a big fan of bruno munari; he created so many things that i love, many of them for children...this little book sits near my desk in the studio and i flip through it often. where else can you get a sunny dose of color as well as ikebana tips, complete with instructions for using a half of a potato as a kenzan (flower frog)? i also love the section at the end where he invites the reader on a woodland walk...it isn't until 4 pages later that you realize that the woodland is actually a terrarium of moss and rocks...but the point is clear: bring nature inside and enjoy it.
words and photographs by rinne allen