Colorful flowers have begun to bloom and embellish the trees along the city streets. It is October now and we feel that spring has come along with the warm sunlight in Sydney. In this month’s column, I would like to focus on a “straight line” among the three elements of Ikebana: “L (Line), M (Mass), and C (Color)”. When you gaze at plants, you realize they contain numerous lines. Some are straight, some are curved. They also have complex, delicate, and relaxing ones. In Ikebana, we basically view plants as lines.
Plants are made up of sets of interconnected lines. It can be said that the joy of Ikebana is to discover those beautiful lines, which are minute and apt to be overlooked, and make them stand out by the intentional interference of human hands. Finding the elements of a natural straight line and intentionally
creating a straight line are the same in expressing the beauty of plants.
Unlike the curving lines, the straight lines do not express movement. So instead of simply putting the straightlined flowers vertically, try to add a sense of movement placing them slightly tilting. Flowers have a tranquil beauty of their own. Therefore, it is important to create the beauty in its motion. This is the same sort of beauty found in the contrasting tranquility and dynamism that can be seen in Japanese gardens.
In order to make the most of any line, you need to eliminate those which are not needed. People who are good at Ikebana can naturally do away with them, so beginners should start by carefully identifying which are the essential lines to be kept. If you can find the lines you want to expose, your Ikebana will be expressive and attractive.
New buds are sprouting and breaking through the hard bark, and the branches of the trees are acquiring a unique texture. Natural objects are by and of themselves beautiful enough. Take a branch or two in your hands, decide your own lines, and put the branches in the container of your choice. Add some flowers to avoid the excessive simplicity of using only lines. This is a world of enjoyment that can only be experienced by yourselves.
Author
Tada Reishu
Web: https://www.7elements.me/
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