Ikebana Style : 20 Portable Flower Arrangements Perfect for Gift-Giving

by KUBO, KEIKO

• ISBN13: 9781590306734
• ISBN10: 1590306732
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2010-09-21
• Publisher: Trumpeter

Summary

Celebrate a loved one with a gift of flowers or add a touch of colour to your home with one of these twenty distinctive flower arrangements. Keiko Kubo translates the sophisticated charm of ikebana for today's homes. With just a few simple ma­terials, and by following her clearly described techniques, you can create stunning floral arrangements to give as gifts or to decorate your own living space. The clean, elegant look of ikebana is well regarded in the West, but the complicated techniques can be intimidating. Here, the making of each arrangement is simplified into three to four basic steps, and each of them can be constructed using tools and materials easily available to Western readers. The results are distinctive arrangements that blend the aesthetics of traditional ikebana with the functionality and portability of Western floral arts. Included is a range of tips and techniques that are sure to broaden the flower arranging skills of both beginners as well as those already familiar with this craft. Clear step-by-step in­structions with photographs are included for each arrangement.

Author Biography

Keiko Kubo grew up in Japan, where she took ikebana classes with her mother as a teenager and eventually went on to obtain her teaching license for ikebana. After graduating from college, Keiko came to the states to pursue studies in art and graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a master of fine arts in sculpture. While in graduate school she also studied Western floral art. Her style is a unique blend of these three major influences: traditional ikebana, Western floral arrangements, and sculptural art. She currently lives in Chicago and is the author of Keiko’s Ikebana (Tuttle, 2006).