Having a desire to explore and try new things, I booked an interesting workshop recently which opened me up to the world of Japanese flower arranging. 'In the Company of Flowers' workshop was ran by Camberwell Press at Somerset House, which involved finding and arranging plants and flowers, treating the arrangements as sculptures.
A scenario was played out, that there had been an earthquake which had unsettled the landscape, leaving plants dotted around the two rooms of the workshop. Unique vases and bots dotted the rooms, waiting for us to create our arrangements.
This is my first and most favourite arrangement that I created:
Afterwards, we were told to explore other peoples arrangements or 'sculptures', taking or adding flowers to alter the composition. This was so much fun! I never knew flower arranging could be so engaging and creative.
Once we were happy with the arrangements / sculptures, we were given paper and a choice of drawing material to engage in life drawing. I used charcoal for the texture, bold lines and smudging ability to create abstract still life drawings. Embarrassingly I've not drawn still life since uni and I've realised how much I enjoy it. I will be seeking out classes this summer!
Encouraged to use various colours and mediums, we moved around the room drawing sections of the arrangements and displayed these on the floor for all to see. Camberwell Press will be making a book out of most of the drawings and I'll eagerly await to see if any of mine had been chosen!
These were my drawings!
Whilst admiring everyone's drawings, we sipped peppermint tea and Japanese wine from dinky ceramic cups and talked about the day. Nathan was the only guy in our class and he enjoyed it just as much as me, proving that flower arranging could be for anyone.
This was the perfect workshop which I would recommend to anyone who wants to try something new and get your creative juices flowing. The workshop no longer runs but there may be something similar in the future, click here for more info.
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