DOUBLE SHIN

About three weeks ago I saw a Brachychiton Acerfolia in Geelong in full flower. It was sensational but I was unable to photograph it at the time. Here it is slightly passed its' full glory. 




One of the reasons its' colour is so dramatic is that the flower stems are the same intense red as the small bell flowers themselves. I showed some pictures of same type of tree on my blog entry on 27th November last year that I had taken when I was in Brisbane.


Two nights ago my attention was caught by the flowerhead on this papyrus growing in our conservatory. It looked faintly luminous against the black of the night sky.


Here it is again the following day silhouetted against the awning.


This week I have made a double shin arrangement in a traditional ceramic suiban. I demonstrated it for my students who began their classes for this year last Thursday. When I first created the arrangement for the students it was on a very low stand and almost at floor level. I therefore had to use more flowers to conceal the kenzans. The picture below was a re-creation, at home, of the work at table height. 

A double shin arrangement is at risk of looking symmetrical,  to ensure asymmetry I have created additional massing on the left to support the shin on that side. Because I have chosen to cross the two shins, I felt the result was a less naturalistic appearance so I created triangles with the leaves to make the work look a bit sharper and be consistent. By using two kenzans and setting the second shin toward the rear I have also been able to create some space at the base of the work and reveal the surface of the water. I wanted to create a cool feel for the summer weather. 


Greetings from Christopher
5th February 2012





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