Field Notes #2: Practice (a backlog)
Documenting explorations in this practice as it unfolds. Experiments, small discoveries, frustrations, and moments of clarity. Written in the moment.
This entry is a backlog - digitised after I had formally published Field Notes #1. This practice round wasn't as inspiring as that post, but as I had committed to myself for Flowers By The Moon, I'm still publishing this entry (at least on this blog).
5 March, Thursday (3:25pm â 6pm)
Materials: Lily + pandan leaves + orchid spray
Ikebana â Nageire-style inspired (form and structure). The lilies were already almost near-perfect, if not for the tearing stem that was close to breaking.
Tried China chives and dragon chives â not ideal. They wilt too easily, the form doesnât hold, and the scent is light but oddly salty. Not the uplifting, savoury kind (like butter on a pan), but more like a watery saltiness.
The lilies were already large as they were, and the spray orchids look like globs of darkness â so they didnât quite stand out, more like a void in the arrangement. I do love how the lilies have bloomed. It was a challenge working within the constraints of one lily stem and three orchid stems.
The pandan leaves dried nicely and curled slightly. I actually prefer them this way over fresh. They were soft though, so they couldnât stand securely in the kenzan for long.
I couldnât bear to cut the lilies apart, because I wanted to keep the height. The orchid sprays only got added in right at the end, when I was packing up. I ended up just going for it and cutting them shorter.
Q: How do people work with dark-coloured orchid sprays?
At the very end, when everything had to go back into the tray with water in the kenzan, I placed them quite loosely, almost anyhow, and the arrangement actually worked much better. The longer parts still need pruning, but itâs growing on me, especially in terms of structure and composition.
It now feels like "something growing naturally at the waterâs edge" â an organic quality emerging.
Even though I didnât actively apply any specific experiments from the ikebana text I read today, I can sense how itâs helping. Iâm beginning to build a new language through the way the author writes and describes. When we can start to name things, something opens up. The translation flows more freely as we express what wants to be expressed. Most of the time. :)
7 March, Saturday (2:30pm â 5pm)
Materials: Matricaria + lily + orchid spray
I initially loved the scent of matricaria â it was very healing. But then I caught occasional whiffs of something like âsweaty socksâ (the image that came to mind when trying to describe it), which I realised came from the leaves, especially those (which was most) had already gone all black and soggy.
When crushed, the leaves have the potential for a herbal, medicinal scent. But since these were already past their prime, there was a sharp after-scent; again, that âold socksâ note, for lack of a better description.
The flowers themselves are so dainty â I love them. They might even top sweet verbena for me, if it weren't for the leaves. Iâd like the chance to smell them fresh next time to confirm whether itâs just leaves that have gone bad, or if that note is always present.
Iâm really glad I picked these up on a whim at the supermarket. They added much-needed contrast to yesterdayâs lily arrangement. Itâs no longer just a deep, dark âvoidâ anymore. Might try adding the palm leaves diagonal back left.