Tayama's Featured Floral Designer Keiko Kubo

Featured Floral Designer for July 2003

July 2003's Featured Floral Designer is Chicago-based floral artist Keiko Kubo. Keiko's designs employ the time-honored Japanese are ot Ikebana.

Keiko explains: "The meaning of the word Ikebana is "make flowers come alive" in the container. We create Ikebana using flowers after we cut them from the soil. The idea of Ikebana in it's container relates to the idea of us as humans living our given lives in our homes. Through Ikebana, I learn the death and the life of natural cycle, as well as the passage of time with nature. Ikebana to me is an impermanent art installation derived from the combination of nature and human being.

My Ikebana will evolve as I change and grow, but I always would like to create my style of Ikebana as an impermanent stamp of my self-identity."

We're honored to showcase the work of Keiko Kubo on our website.

Featured Designer: Keiko Kubo
Designer :	Keiko Kubo
Address:	Chicago, IL
	Keiko has a new book! Buy "Keiko's Ikebana" at Amazon.com here!

Container: Metal fabrication
I am interested in making ikebana by combining the natural materials and industrial materials together-two extremely different materials in one arrangement. Especially challenging was to arrange the very delicate orchids in the metal containers..

Container: Fabricated Metal Screen
I made the column shape out of metal screen. In order to highlight the color of the orchid, I used a dark purple paper for the background and a lighter violet colored paper on the inside of the column.

Container : Same as above
Image: I always look for the simplicity in my works rather than various combinations of colors and shapes. I was impressed by the colour of the lavender Anthrium. I made this arrangement using the color as the theme..

Container : Same as Arrangement 5
When fabricating the metal containers, I made many small holes on the surface. By threading the Bear grass inside and outside of the container through these holes, I made three-dimensional sculptural form.

Container: Same as arrangement 5
Image: How elegant the Oncidium Orchid is. I arranged the Oncidium like a fluttering group of small yellow butterflies.

Container: Same as Arrangement 8
Small yellow butterflies are flying in the loop of the air depicted by the Bear grass woven through the screen. A green paper is placed in one of the containers to make the color contrast with yellow Oncidium.

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