Artist Statement:

My Grandmother is one of the few Grand Master’s in the Ohara School of Ikebana still alive. Ikebana is a Japanese flower/tree arranging art form where in the Ohara School, emphasizes seasons and how it is very important to observe nature in order to try and emulate it through art.  With the naturally beautiful landscape of Japan it is easy to see how Ikebana became a popular art form, with each flower and branch connecting to different symbolism (heaven, humans, earth, sun, and moon). In the Ohara School, they describe how each branch or stem is like a hand (humans) reaching towards the skies above to heaven.

With symbolism for different things in nature, I decided to pay homage to my Grandmothers art form for this Flaneur project. I started at the base of the tree to symbolize earth and humans, then gradually made my way up the tree with the bark flowing like water until reaching the leaves and branches like a hand to heaven.