Linda Ely, Ikebana International, Chapter No. 1 Washington, D.C.

About: II Ch1, Ikebana and the Painting “Study of Two Pages” by Jose Villegas:

Ikebana International Chapter No. 1 was founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1956 to promote the art of Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, and promote friendship. Now, a worldwide organization, Ikebana International has over 100 chapters and 5600 members.  The organization motto is: Friendship through Flowers

The idea of an American woman, Ellen Gordon Allen, who discovered Ikebana while living in post WWII Japan as the wife of an American Army General, she saw Ikebana as an art that bridged language differences and held international promise as a means of building friendships among different cultures and sharing the beauty of flowers. The friends and associations she made while living in Japan enabled her to promote her idea of an international organization that led to the organization of Ikebana International in Tokyo Japan in April 1956, followed by the first chapter’s founding in Washington, D.C. in October 1956. 

Ikebana, a centuries old Japanese floral art, has many schools, from the ancient art of Ikenobo to the modern art of Sogetsu. I am a certified teacher of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana founded by Sofu Teshigahara in May 1926.

Sofu had been trained since childhood by his father, a master classical Ikebana artist and teacher, but Sofu, who was an independent spirit with an interest in sculpture, chafed at the rigidity and left his father’s practice to establish his own modern school based upon adaptability. Sofu believed that Ikebana could be practiced by anytime, anywhere, and by anyone, that it should be approached with a fresh mind and no fixed stereotypes, and that every creation is an expression of self and should be innovative and beautiful, utilizing the basic principles of Line, Mass and Color.

I chose Study of Two Pages by Jose Villegas because it so well represents line, mass and color… line in the legs of the Pages, mass in what they are wearing and carrying, and color throughout in the boldness of reds, golds and blue punctuated by swaths of white. It’s a rich and dynamic painting that resonates with strength. 

My interpretation of the painting reflects its power by my use of unconventional materials accented by fresh flowers.   

Bio:

I lived in Japan during my high school years and developed an appreciation for the culture, country and people, and my studies of Sogetsu Ikebana began fifteen years ago.

My career as an executive for luxury specialty retail stores in Washington, D.C. and New York City, led to travels in Europe, Scandinavia, and the Far East, and experience in merchandising, apparel manufacturing, national mail order and commercial and residential interior design.

I serve on the board of Ikebana International Washington, D.C., Chapter No. 1 and am board liaison with the Washington-Tokyo Women’s Club, to which I belong. 

I have demonstrated for Ikebana International Chapter No. 1, Sogetsu Washington D.C. , the Washington-Tokyo Women’s Club, and have exhibited at the U.S. National Arboretum, the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, VA, and the Philippine Embassy.

I am a member of the Yacht Haven Garden Club, District II NCAGC, am a Senior Advanced Designer and have served on the board, co-chaired the annual fashion show luncheon fund raiser, chaired table decorations for the event, and am currently Co-Chair of Design. 

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2024 Design photographed by Aimee Custis