Ikebana

"While painting is an expression of art drawn on a canvas with brush, ikebana is an expression in three dimensions composed of plant material arranged in a vase. Nature is our paint brush."

The art of Ikebana originated with Buddhist Monks as a form of meditation and as a tribute to Buddha. In Japan, this beautiful art form was developed further to incorporate a physical form of meditation and harmony. In history, Samurai warriors calmed their minds doing Ikebana before going into battle. Today, contemporary Ikebana can be created in any home, building or office as a means of creating beauty and harmony in our everyday lifestyle.

Ikebana helps you to meditate while working with flowers, branches and greenery. At the same time, it brings nature and adds beauty to your home.

Lily Karmatz, was trained professionally as a fashion designer in Japan in the 70s', and at the same time, she took up Ikebana. With her love of nature, practicing Ikebana brought her closer to nature. She then went on to pursue her interest in Ikebana and became a recognized Ikebana teacher/artist. Recently, she was invited to North Carolina in the United States as an artist in residence.

As a practicing Ikebana artist/teacher, Lily has conducted many Ikebana workshops at art colleges and other organizations. She has had commissions to create floral installations for flower carnivals, exhibitions and special events. She is a monthly contributor of Ikebana articles to an International floral magazine. She was also a winner of floral installation at the Brisbane ABC Gardening Expo 07.