The lens vase is ideal for ikebana flower arrangements. Its form contrasts a smooth, round, hand-inviting vessel shape with a torn opening from which flowers seem to explode. Each lens vase is a work of art on its own, but the understated design allows it to yield chief place to a flower arrangement. The vases both encourage and reward creativity in flower design, both for the serious student of ikebana, or the avid amateur flower arranger.
Lens vases are not cast in a mold. They are constructed one at a time from heavy brass sheet, shaped with hand tools, then pierced while glowing hot to form the torn, exploded-looking aperture for the flowers, and finally patinaed fashion by hand using traditional sculptural patinas.
The White Ochre patina is a three-layer-deep patina, each layer being a different chemical solution, brushed on while heating the metal. The layered patina gives the color great depth. On the inside of the neck of the vase, I omit the middle (brown) layer, which leaves the inner neck white blue-green as an accent.
Each vase comes with a kenzan (pin frog) to fit inside and enable the dramatic flower arrangements you see here, and many more beyond, limited only by your imagination.
[flower arrangement with orange flowers and photo by Karen Gabaldon]
Product code: Ikebana Lens fashion Vase: white ochre patina on fabricated brass vase