Wabi Sabi - imperfection - Japanese green vase with pink magnolia

by Marly De Kok

This photo was taken in my new study where I placed a table and screen to make a nice background. The branch is from neighbour Nol who has a beautiful (in our village the eye-catcher) giant magnolia tree in his front garden. In was allowed to pick a branch after insisting but had to promise that I would donate a photo to him. For me, these flowers are the beginning of spring and it moves me every time again that the tree - so old - can produce such's magnificent display of flowers. Japanese is the vase, imperfect, so are the flowers. The vase is arranged Ikebana-style with a sloping branch sticking out to the right. On the table is a fallen stamp (part of the flower's pistil). This has come loose from the flower's stamp. Nature is not manufacturable, here you also see curled leaves and some rust but that is nature. The vase is blue-green crackle and has some spots and an uneven edge. Wabi Sabi is what they call it in Japan. Sometimes the cracks are joined with small strips of gold leaf. Perhaps a next little project. Visiting a museum where Japanese art was on display was very inspiring for me, though, and the sophistication speaks to me. The editing is quite neutral, although the background did get some editing. My aim is to photograph it as true to nature, though.