Matte / Gloss

azalea, CHERRY, Hellebore

Flowering branches and Lenten rose in a vase with tenmoku glaze


MARCH


INGREDIENTS

Rhododendron (azalea) - variety unknown

Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis' (winter-flowering cherry)

Helleborus orientalis 'Anemone Picotee' (Lenten rose)

Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Red' (Lenten rose)

Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Double Purple' (Lenten rose)

VASE

Tenmoku urn by Cara Guthrie

Chicken wire


NOTES

An asymmetric shape, slightly wider than it is tall. I edited the branches out quite a bit to provide avenues of negative space between them. The sculptural twigginess suits a restrained selection of accommpanying flowers so I kept it to just three varieties of hellebore, grouping the colours - plum, ivory streaked with blackcurrant and almost-black. The hellebores have a velvety, matte quality to them - I think this dustiness contrasts well with the slick gloss of the vase. The ‘tenmoku’ glaze has a high content of iron oxide and is reduction fired.