Yesterday I went to the first of a series of four lectures on contemporary Japanese ceramics, which are being held at the National Gallery of Australia. While waiting for the audience to settle in I did a quick ‘blind’ drawing of the image on the screen of an ikebana arrangement by Kawana Tetsunori, a master of the Sogetsu School of ikebana.

Kawana Tetsunori, ikebana arrangement, 18 July 2013

I love the serendipity of life. When I looked up Kawana San’s website I realised that I had seen a major installation work of his, ‘Five Elements Water’, at the National Gallery of Victoria in June 2009. Not only that, but I had made a number of drawings of the installation.

Five Elements Water, Kawana Tetsunori, NGV Melbourne, June 2009, brush pen on paper

Five Elements Water Kawana Tetsunori, NGV Melbourne June 2009, brush pen on paper

Five Elements Water Kawana Tetsunori, NGV Melbourne June 2009, brush pen on paper

The lecturer, Dr Wendy Ella Wright, was drawing attention to the link between post-WWII Japanese ceramics and their use by more contemporary Japanese schools of ikebana. OK, enough of the ikebana diversions.

I also did a second drawing of a work by Hayashi Yasuo called ‘Cloud’. This piece was made in 1948 and has a very glossy black surface. I’ve been unable to find out how large this piece is.

Cloud, Hayashi Yasuo, 1948, water colour and pen