Miniature Ikebana Workshop with Nana Bellerud
I’m pleased to learn that the Portland Japanese Garden will host the second Miniature Ikebana workshop taught by Nana Bellerud and featuring my mini vases. Before leaving Portland, I made a large quantity of mini vases for Nana, knowing that shipping ceramics from France to the US would be tricky. It makes me happy to learn this workshop has been such a hit and that my vases are taken home by the participants to use in their own practice.
Please reach out if you would like to discuss wholesale orders.
Je suis ravie d'apprendre que le Jardin japonais de Portland va accueillir le deuxième atelier d'Ikebana miniature animé par Nana Bellerud, avec mes mini-vases. Avant de quitter Portland, j'avais préparé une grande quantité de ces mini-vases pour Nana, sachant que l'expédition de céramiques depuis la France vers les États-Unis serait complexe. Cela me fait très plaisir de voir que cet atelier rencontre un tel succès et que les participants repartent avec mes vases pour les utiliser dans leur propre pratique.
N'hésitez pas à me contacter si vous souhaitez discuter de commandes en gros.
From Portland Japanese Garden:
November 21, 2026 | 1:15 PM - 4:15 PM
July 12, 2025 | 2:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Visit Portland Japanese Garden to learn a method of ikebana that takes the beauty of this Japanese artform and puts it into a tiny form! Nana Goto Bellerud, Branch Director of Sogetsu Portland, will teach a basic introduction to ikebana, a Japanese and unique approach to flower arrangement that translates to “living flowers” or “giving life to flowers.” She will be focusing on miniature arrangements. No previous experience is needed.
The Sogetsu School of Ikebana believes ikebana can be practiced anytime, anywhere, by anyone. The three main elements designers use are line, color, and mass, with an emphasis on the designer’s individual artistic expression and creativity. Miniature ikebana adds an additional layer of nuance.
“When making the miniature ikebana of Sogetsu, we first look for small, used items such as shot glasses or seashells,” Bellerud shares. “Original vessels can be made of soft metals or clay. After the container has been chosen, we consider the plant materials. We carefully observe the different parts–petals, pistils, stamens, fruits, leaves, branches, and stems—to make new discoveries of their distinctive appearance. Then we combine the containers with plant parts to create a unique micro-world.”
Participants will first attend a public ikebana demonstration at 1:15pm in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner alongside visitors to the Garden. The demonstration will cover the basic concepts, techniques, and tools of ikebana.
Following the demonstration, workshop participants will be taken into their exclusive workshop in the Yanai Family Classroom. Beyond simply producing a beautiful work of art with flowers and natural objects, Bellerud will show you how ikebana explores artistic concepts such as balance, contrast, and negative space. During the workshop, participants will create three basic miniature arrangements in very small vessels, which will be provided by the instructor.
Space is limited to 18 participants. All tools will be provided. The workshop fee includes a set of three unique mini vases and the plant materials used in the workshop, which participants will take home after the workshop. Registration fees are non-refundable.
Example of Nana’s miniatures | Exemple de miniatures de Nana
Preparing sets of vases before leaving Portland | Préparation de ensembles de vases avant de quitter Portland
I’ve noticed a slight evolution in my style of vases over the past year. The image on the left shows the collection I made for Nana in Spring 2025. Lately, I have been playing with even more irregular shapes, textures, and rough edges as seen in the photo on the right.
Side note: I absolutely loved the color of the Klamath Yellow clay from Seattle Pottery Supply. Sadly, I have not found anything similar in France yet.
J'ai remarqué une légère évolution dans le style de mes vases au cours de l'année écoulée. L'image de gauche montre la collection que j'ai réalisée pour Nana au printemps 2025. Ces derniers temps, j'explore des formes encore plus irrégulières, ainsi que des textures et des bords bruts, comme on peut le voir sur la photo de droite.
Petite parenthèse : j'ai adoré la couleur de l'argile « Klamath Yellow » de chez Seattle Pottery Supply. Malheureusement, je n'ai encore rien trouvé de comparable en France.
2025
2026