Ikebana - Infinite, Beauty in the Common Place

Artist: Torea Frey
Materials: Mixed Media
Dimensions: 8x8 in

Artist Statement: The fabric patterns I received related to florals: ikebana (the art of flower arranging) and morning glory. My mother was an artist and landscape designer who studied Japanese gardens and took several ikebana courses, so I decided to create my pieces as a tribute to her and her work. This pair of mixed-media ikebana compositions uses handmade and printed papers, stencils, and gestural ink sketches, combined with organic material, floral wire, and free-form blossoms from my kimono material. These flowers won’t fade, and they serve as a lasting reminder of the beauty of the ordinary, the everyday, the commonplace—a breath of calm in our busy world.

Artist Bio: Torea Frey is a mixed-media collage artist based in Clackamas, Oregon. She has been working with found papers, glue, and paint since the early 2000s, exploring the transformative potential of mundane materials. Her work has been shown in the US and internationally (at Denise Bibro Fine Art, Shift Gallery, and the Kolkata Academy of Fine Arts, for example), and it often grapples with issues of language, gender, identity, and memory. She is on the board of the Northwest Collage Society and is a member of the National Collage Society and Collage Artists of America.

Fabric Motif: Minimalist floral design in Japan is a structured system known as ikebana. Ikebana symbolizes the beauty of the natural world working in harmony.

This piece was part of the Yukata Inspired 2024, a collaborative exhibition between Okan Arts & Danaca Design featuring metalwork and collage. Learn more and view the entire collection HERE.