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Lily Karmatz
15+ years teaching Ikebana
location_on Holland Park West, Brisbane
local_activity classes: Ikebana • Floristry
4.9 (108)Lily Karmatz is a visual artist and an Ikebana artist and teacher. She has taught Sogetsu Ikebana at the Brisbane Institute of Art, public venues and at her own studio for more than ten years. Ikebana is the ancient art of Japanese flower arrangement which resonates deeply today as the world becomes more environmentally aware and sensitive. Lily's extensive artistic experience, knowledge and teaching abilities are greatly in demand.
Not only is she an installation artist, Lily is also an accomplished painter, sculptor, ceramist and a mixed media artist. Her work is often ephemeral in nature and large in scale. A few of her Ikebana and installation works can be seen in the publication Ikebana Today by an international publisher, Stichting Kunstboek, Belgium.
In her art practice, she also likes working with digital art. She has designed and produced brochures, promotional materials and digital art. She was also a monthly Ikebana lessons contributor for Floral Design Magazine (2004 - 2008) published in New Zealand and distributed internationally.
Ikebana Arrangement
In both 2008 and 2012, Lily was invited to be the Artist in Residence at the Cary Art Centre in North Carolina, USA. From 2011 to 2014, she was selected as one of the Artists on Tour (AoT) by Flying Arts, an organisation that promotes and services visual art education and workshops throughout regional Queensland. In 2010, she was invited as Artist in Residence for Eco Ephemeral Art, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland. During her residencies she created installations and conducted Ikebana art workshops for adults and children. Among her many activities, she is the Ikebana workshops facilitator.
For Lily, Ikebana is not just about beautiful flower arrangements in the house. Her philosophy is simple and direct: "Ikebana as an expressive art form is a disciplined combination of natural elements, human creativity and the constant perfecting of technique." As one student so aptly said, "Ikebana brings nature to my home environment. It's an art form that can be appreciated with the whole family."
Classes
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Reviews
(108)
Jess • Apr 2024
I had a lovely time with my daughter getting an introduction to the art of Ikebana. Lily is very passionate about her craft. She shared interesting history about ikebana and her life experiences and was able to guide us to create beautiful arrangements. Her studio is lovely and full of inspiration! She provided all materials - a variety of fresh and dried plants and flowers, as well as beautiful pots.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it!
Eliza Sullivan • Apr 2024
Spent a wonderful morning learning the art of Ikibana. Lily was a fantastic teacher who gave very helpful direction. There were a range of materials to choose from, and we each got to take home our creation :)
Sinead Kirkby • Mar 2024
Loved the location, the studio was personal and well equipped. Lily was a fantastic tutor. I especially valued the feedback at the end with hints and tips on how to take the arrangements to the next level.
Would highly recommend.
Cam Tolmie • Feb 2024
I like how she broke down the elements of Ikebana and incorporated her experiences into the class. It made it easier to digest a rather complex practice
Bronwyn Hamblyn • Jan 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed the workshop for beginners. Lily kept in contact with us and gave us the information we needed to attend the class. Lily has a weath of knowledge about the subject. I loved all the flowers, leaves, gumnuts and dried plants that were supplies.
Anita Gill • Jan 2024
Was a enjoyable morning and was very informative, was excellent value to money And material supplied was good
Kathryn Pattemore • Jan 2024
Lovely class, beautiful teacher. Enjoyed this so much. Interesting history and beautiful form of art.
Barbara Kouzoukas • Nov 2023
I had a very pleasant morning at the Ikenana flower arranging class with Lily. She was very welcoming and clearly knowledgable in her art. It was a friendly small class with all flowers and pot provided for us to take home our finished arrangements. Under Lily’s guidance we each created very different arrangements that were reflective of our individual style within the Ikebana paradigm.
Katherine Bodrog • Oct 2023
Easy to get to and park. Very friendly relaxed time. Loved the selection of materials. Really nice to meet others. Lily has such a deep knowledge and travelling life experience adds to the class. Opened my mind to different plants and materials.
Graham • Sep 2023
9 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
We had a really enjoyable morning at our class. Lily provided a great history of Ikebana and lots of lovely fresh and dried materials for us to choose from. It was fun and with guidance we all created something we loved. Thank you!
Janine Laarhoven • Aug 2023
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Lily was very welcoming, informative & talented. She guided us patiently to ensure we were happy with our final ikebana pieces. We booked to celebrate a friends 50th and walked away very proud of our ikebana arrangements Thank you Lily for a fun & creative class! Janine, Kerry & Michelle
Kerry Devoy • Aug 2023
Lily was great, She told us a bit of history on Ikebana, explained the concept. We each made our own Ikebana arrangement with Lily's guidance to take home. Plenty of material to choose from. I went with friends and had a great time. Highly recommend having a go at this.
Maxine Weston • Jul 2023
Lily is so friendly and helpful that you feel completely at ease. Ikebana is such a deep and interesting and delightful subject it is a joy to experience. I would recommend Lily’s class to anyone who is considering taking a class as you begin to walk through the wonderland of this style of flower arranging. Thanks so much Lily for a wonderful morning
Tiana Moore • May 2023
Lily’s class was perfect, she had so much knowledge on Ikebana and the class was interesting, fun and challenging in the best way. There were so many materials to choose from and we had ample freedom to be creative. My group and I had the best time and can’t wait to share what we learnt and Ikebana with others.
Denise Strawbridge • May 2023
Lilly was so friendly and helpful.
She made us feel welcome in her delightful studio, which was fabulously decorated with artworks and plants.
I was so excited to be able to choose from the dry and fresh varieties available.
Lilly provided books to look through and gave us a very interesting summary of what "Ikebana" is about.
I loved the way she stood back, allowing us to decide without taking over and made helpful suggestions.
My friend and I were so pleased with our finished pieces of floral art and couldnt wait to show them off.
I would recommend this class to my friends and family
Denise
Patricia Vaughan • Apr 2023
Lily’s Art Studio (venue) really set the mood - it was so pleasing to walk in and be surrounded by not only Lily’s Ikebana designs but colourful paintings, pots, dried leaves, branches, flower stalks etc as well as fresh green leaves and foliage and a variety of cut flowers - it was amazing - I was a little early (at Lily’s suggestion) and was invited to browse the books on Ikebana Design while enjoying cup of tea - when the others arrived (just 6 of us) Lily maintained a friendly relaxed manner as we introduced ourselves and Lily talked about the history of Ikebana and gave us an insight on the art form and some important factors to remember in design - we were then invited to choose a pot and dried or fresh foliage to begin our own creation - Lily gave us space to work and was helpful and encouraging as we started - it was a bit daunting at first but Lily was there to advise and suggest - she gave us all time to produce our best work then we all listened as each one was critiqued and some slight changes made - the class went overtime and Lily didn’t mind and we certainly didn’t - I thoroughly enjoyed the morning and learnt a lot - there is still much to learn but I am very happy with my Ikebana Arrangement
Abigail Attwell-Heap • Apr 2023
Relaxing and enjoyable Sunday morning. Small class meant Lily was able to help guide creation.
Kim Whitehead • Apr 2023
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews
The class was very enjoyable & Lily explained everything really well. Lily was able to help everyone individually with their arrangement & gave very helpful advice on what we could add or take away to best examplify the Ikebana principles in flower arranging.
Fiona Southwell • Apr 2023
5 ClassBento workshops attended • 5 reviews
Excellent introduction to the art of Ikebana in a relax atmosphere surrounded by flowers, greenery and art. Lily is a master of the art and keen to share her knowledge and experience. Each of us made our own arrangement which were then shared with the class. Each of us benefited from Lily's advice and we all learn even more during this session. A fun way to learn a new art form in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. We went over time by about an hour so best not to book something straight after the finish as it tends to be flexible but certainly worth staying for. One word of warning - you need to walk up a very, very steep driveway - anyone with mobility issues or elderly probably should reconsider this class held at Lily's studio.
Maxine Sculthorpe-Pike • Apr 2023
Great teacher offering quality attention and tangible results. The small group bonded over individual projects and Lily impressed us with her insights and wealth of experience With her personal guidance we each created our own unique piece, and she was able to coax the artist out of all of us.
Hasini Eliyapura • Dec 2022
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 3 reviews
Really dedicated teacher with plenty of experience! Loved the venue and all the items we were provided with to experiment with! I had a great time and ended up making a beautiful piece of ikebana!
Alexandra Lindsay • Nov 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Lily has a lovely studio with plenty of materials to choose from for your arrangement. Great for first time beginners like me to start from scratch and build my own freestyle arrangement.
Lily is a very encouraging and passionate teacher! Thanks for having me!
Zoe Hildebrand • Oct 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Lily was a fantastic teacher who is passionate about ikebana. The class was a great mix of learning about the history and culture as well as hands-on creating. I really enjoyed the process of creating my arrangement and was pleasantly surprised at how good the final product was! Lily provided a fantastic range of materials to work with and helpful feedback and advice. Would highly recommend this class.
Sue Kohler • Oct 2022
There were 6 beginners in this Ikebana class- lily made us so comfortable we were happy to embrace our first attempt with enthusiasm and no fear of making “ mistakes” lily is a master of the art, with decades of experience snd awards, but was totally down to earth and made the class a pleasure.the photo is my first attempt and I’m going to try and do an arrangement each week.
Lara Canfield • Oct 2022
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Lily is so generous with sharing her extensive knowledge and skills in this beautiful art form. A thoroughly enjoyable workshop.
Charlene Ferguson • Sep 2022
Lily's passion for Ikebana shines straight through - you simply cannot leave this class without feeling inspired. I left this class enlightened, with a whole new perspective of my natural surroundings. Lily gave our family so many smiles and memories to take home with us (along with our Ikebana's) - we were talking about it for the rest of the day.
Could not recommend this more. Great value!
Jacqueline Besson • Aug 2022
I loved this class. Lily spent about an hour talking about the principles of ikebana and her experiences. She showed us some examples of her work. She had a variety of bowls and materials for us to work with. She was supportive and helpful with our arrangements. The other class members were lovely and fun. Lily sent us all follow up photos and documentation. Would definitely recommend.
Julia Duncan • Aug 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Lily was a great teacher, working in her studio was so inspiring. Such a positive environment and I will be looking at flowers differently now because of this class!
Deborah Brawn • Jun 2022
Mum and I enjoyed a fantastic class with Lily today. Learnt so much and very inspired to continue our Ikebana journey. Thank you Lily!
Corrie Nantes • Jun 2022
I can not recommend lily class highly enough, her inspiring studio, incredibly informative teaching around ikebana flower art style, supportive teaching and individual guidance. This class has changed the way I perceive creating with nature and brining life back to flowers. Thank you lily
Aminna Karovic • Apr 2022
4 ClassBento workshops attended
Lily was fantastic to be taught by, she has so much knowledge and talent and has remarkable history herself, a fascinating woman. It was a privilege to work in her space that had stunning her Ikebana on display for us to look at. The class size was small and intimate so that Lily could come around and help everyone, giving people the individual learning we needed. The end results were gorgeous and the materials provided were lovely! A plethora of knowledge was gained and I’m excited to heighten my knowledge with Lily in the future.
Barbara Bakker • Mar 2022
If you are wanting a group activity with your friends, this is perfect. Our teacher, Lily has a passion for Ikebana that is contagious. Lily's patient and honest feedback to all our arrangements was well received and we had so many laughs with Lily that by the end of the night we all felt we had a new friend in our midst. The time went so fast that we will be doing another class with Lily, just so that we can show her what we learned.
Nancy Gillam • Mar 2022
9 ClassBento workshops attended • 8 reviews
Wow what a wonderful time I had learning this new skill.
Teacher was terrific encouraged hands on learning Lily created an atmosphere that felt safe welcoming and encouraging.
Julia Slykerman • Feb 2022
2 ClassBento workshops attended
Lily arranged a fantastic private class for us in her studio. She spent lots of time going through the history of Ikebana, the different styles and their focus and answered all our questions. She provided a vessel and lots of fresh and dried materials for our arrangements. Whilst helping us meet the specific Ikebana dimensions, she allowed us plenty of space to use our own creativity in our arrangements. It was a very relaxing and inspiring session. I would highly recommend the experience!
Olivia Lee • Jan 2022
Lily is very friendly and helpful. We were able to see her other awesome artworks in her workshop where we learned ikebana. I fell in love with the buddhist philosophy rooted in practicing Ikebana. I loved Lily’s interesting and experimental approach with her arts. Very inspiring. Loved the class. Thanks Lily.
Suzanne Main • Oct 2021
I enjoyed this class and appreciated the history of Ikebana to guide my efforts. Lots of flowers, leaves and materials to choose from so it was a great experience. Lily was a very good teacher.
Barbara Warner • Oct 2021
Lily was wonderful in explaining the concept of this beautiful form of art with flowers. Everything was provided with a huge choice of different forms of foliage. Very relaxing and a great way to meditate.
Nadisha Rambojun • Oct 2021
Both Mariana and I had such a wonderful time mindfully learning about the rich art and philosophy of Ikebana. And then to create our pieces with the kind guidance of Lily was wonderful. Lily has a wealth of knowledge and guided to be more creative as well with our approach.
Joy Evans • Jul 2021
Really enjoyable class, Lily was so full of of knowledge, very patient,Would Highly Recommend This Class. Great value for money.
Linda Steele • Jun 2021
Lily is a fabulous teacher. She is very knowledgeable about her subject and clearly explained the concepts of Ikebana. She allowed me to select materials from her vast array and once selected, gently encouraged me with my ideas. This was the best afternoon I’ve had in ages. I can’t wait to continue making work. A million thanks to you Lily.
Julie Cronin • May 2021
2 ClassBento workshops attended
What a great afternoon spent with Lily. I learnt some of the history of Ikebana before we started to become creative. It opened my mind to what I could use from nature to create these beautiful arrangements.
Janeen McIntyre • Apr 2021
What a fun way to spend a couple of hours. Lily is an accomplished ikebana artist whose love of this art form is infectious. She expertly guides you every step of the way yet allowing you the freedom to create your individual piece. Excellent value for money, highly recommended.
Donna Dowton • Apr 2021
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Excellent class and is great value for money. Looking forward to continuing my ikebana journey.
Trish Donnelly • Mar 2021
Great class, Lily was very experienced and knowledgeable.
Her studio was a lovely venue.
All the materials were provided, and there was such a great range, very generous Excellent value for money.
I left feeling I’d really learnt the beginnings of a new skill.
Ann McLean • Mar 2021
Fabulous evening meeting Lily and learning so much. Great synergies. Easy way to learn. Happy to return
Anne McNeill • Feb 2021
15 ClassBento workshops attended • 9 reviews
Lily was an excellent teacher and I received a lot of personal attention. She was able to convey the complex principles behind Ikebana and I found a great deal of enjoyment in creating my own arrangement. There were so many materials to choose from and Lily’s guidance was so helpful. I would thoroughly recommend Lily’s classes and congratulate on her own work which was ondisplay in her studio. Five stars!
Taylor • Feb 2021
Ikebana flower arranging was an interesting experience, the class briefly touching on schools of ikebana in Australia, and standard arrangement details.
The materials provided was a nice range, showing that things in the garden can just as easily be used as flowers.
The classroom provided ample space to move about, while the natural lighting made the space comfortable.
Would recommend as a helpful learning experience that was enjoyable
Annaliese Maslen • Feb 2021
My friend and I were looking for a new experience and booked the class together. Lily was fantastic, really welcoming and helped give us an understanding of Ikebana from a historic, artistic and practical perspective. We paid extra to buy the bowls we used for our flower arrangements and now both of us have beautiful decorations for our homes. I highly recommend this class for something different and for the amazing results you get to take home and share with your friends and family.
Peter Mansfield • Jan 2021
My husband organised the class for my birthday, it turned out I was the only student on the day, which made my experience so much more unique. Lily is a very interesting artist, with much knowledge and creativity to share. She covered a bit of the history of Ikebana, some of the technical and artistic aspects, and was delightfully easy to talk to and generous with gorgeous materials. I enjoyed myself and had ideas for other projects by the time I left there. Her studio space was filled with her art and such a lovely inspirational space to spend time in. Thanks Lily!
Jacinta Fromm • Jan 2021
Lily was very welcoming, and provided a wide variety of foliage and flowers. She gave a brief history and highlighted examples in magazines as well as explaining her own work. She gave valuable feedback and ideas as we worked on our arrangements. 2 hours was a good time frame. Reasonable cost - only 2 students attended so lots of tutor support. I was very happy with my first attempt.
Themi Georgiou • Jan 2021
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
very good.
on time .
informative.
good teacher.
i came away with a lovely art piece.
Melanie Schultz • Oct 2020
5 ClassBento workshops attended • 5 reviews
Lily is very talented in Ikebana and has had her ikebana art published
She explained the principles and history and was very helpful, great materials to work with, and a lovely lady who loves nature and art
C Campbell • Oct 2020
3 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Lily is such a great teacher, generous with her knowledge and materials. A great way to begin your journey in this art form
Maryanne Collins • Sep 2020
The teacher was lovely spoke well understood her easily, studio was good, was offered tea n coffee on arrival much appreciated, area was easy enough to find with GPS but steep driveway, just would have liked a little more time spent on practical a little less on history of ikebana, supplies on offer were wonderful. Teacher very helpful.
Kathleen Foster • Sep 2020
Lily was very friendly and welcoming and gave me a lot of information about Ikebana and the techniques used. Her studio is delightful and full of wonderful creations she has made. I'm very proud of the arrangement I made and several friends have already admired it. I really enjoyed the class.
Lauren Cole • Aug 2020
2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews
Lily is a great teacher and her studio is peaceful and inspiring! Ikebana is something I would love to pursue further, very relaxing. Would definitely recommend this course
Julie Sager • Aug 2020
Lily was a wonderful teacher with so much knowledge I wanted to sit with her for hours. Course was value for money and I will be back
Andrea Schafer • Jul 2020
Fun interesting class, subject made interesting, and wonderful bountiful floristry product to choose from. Result was a beautiful arrangement to take home. Time went so fast (when we were having fun!). Thanks to Lily for a great day.
Kea Connor • Jul 2020
Had a terrific time today being creative with what nature has provided. With some practice I'm certain my creativity with the craft will blossom. All materials were available I.e. books, floral supplies etc and of course expert knowledge. Would recommend class to my friends.
Sabina Menzi • Jul 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed our Ikebana course with our passionate and talented teacher Lily. We felt very inspired and accomplished, and brought home beautiful work! I gifted the experience to my 17year old niece, and believe we got a lot of bang for our buck!
Saijai Carre • May 2019
2 ClassBento workshops attended
The teacher was very knowledgeable and expert in ikebana. She explained techniques and concepts well. The studio was well equipped and ideal for being artistic.
