Joyce Shaw, renowned Ikebana expert and founder of the Jamaican chapter of Ikebana International
Georgia Hemmings, Staff Reporter
WHEN JOYCE Shaw talks about flowers, her flushed face, lively eyes, animated voice and emphatic gestures reflect her zeal and passion.
Soft-spoken, but with authority, she speaks about the art of selecting shrub, plants and other decorative flora and fashioning them into a harmony of beauty. For years, she has used flowers to bring pleasure to countless persons through decorations created for churches, homes, hospitals, weddings, receptions, funerals and christenings.
She's an expert at her craft, being a first degree master of the Ikebana School of Sogetsu. And, as a trailblazer, she has the distinction of being the founder of the Ikebana International chapter in Jamaica.
Mrs. Shaw studied Ikebana the Japanese art of floral arranging some 40 years ago while in Singapore when her husband Harold (Harry) was stationed there with the Royal Air Force (RAF). As an 'RAF wife', she was involved in a lot of social work and other activities on the station, but found the time to learn Ikebana. She studied with Mrs. Lee Chung Gee, a Sogetsu master, and, after many years, became an expert herself. As a master, she is qualified to teach, examine and recommend candidates to the school in Japan.
Reminiscing
Short, plump and bubbling, a smile played constantly on her lips as she reminisced with Outlook.
"It was a long process and took many years, although it was essentially 12 lessons, each within a prescribed time. I had to assist Mrs. Lee in arranging demonstrations, and organising exhibitions of my creations. This involved evaluation and critique from Japanese experts, but my work always received a pass and was never criticised. This bothered me at first the lack of criticism but Mrs. Lee assured me that it was due to my natural talent and the originality and creativity of the designs," she explained.
Further studies followed in England, and when her husband was finally discharged from the RAF and returned to Jamaica, she set about sharing her new-found knowledge with friends. The ensuing years recorded her involvement in lectures and demonstrations at schools, clubs and horticultural shows, even as she continued her own Ikebana exhibitions. In 1970, she founded the local Ikebana chapter and tutored other instructors.
It was Mrs. Shaw who did the floral decorations at the Holy Trinity Cathedral on North Street in Kingston for the state funerals of late National Heo Sir Alexander Bustamante and Prime Minister Michael Manley.
She also participated in international shows (winning many awards), and worked closely with various local groups and organisations. Tributes and accolades later poured in from the Jamaica National Investments Promotion (now JAMPRO), Jamaica Horticultural Society, Jamaica Agricultural Society, National Housing Trust, Homestead Place of Safety and others with whom she'd worked.
Today, at 79 (her next birthday will be on Christmas Eve), Mrs. Shaw is practising less of her craft, but her commitment to Ikebana has not wavered.
"I'm not as active as before, as I've cut back on classes and demonstra-tions. I became ill after Harry's death some years ago and am still recovering," the Ikebana expert told Outlook, running a finger over unused worktables, tall vases, shallow bowls and tools of trade in her home-based studio in Drumblair, St. Andrew.
She shares the home, with eldest son, Harold, Jnr. (affectionately called Hal) and his family, and takes pleasure in helping to raise Kiko, her chubby granddaughter.
Family
Interacting with family become very important to her in the recovery period and, from time to time, she travels to visit her five other children (Josephine, Vivienne, Jerry, Claudette and Suzette) and 'dozens' of grandchildren living in Jamaica, England and Canada.
Her husband was one of her classmates at St. John's College, a private school in Kingston where she received her early education. During World War 11, he joined the RAF and went to England. But he returned to Jamaica at the end of the war and proposed to her.
Smiling at the memory, Mrs. Shaw recounted: "He said to me ' am not leaving here without you', so I accepted his proposal and we were married in 1947 at the Holy Rosary Church on Windward Road in Kingston."
Two children later, he returned to the RAF to continue his career, a move which later took him to Scotland where the remaining four children were born.
Mrs. Shaw's fond memories of their marriage include the four occasions when she was 'presented' to royalty.
"I remember the last occasion (in Jamaica in 2002) when the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Phillip) asked me if I was following them. I told him 'No, Sir, you are, for I live here!'"
Mrs. Shaw is no longer active in social and horticultural circles. But the senior Ikebana practitioner still has clients who continue to demand high quality displays. And, in fashioning her unique designs, she wants people to experience the closeness with nature which is an integral part of Ikebana.
"It is not always about the commercial value that an arrangement or creation can command. The message about mankind, heaven and earth is also important, the expression of beauty, respect and affection through nature," she explained.
According to her, the spiritual aspects of the craft are very important: "One becomes quiet and introspective in practising the skill, and also more patient and tolerant of differences. For it is these differences in nature that are emphasised in the careful arranging - different material that are synthesised and combined to create beauty. So, too, as people, we must understand and appreciate differences and learn to co-exist."
All her life, Joyce Shaw has been giving pleasure to people through flowers, and receiving her own gratification through thanks. And she vows to remain constant as she continues to decorate for weddings and birthdays, create displays for homes and special occasions or arrange demonstrations to pass on her floral craft.
