Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement and can be translated to “making flowers alive”. The floral composition painted by Eelke Jelles Eelkema has a vivid aesthetic which gave me the idea that it could be astonishing to bring the flower painting to life using the technique of Ikebana. Thus, I dismantled the painting into different shapes and added small slots, with which it is possible to join the parts back together like a 3D puzzle. 

There is no right or wrong way to complete this puzzle. Instead, everyone can freely decide how to arrange the floral-shaped pieces which are also the attempt in Ikebana. To use the whole painting wisely, I started by cutting out shapes from the flowers in the center and worked my way to the border, in which the background has a remarkable texture.

Still Life with Flowers, the painting of Eelke Jelles Eelkema. Furthermore, this concept of 3d puzzle can also apply to other paintings with flowers and make a series of products, like another painting of Eelke Jelles Eekema as well and the painting of Balthasar van der Ast. It can be produced as a souvenir with die cutting or as an online service with an algorithm for users customizing shapes and downloading layout.