Kattie Iwanski - Bonsai

Bonsai is a Japanese horticulture art where artists recreate various tree species in a miniature form including breeds such as azalea, boxwood, cedar, cherry blossom, Chinese elm, ficus, jade, Japanese maple, juniper, and oak (Nickson, 2021). Furthermore, each of these species represents a different conceptual offering from their higher power (Nickson, 2021). Since the different species of trees represent different concepts, the artist can specifically pick what tree they would like to grow and maintain based on the concept(s) that the tree represents (Nickson, 2021). Therefore, this displays calculation by being selective in the tree the artist chooses, but it also represents wisdom because the artist, as stated above, is basing their selection on the offerings in which it could bring to the artist or recipient (Nickson, 2021). This shows that the artist is educated and consciously thinking about the tree selection and its effects on the artist’s or recipient’s present and future (Nickson, 2021). In terms of the concepts that these trees represent, cherry blossoms depict “mortality, female dominance, renewal”, ficus symbolize “unity, new beginnings, abundance”, and jade portrays “wealth & prosperity, good luck, friendship (Nickson, 2021).

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