Shokubutsu
Bonsai is a practice of bondage. It is the equivalent of foot binding, or ear cropping for a plant. Its with a heavy heart that I admit that I am guilty of these indecencies. In 2012 I tried to keep three baby elm trees from a lower altitude alive in pots and they froze and died in the winter.
Let it Grow
Bonsai is a meditative practice. It brought me much to contemplate. To look at it from a Buddhist perspective it showed me that suffering is inherent in nature. Even plants suffer from deprivation. As the Buddha did when he was an ascetic. However the Buddha already explored that path for us and found no enlightenment there. So why would we forget our compassion and subject ourselves or even a blade of grass to wither. The second thing that this has shown me is that regardless of the size of the container life expresses its potential to its fullest ability. If a plant only has a little earth it will do what it can, but its fullest potential comes from union with the whole earth. When Siddhartha was confronted by Mara he put his fingers to the ground to indicate that the earth would witness his enlightenment. The earth that had given it nourishment to the Bodhi tree and made it the magnanimous pillar which sheltered him.
The Drawing
I made This drawing with the same felt tip pen I have been using for the past few drawings. I’ve come to appreciate the type of line variation I get from this pen because of it conical tip. It is beginning to get worn, as most felt tip pens do over time. Once it begins to feather it will be retired to a life of filling in dark spots. Its on 7’x10′ Canson mixed media paper.