LIVING ART OF BONSAI: ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

HELD OVER! ‘Cool!”, ‘Beautiful!,’ ‘Amazing!’: bonsai have universal appeal. But why? What makes them so beautiful? You are invited to experience our 2018 special exhibit, Living Art of Bonsai: Elements of Design, in which we’ll break down major design elements of bonsai art—line, shape, form, space, color, and texture—and explore each element in detail. See how these design elements appear in bonsai, in trees, and in other works of art. Explore the exhibit and discover things you may not have seen before.

STONE IMAGES IX

Stone Images IX is a free exhibit open to the public featuring 28 stones collected by members of the Puget Sound Bonsai Association’s Viewing Stone Study Group. Viewing stones, as they are known in the United States (a.k.a. suiseki in Japan, or scholar stones in China) are naturally formed stones valued for their shape, color, beauty, pattern, and/or for what they can been seen to represent. Viewing stones are typically displayed on wooden stands (daiza); some stones are polished. When paired with bonsai, the viewing stone and bonsai tree each enhance the qualities of the other, and together, create a scene that might be found in nature. The practice of collecting and viewing stones originated in China about 2,000 years ago; it was introduced to Japan in the sixth century CE, and is now practiced worldwide. On view in the Pavilion Tuesdays through Sundays, from October 16 to December 9.