Bonsai #2 The Beauty of Time, Original Ink Painting
Bonsai #2 The Beauty of Time, Original Ink Painting.
Ageing is a gift we often take for granted.
Modern humans seem so obsessed with youth that we often overlook the value of something that has been around for a long time. The amount of knowledge and experience acquired over time is so special and precious but, like trees, we often take it for granted. The more context we have, the deeper our understanding is and the richer our life experience is. The superficial joys of life can be found in the new and fleeting but true magic can be found in things that tell a story of how they lived and what it means to exist.
Every crease and mark adds depth and information that help us develop our understanding.
Studying the details allows us to look deeper. Here we can find answers to our questions. Here we can find meaning and purpose. Here we can come to appreciate all the creases and marks we ourselves have acquired through the years and understand their value when we realise that they are earned and that they form who we are. When the veil is lifted we can see the true beauty in the world.
Crafting the Artwork
The original artwork is 57x38cm Hahnemuhle 'The Collection' Water Colour paper with a deckle edge. The paper was stained with lightfast, pigmented acrylic ink to create an aged look, which in itself is quite beautiful. The ink was applied using a dip pen for the leaves and a fine brush was used to draw the bark and moss.
Inspiration
Inspired by bonsai's grown on top of unusual bases, this subject has the tree grown on top of an older and larger petrified tree. The distorted scale creates a confusion to the actual size of the tree. The title calls the tree a bonsai but the elements in the drawing suggest that it is full grown tree. This suspends reality and creates a fantasy quality to the realistic depiction almost as if it is an old documentation of a tree in another universe.
The original artwork is available here: https://www.thesalsacreative.com/product-page/bonsai-2-the-beauty-of-time-original
And Timed Limited Prints are available here until midnight 16 October 2023: https://salmapricenell.com/pages/bonsai
Prints were released in an edition of 15xA3 and 5xA1
If you were inspired by this article, please leave your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to hear them.
Take good care of yourself,
Salma Price-Nell
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