From the Curator

In Western culture, we enter the New Year not on the first day of spring (Asian or lunar calendar), but shortly after the winter solstice, when much of nature is asleep. This time of twilight days and suspended animation is also a time for quiet reflection on life, both past and future. It is also a particularly beautiful time to visit the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, as in winter one can truly experience what the Japanese call “Wabi Sabi”. “Wabi” is an emotional state of quietude, simplicity, perhaps even melancholy brought on by a vision of “Sabi”—a thing that reveals the passage of time in being weathered and worn, so that it may bring to mind the fragile and fleeting nature of life.

Bonsai in winter show us the turn of the seasons, and how all things change. The brilliant colors of spring, summer and fall are gone, as is the brilliance of a sunny day, but in winter darkness, and especially in light rain, sounds are more hushed, and colors, though muted, are somehow more intense. Winter is also when deciduous trees are most beautiful. Standing leafless, the scars on the trunk, the texture of aging bark, and the architecture of branches and twigs developed over decades reveal a grace and nobility that leaves can only obscure.

Viewers who ask: “What kind of tree is it? Where does it grow in nature? Why does it look as it does? What has it experienced in its life?” will find that the bonsai have stories to tell. Putting a winter visit to the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection on your schedule is a gift you can give to yourself, and to your family and friends.

David De Groot
Curator