Nicholas Pumper Art

Bonsai at Como


Acrylic on Canvas

16” x 12”

June 2020

If you spend time with me, you'll quickly find that I adore plants. Plants deserve such recognition because they are opposite of what we typically find beautiful: order. They lack symmetry, their branches are tangled up, their trunks knotted, and they live in dirt. They are a mess and completely lack perfection. However, we know the bonsai is real and we find it beautiful because of its many imperfections. The care put into it over decades has revealed that it is work of art that can never be repeated. In a culture that demands instantaneous gratification, this is something that cannot be copied, designed, or mass produced. It cannot be sped up, it must go at its own pace.⠀

How much do we throw away because it has imperfections, or takes a long time to grow? We will never have a friend for life, a close relationship with family, an undying bond with a spouse, or faith in God, without getting our hearts all tangled and knotted up. Our culture teaches us to throw something away the moment imperfections show up. But just as we know the bonsai is real because of its imperfections, so is it with our relationships. But given diligent and truly loving care, you might find striking something that will only ever exist once, and make your life beautiful.⠀