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Penjing drawing & photo: First Friday Art

Today I’m sharing a colored pencil penjing drawing I quickly drew this morning. Penjing, or penzai, is the Chinese version of Japanese bonsai. While bonsai often focuses on a single tree, penjing represents a scene in nature in a “three-dimensional painting.”

In China, these plantings have been created since at least the Han dynasty (206 B.C. to 221 A.D.).

My drawing is based on a penjing planting at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon. In my photo below, the wall of the gift shop made an interesting background.

I’ve always admired the artistry that goes into creating penjings. It requires a lot of patience and foresight.

Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.

First Friday Art

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SoyBend

Centered in Bend, Oregon, my blog branches out into nature, history, and art-related topics.

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