Bonsai or trees marked by time and climate tell a story, says Lydie Carpentier.
When she was diagnosed with cancer, she promised herself that she would hold a beautiful bonsai exhibition with all of the trees in her collection. As a student of Mario Komsta and Jean Paul Polmans, she had gained much experience and knowledge in a very short time. Her collection has also grown enormously, both in number and quality. Fortunately, she recovered from this nasty disease and we were able to enjoy her beautiful collection. It was held in a club building nearby. With the help of Mario Komsta, the displays, tokonomas and the special darkened rooms were set up. Attention was paid to every detail, and in addition to the usual attributes like tables, kusamono and tenpai (small figurines), Lydie also incorporated her own paintings and sculptures with some of her bonsai.
Just like bonsai, our age and especially what we experience, gives us character
Lydie Carpentier
Lydie continues: ‘A tree that has been marked by time, matured and perhaps showing some beautiful deadwood, is often said to exude character. The same also applies to us humans, our age and especially what we experience in our lives gives us character. Keep going in the face of adversity and overcome it with character. During my illness, bonsai gave me comfort and strength to persevere. For me that was the motivation to do this exhibition and to share my trees with others. My dream came true.’
