Feature Gallery
The Penjing of Qingquan Zhao
Images and compositions by Qingquan Zhao.
Qingquan 'Brook' Zhao is one of the best known penjing artists to Western audiences, and rightly so. Zhao has pioneered the land-and-water form of penjing,
in which quiet microcosms of the natural world are sculpted from rock, soil, and trees, usually on a marble slab. Bringing together a staggering talent for
placing stones, a sensitive eye for natural beauty, and a mastery of tree penjing, Zhao creates marvellous plantings that capture the imagination of young children as
deftly as they win the admiration of experienced penjing artists. Zhao does not restrict himself to land-water penjing; he also creates expansive landscape penjing that
are dominated by natural rock formations, and graceful tree penjing, two of which are shown below. Zhao's book, Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment, shows additional exmaples from all three styles.
Five Needle Pine (Pinus parviflora)
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
Five Needle Pine (Pinus parviflora)
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
Five Needle Pine (Pinus parviflora)
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
Fukien Tea(Carmona microphylla)
Photo: Carl Bergstrom at the Pacific Rim Collection
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parviflora)
Korean Boxwood (Buxus sinica) with Turtle Shell Rock
Dwarf Japanese Juniper (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana')
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
