Making the "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display

         Like the rest of the world, I was shocked and saddened to watch the invasion of Ukraine unfold in the last 11 days. Although exact numbers are hard to pin down in such a rapidly-evolving situation, early reports indicate that at least 10,000 soldiers on both sides and untold hundreds of civilians have already fallen in this war; meanwhile, over one million people have fled the country in this brief time (Miami Herald, Axios). Putin's self-interest cannot be placed above the rights of the Ukrainians to their lives, their democracy, and their freedoms. While the Ukrainian people are doing the most to maintain their freedom and stop Putin's aggression, many people around the world already understand the importance of this crisis and have taken to the streets in protest, opened their homes to refugees, traveled to Ukraine to volunteer, and donated to charities in support of the Ukrainian people. Although I am an ocean away from Ukraine, I hope these bonsai displays below will cause you to reflect on what you can do to help. For my part, I will be donating 10% of my bonsai seed sales to charities in Ukraine. At the links below you can also contribute directly to the National Bank of Ukraine in support of humanitarian aid or in support of their defense forces. 

Donate Directly

1. National Bank of Ukraine Opens Fundraising Account for Humanitarian Assistance to Ukrainians Affected by Russia’s Aggression

Sections

1. Basics of Formal Bonsai Display/Three-Point Display
2. Objective of the "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display
3. Preparing the Tree
4. Presenting the "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display
5. Resource Recap

I. Basics of Formal Bonsai Display/Three-Point Display

        For those of you unfamiliar with the formal display of bonsai, three-point displays are a traditional Japanese method to show bonsai in the context of a larger story. Often scroll paintings, accent rocks, plants, and figures are used to show a time of year or a natural setting while the elements also have visual harmony in their sizes, placements, and directionality. In the 21st century though, there is much freedom for a wider range of expression through this display method - if one is willing to experiment. Additional examples of American experimentation with three-point displays can be found in my previous post on the opening of the Pacific Bonsai Museum's "Natives" Exhibit as well as in an earlier composition I made for the George Floyd protests almost two years ago now.

II. Objective of the "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display

        In this display, I first wanted to highlight a Ukrainian native species that we Americans often use for bonsai but do not often think about its origin. The common privet, also known as English privet / Ligustrum vulgare is native to almost every country in Europe and its range extends even into parts of the Middle East and northern Africa (CABI). Another commonly used bonsai species that has a vast native range that extends into Ukraine is the Scots pine / Pinus sylvestris. When using introduced and ornamental species for bonsai, it can be hard to imagine what these species look like in their native environment and what those native environments are like, but if we take some time to study a bit deeper, it brings us more in tune with the natural stories of each species and how they intertwine with human history.

        Aside from hoping to capture the emotional current moment with the crisis in Ukraine and to inspire cascading actions to support Ukraine, I hope you can return to these displays if and when the crisis drags on. News cycles and attention spans are short these days, however, empathy is a muscle that we can consciously keep engaged. Citizens and our governments must not let cynicism dominate us and refuse to become numb to the seriousness of this war.

III. Preparing the Tree

        To achieve these goals, I first had to repot my candidate privet from its plastic training pot into its first bonsai pot. This tree was collected from a landscape ~2 years ago as it was no longer wanted; since that time, I have wired the branches once, pruned it back once or twice, and now repotted it once. The repot process is documented in the video linked at the top of the article, as well as the display process.
        Despite its young age as a bonsai and necessary additional development progress, this tree shows you can start experimenting with your bonsai displays at any time! There's no need to let waiting for your tree to become a show-winning masterpiece prevent you from being creative with displays.

Back

Front

The pot is the perfect width, but significant root reduction is needed!

Rear view post-repot

Front view, post-repot.

IV. Presenting the "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!"
Bonsai Display

        I had a few different ideas for the tree, accent, and painting combinations but as I finished these photos in a frenzy at 2am, only a handful of variations were produced. There is certainly much more room to explore!

 "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display
Version 1 - my favorite of the three.

 "Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display
Version 2

"Glory to Ukraine, Peace to Ukraine! / Слава Україні, мир Україні!" Bonsai Display
Version 3

V. Resource Recap

        Just to reiterate, you can support Ukrainians by donating directly to the National Bank of Ukraine at the links below.

Donate Directly

1. NBU Opens Fundraising Account for Humanitarian Assistance to Ukrainians Affected by Russia’s Aggression
2. NBU Opens Special Account to Raise Funds for Ukraine’s Armed Forces

Learn More & Stay Up To Date

        To learn more about this crisis as it unfolds, check out reddit.com/r/Ukraine or reddit.com/r/worldnews as these locations tend to accumulate plentiful firsthand and reliable media updates, respectively. Reputable journalists are also abundantly reporting in and around Ukraine and you may them through other sources as well.

        Those nearby or willing to travel can also find volunteer opportunities through reddit.com/r/VolunteerForUkraine.