Rusting Away

An old model T rusting away near Highlands North Carolina on the Georgia road.....

Some books on WABI SABI that I recommend

Wabi Sabi for Artists,Designers,Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren  - Wabi Sabi by Andrew Juniper

They are usually available used at Amazon.....

Times Past

In a small meadow, somewhere in the mountains of western North Carolina, someone stuck an old bench  near a small tulip tree on the edge of the forest.  You can tell it once had a nice shiny coat of turquoise paint, and someone had taken care of it for a long time, but now it was left to the rain, snow and the elements to slowly wash the rest of the paint away. As the wood slowly rots, its former beauty is turned into a different sort of piece of art - touched by a  sweet sadness of time past, of a time when it served a function for someone maybe long gone - it now has earned its time to wither away in dignity in this peaceful place. 

Wabi Sabi

Wabi Sabi is difficult to put into words.   In fact, all the books written on the subject are NOT Japanese.  The Japanese believe that you cannot put into words, what it means.  So, how do you then explain what it is?  The best I can do, is to say that after reading 4 books on the subject, and many articles, I can say that I think I have somewhat of an understanding what it is.  Basically, I would say it has to do with the transience of life.  The philosophy of Wabi Sabi could be said to convey that, nothing is permanent, nothing is perfect, nothing is complete.  Beauty in Wabi Sabi terms, is not anything like the western understanding of beauty.  Things that decay, things that rust, things that wilt, and things that have flaws, in other words, things that that have imperfections as a natural continuation of the impermanence of things have an inner beauty.  The cracked tea cup, the rusty iron gate, the decaying wooden bench, all convey that transient nature of Wabi Sabi.

In addition to the transient nature of life and things in general, Wabi Sabi also conveys, simplicity, solitude, and a quality of earthiness in both colors and in its feel of roughness.  Brick and Slate, and not Marble.  A room with just a few items - a chair, a bed, one dresser, a vase with one flower, no clutter.  The walls, a muted earthy red or brown.  The floors, old worn wooden boards.

 Again, as I said earlier, it is difficult to convey what it really means, and in reality, although my explanation is my understanding of it, the way to really understand what it means, is to read as much about it as you can and after a while you will start to understand.