Eli Cecil
Bonsai Series
The Glass Bonsai investigates the fragileness of nature and self. This symbolism orbits around the concept of legacy verses sustainability. Each sculpture combines glassblowing techniques, glass sculpting and glass fusing to become the piece before you.
The Bonsai represents balance and growth. Each of the trees are rooted on a stone of a different color. Each color stone symbolizes the attributes that an individual may be rooted in. For instance, blue represents spirituality, red represents compassion, gold represents prosperity.
Being rooted in these traits gives an individual the foundation and ability to grow in the direction they want to go in life. Eventually, they make it to the apex of their life, represented by the canopy of the tree. Once we have grown to our full potential, we have the ability to provide guidance and sustenance for the next generation.
Just like a rainforest, the canopy is where the most abundant life is found, and the area above the rainforest is known as the “Emergence.” This layer where life is no longer tethered to the terrestrial foundation of life. This is represented by the additional sculptures that are added to the base of each Bonsai.
The concept is that once an individual is rooted confidently in the attributes that define their self, they can then grow and balance life in a way that provides prosperity for others.
Eli Cecil (b. 1988, Frederick, MD; B.F.A. Salisbury University, 2012) is a South Florida Glass Artist currently working and residing in Palm Beach County. Much of Cecil’s work orbits the dialogue of a conscious and sustainable future. His sculpture reflects on the balancing act between humanity and nature. Many of the themes are a narrative about growth, causality and the legacy left from one generation to the next.
In 2018 the Imagine Museum recognized Cecil with the “Artist of the Future Award.” This same year the Duncan McClellan Gallery presented him with an “Emerging Artist Residency” in St. Petersburg, Florida. Cecil was also a speaker and presenter at the Glass Art Society National Conference “Charting a Course to the Future” in 2019. In 2021 Cecil created his first public art installation, titled “Take Flight,” for the Jupiter Maltz Theatre in Jupiter, Florida.
He is currently the Creative Director at the Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts in Lake Worth Beach, Florida as well as an alumnus of Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2023. His most recent accomplishment is being selected to receive the esteemed “Artist Innovation Award of 2024” by the Cultural Council of West Palm Beach County. His work is currently on exhibit with the prestigious Habatat Galleries of Royal Oak, Michigan.
