If you're referring to this part:mentioning Penjing was never meant to be a cheap shot, I have several books on Penjing as well as Bonsai and respect the two artforms equally - the point I was trying to make was that if we are talking Bonsai the focus is primarily the tree. In Penjing, not so much if you're looking at a landscape style planting. I was eluding to the Japanese zen ideal of a sort of "less is more" in reference to singular Bonsai Trees. So If you're judging a Bonsai by Bonsai standards, then yes all that Penjing stuff is considered "visual clutter." But in Penjing, it's par for the course. Bonsai is Bonsai. Penjing is Penjing. But I'm still trying to wrap my head around what exactly some of these images are. Just don't put Penjing in front of me and expect me to believe you when you say it's bonsai. That's the point I was making with that comment.
Apologies if I did not articulate my thoughts well enough for you to comprehend my meaning.
Ya know folks, reading through the first few pages of this thread was really disgustingly vile, and I was tempted to jump to the end and post without wading through it all, looking for redeeming quality, (dang, there just wasn't much quality there). When I began reading, my thoughts were those (R Stevens) "displays" aren't even bosai. Then I pondered and decided Penjing was really not an appropriate term either, (yet I was truly only guessing, per only my research between Bonsai - tree in a pot, and Penjing - tray landscape/scenery). Yet was actually, sorta kinda, hoping (hadn't started praying yet) of all the bnutters, surely someone would mention those displays could be Penjing, maybe. Then as soon as Brewmeister (finally) makes mention of Penjing, he is immediately rebuked for it. Really people, you just might want to do yourselves a favor, go back to kindergarten and learn what Merriam-Webster (ya know, the dictionary) did for communication. Just because you don't want to call a spade a spade, or would rather call a basketball a golf ball, or try to call a display with a bonsai, a "bonsai", or you have no desire to use google (kind sorta the new encyclopedic dictionary yet with translation too) to double check your own verbage or check someone else's verbage, welcome to the foundations of kindergarten, where we "shoul'da" learn't that a great deal has already been thunk, and made into what is called reference books, which tend to nullify "wull, I think it should be ..." or "well, I think it should be called ..." I'll throw this challenge out, "has anyone read Steven's explanation or his own critique of these stunning "art works?" And, if so, "how'd he do at accomplishing what he intended, or conveying a/the thought?" And brewmeister83, way to go!!! But you ain't the one who needs to be apologizing.
