I'm posting this mostly because I'm bored, but also I want to see if anyone can identify with what I'm experiencing and have experienced in this wonderful art.
When I first started out in bonsai I was a secluded student of the art. I was not able to go to clubs and was restricted to books and the net to gain knowledge of both plants in general and the art form itself.
As a result I picked plants willy nilly as they caught my eye in books or on the web. I gathered all kinds of different species of trees and shrubs to create bonsai out of. But I never really mastered any of the species completely. That was about 13 years ago. I only know a little about each species I worked with to this day.
I decided some years ago to reduce my collection and concentrate on a few species. But, now life has turned and I'm freed up to get involved with my local club. And it's like I'm getting the bonsai bug all over again. I want to get every species of tree that catches my eye. In fact, the Birch family has really got my attention at the moment and just a few minutes ago I inquired about purchasing a relative of the Birch, the American Hornbeam.
This is very funny to me, especially since when I started in bonsai I was more interested in tropicals like ficus and bougie's. But now I'm more into Deciduous and Conifer trees.
I also have come to realize I'm some what of a bonsai snob (tongue in cheek). I don't too much care for the "naturalistic" style. And, whether or not making an azalea bonsai resemble a pine tree, like they are currently being done in Japan, is "right" or "wrong" according to nature....I don't really care. I like it. I like trees that evoke images of mythology. My idea of bonsai has developed beyond what I see in nature and into the realm of epic legends and myths. A very idealized form I guess.
I think maybe my bonsai "pallet" has matured. Not that it is better than any one else's. But by having a mature "pallet" I can "taste" all the different flavors now and I finally know what I like. Now if only I could restrain myself to concentrate on a few species like I set out to do a few years ago....
When I first started out in bonsai I was a secluded student of the art. I was not able to go to clubs and was restricted to books and the net to gain knowledge of both plants in general and the art form itself.
As a result I picked plants willy nilly as they caught my eye in books or on the web. I gathered all kinds of different species of trees and shrubs to create bonsai out of. But I never really mastered any of the species completely. That was about 13 years ago. I only know a little about each species I worked with to this day.
I decided some years ago to reduce my collection and concentrate on a few species. But, now life has turned and I'm freed up to get involved with my local club. And it's like I'm getting the bonsai bug all over again. I want to get every species of tree that catches my eye. In fact, the Birch family has really got my attention at the moment and just a few minutes ago I inquired about purchasing a relative of the Birch, the American Hornbeam.
This is very funny to me, especially since when I started in bonsai I was more interested in tropicals like ficus and bougie's. But now I'm more into Deciduous and Conifer trees.
I also have come to realize I'm some what of a bonsai snob (tongue in cheek). I don't too much care for the "naturalistic" style. And, whether or not making an azalea bonsai resemble a pine tree, like they are currently being done in Japan, is "right" or "wrong" according to nature....I don't really care. I like it. I like trees that evoke images of mythology. My idea of bonsai has developed beyond what I see in nature and into the realm of epic legends and myths. A very idealized form I guess.
I think maybe my bonsai "pallet" has matured. Not that it is better than any one else's. But by having a mature "pallet" I can "taste" all the different flavors now and I finally know what I like. Now if only I could restrain myself to concentrate on a few species like I set out to do a few years ago....
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