Advice:. What pot to pair with this tree for local show.

[sorce]

Huh?

I was coming back to elaborate and fold pot width back into this.

I hope you find the open side of you I love when discussing it, it matters especially more when there is likely an inevitable argument of foolishness on its way from others.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Scale matters also, especially in relation to pot selection, because trees tell a particular story no matter what our wishes are.

The reason this tree needs a more wide shallow pot to indicate expanse of landscape, is because of this scaled look of age to it's absolute physical extent. That look comes first, then we choose a pot to accentuate it, or give it the context it needs for that to make sense.

Should one cut all the branches back to a third, bringing the foliage in extremely, and jin more of the Apex, all of a sudden the tree utilizes a smaller pot, indicative of a smaller pocket in harsher terrain, and the higher jin makes sense, because it is not at peak health, so it will not have grown to peak extent.

It's arguable that this tree has some "wiggle room", but I'd say it represents peak physical extent to about 90-95%.

That 5-10% just isn't enough to make the jin make sense.

Artistically, I think the fact that it is a large pointer to this trees greatest "flaw" is more a reason to cut it off anyway. If we argue that, we have completely failed as a community to give bonsai advice.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

LETS SEE EM!!!

I think the reason something like this would work falls into this same idea of what the pot is actually saying.

At 90% peak health, a perfectly clean wide satin bag is almost too perfect of a landscape.

The lower DW that makes sense needs a reason.

This seems to offer a large feeling of expanse that provides that 90% health, but also tells of that expanse falling into a rather harsh environment.



A smaller one.



Made to drain at the sides.
They're hands only except for the holes.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

And they look windswept. I don't see that in the subject tree.

The thing is, junipers don’t naturally “grow in a field”. They are mountain trees. Yes, subject to winds and storms. That’s what creates the deadwood. Bonsai has it’s beginnings by Monks climbing the mountains and being impressed by the dwarfed trees, collecting them, bringing them back down to habitable elevations, then mimicking them. Thus creating “bonsai”. Therefore, all juniper bonsai, should be “wind influenced”. The fact the subject tree has a good amount of jin suggests that the wind has “influenced” it in some manner.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

The thing is, junipers don’t naturally “grow in a field”. They are mountain trees. Yes, subject to winds and storms. That’s what creates the deadwood. Bonsai has it’s beginnings by Monks climbing the mountains and being impressed by the dwarfed trees, collecting them, bringing them back down to habitable elevations, then mimicking them. Thus creating “bonsai”. Therefore, all juniper bonsai, should be “wind influenced”. The fact the subject tree has a good amount of jin suggests that the wind has “influenced” it in some manner.

Would you keep the jin or remove it?

 

[sorce]

IMO...

There is something to be said about how the facing dimensions of a pot, especially with large DW heavy junipers, are used, I'd say 80% of the time, as more artistic leaning, to provide that contrast between red pot and white jin.

This is usually in balanced proportions, on purpose.

Many Japanese Trees utilize this artistic contrast with these sizes of facing dimensions well.

Our trees, for the most part, do not display this well IMO.
Something about even @chicago1980 other tree, the squat bitchin RMJ, being a RMJ, wouldn't even play this contrast well, even with it's heavy DW, because it's an RMJ! There is just something that "feels" different.

I think this is something we are still working out with "American Trees".

Sorce

 

[Bonsai Orange County]

I think the reason something like this would work falls into this same idea of what the pot is actually saying.

At 90% peak health, a perfectly clean wide satin bag is almost too perfect of a landscape.

The lower DW that makes sense needs a reason.

This seems to offer a large feeling of expanse that provides that 90% health, but also tells of that expanse falling into a rather harsh environment.

View attachment 414485View attachment 414486View attachment 414487View attachment 414488View attachment 414489

A smaller one.

View attachment 414490View attachment 414491

Made to drain at the sides.
They're hands only except for the holes.

Sorce

Those are really nice! I really love the big one!! Could you do something like in a rusty color unglazed finish?

 

[rockm]

The thing is, junipers don’t naturally “grow in a field”. They are mountain trees. Yes, subject to winds and storms. That’s what creates the deadwood. Bonsai has it’s beginnings by Monks climbing the mountains and being impressed by the dwarfed trees, collecting them, bringing them back down to habitable elevations, then mimicking them. Thus creating “bonsai”. Therefore, all juniper bonsai, should be “wind influenced”. The fact the subject tree has a good amount of jin suggests that the wind has “influenced” it in some manner.

I'd agree, which is why I find a juniper with deadwood and a deciduous tree silhouette hard to choose a traditional pot for. I would go for something that splits the difference. This kind of pot:

Textured Oval No. 1

This piece by renowned Austrian ceramicist Horst Heinzlreiter shows off Horst's brilliant surfacing technique which he masterfully uses to create incredible depth and dimension in his containers. The shifting hues and varying colors come from multiple applications of color to the ceramic body as...

goods.bonsaimirai.com

or this:

Textured Oval No. 4

This piece by renowned Austrian ceramicist Horst Heinzlreiter shows off Horst's brilliant surfacing technique which he masterfully uses to create incredible depth and dimension in his containers. The shifting hues and varying colors come from multiple applications of color to the ceramic body as...

goods.bonsaimirai.com

might work.

 

[Adair M]

Would you keep the jin or remove it?

That’s hard to say without having the tree in front of me. It’s hard to distinguish the three dimensionality of a tree from a single photo.

That said, I would suggest that the very topmost tuft of foliage is not necessary. It makes the tree too “pointy”, which makes the tree look young. Even though it is rounded, having a lower apex would make the tree look older. The current apex (of foliage) also appears to move to the right. For no good reason, actually. Pretty much everything else on the tree moves to the left. The lowest branch on the right appears to be forced into position, too.

Then, if the apex is lowered, what should become of the spike jin? The Jin we can see is fairly thin with little taper. How does it look below where we can see it? If the foliage apex is lowered, I would shorten the Jin. Over time, the foliage will expand to encompass any apical Jin. When that happens, the artist must decide whether to lower the foliage again or let the Jin stay encompassed. Interesting decision… Bonsai are always changino, never static.sa

We have strayed pretty far from pot selection, though.

Everybody knows I’m pretty much of a traditionalist when it comes to bonsai styling. I prefer “classical” pots to the more avant-garde styles. So, I went to google, and stole these examples:









I tried to pick trees that had the same kind of upright styling of the OP’s tree.

 

[sorce]

Those are really nice! I really love the big one!! Could you do something like in a rusty color unglazed finish?

It will be closer to that when it's fired. I been debating wither or not to attempt to accent the depths with oxides, but my firm stance against them won't let me!

Sorce

 

[Bonsai Orange County]

Oxides.... DO IT!! and then send promptly this way!

 

[chicago1980]

Thank you everyone for interesting conversation, feedback, and recommendations.

For added details this Ashe Juniper tree stands 32 inches tall from the current pot rim to the highest tuft of foliage and the trunk is 4 inches wide.

In the future I will refine the structure, reduce the branches, and refine the deadwood.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I think @sorce makes a compelling argument that a pot, for a developed tree, could be chosen to represent the landscape or expanse of a tree's surroundings. The OP's tree, though including an element of deadwood none-the-less looks like a well cared for garden tree, which has been kept in top shape and has not known distress or hardship, and so for this reason, I could see a refined traditionally shaped pot for the tree. This is contrasting the pot sorce is showing, which I could see being great for a tree with a lot more raggedness and wildness in it's structure and aesthetics, such as the tree which Adair shows in his first image, which to me appears to have had a much more difficult life (A little too full for the story, but with a little bit of thinning and styling could be compelling for this type of tale).

 

[chicago1980]

What about this oval? Measurements 490×420×75

 

[Hartinez]

What about this oval? Measurements 490×420×75
View attachment 414688

I like that much better

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Too feminine with the incurved lip. Color is too caramel for the bark and foliage color, IMO.

 

[chicago1980]

A slight shift to the front.