grouper52
Masterpiece
Oh, Vin, and one other thing about this tree as it relates to styling: my tutorial in the Resources section of this site, Focal Point Bonsai Design may be worth a read. It talks about a number of decisions and factors involved, but the one from the Chinese Penjing school relates very much to this tree: Bu Xiao Chi: "No Small Energy". This tree originally had a great deal going on visually, so much that one could get lost in all the details. It helps visually to narrow all that down to a single, main focal point. From all angles, the base is very prominent, but it's hard visually to get wrapped up in it because it makes little sense to us why it turned out so convoluted. Up higher, for me anyway, the abrupt and stunning curvature and deadwood of the now-remaining trunk is what always captured my eye first, and why the other two trunks had to be reduced into supporting roles, or eliminated altogether. That idea may also help you understand why your virt was so much on the right track: Bu Xiao Chi, No Small Energy. Those boringly straight trunks were just small, distracting energy: they simply had to go. Hope that helps.
