RozendaalArts
Mame
Earlier in '25 a local bonsai master passed away who I learned a lot from and had an immense amount of respect for, though I'd only known him for a year when I volunteered at the studio one day a week.
The tree is a mother-daughter Communis juniper, and the last tree I worked on with him, and for which he also left me the most creative freedom of any tree I'd worked on before. I'll title the painting 'teacher-student juniper' instead.
I usually don't care much for symbolism in painting but here I found it fitting. The Mother (or teacher) tree is in shadow for the obvious reason, with a weak overhead light to still give it some light and to show that the teacher is not forgotten, while leaving the child/student tree in the spotlight to show how the teacher illuminates, or raises up the student, so to speak. The setting sun scroll illustration of course also to illustrate the sun setting on his life.
Here's the original tree just after I'd finished work on it in late '24. We didn't get around to repotting it.
Clearly the tree was still in early development so I tried to paint it in a more mature state. I'd love to hear your (constructive) feedback on my design of the tree in the painting. It wouldn't be too late to still tweak a pad or two.
Apparently the tree got sold while I took a break from volunteering at the studio in early '25 and before the master passed away. Now obviously I immensely regret not buying it, but I didn't have a lot of money, or a really good spot at home. If I'd known I'd have made space in both budget and garden, but you can't always know what'll happen and the meaning something takes on after it does.
I doubt the buyer would happen to be on this forum but if you are, please show me, I'd love to see how it's doing
The tree is a mother-daughter Communis juniper, and the last tree I worked on with him, and for which he also left me the most creative freedom of any tree I'd worked on before. I'll title the painting 'teacher-student juniper' instead.
I usually don't care much for symbolism in painting but here I found it fitting. The Mother (or teacher) tree is in shadow for the obvious reason, with a weak overhead light to still give it some light and to show that the teacher is not forgotten, while leaving the child/student tree in the spotlight to show how the teacher illuminates, or raises up the student, so to speak. The setting sun scroll illustration of course also to illustrate the sun setting on his life.
Here's the original tree just after I'd finished work on it in late '24. We didn't get around to repotting it.
Clearly the tree was still in early development so I tried to paint it in a more mature state. I'd love to hear your (constructive) feedback on my design of the tree in the painting. It wouldn't be too late to still tweak a pad or two.
Apparently the tree got sold while I took a break from volunteering at the studio in early '25 and before the master passed away. Now obviously I immensely regret not buying it, but I didn't have a lot of money, or a really good spot at home. If I'd known I'd have made space in both budget and garden, but you can't always know what'll happen and the meaning something takes on after it does.
I doubt the buyer would happen to be on this forum but if you are, please show me, I'd love to see how it's doing
