Insightful article by Colin Lewis on changing bonsai designs, judging and pine fungus

[october]

Thought this was a very good article. Worthy of some discussion.

Rob

http://hoyokubonsai.cmail5.com/t/ViewEmail/r/76C4B344EDB69E28/6C2F4BA8EE7E0DB320B193FBA00ED1DB

 

[rockm]

Nice article. I agree completely. Something has been lost in the grace of some of the more substantial trunked trees that are around nowadays.

Also, skip down to the post on mycorrhizal pines having "alarmingly few" roots...Might there be an argument AGAINST using the stuff??

 

[october]

Many of my trees are of the elgant nature..There are 2 reasons for this, one is becasue I like them and two, they seem to be more affordable. Like everything else, bonsai is a business. Unfortunatley, fatter trunk trees command such high prices and are not easilly found, so people will always be limited on what they can buy and work on. On a positive note, I think that these higher prices for fatter trunks, might make for the continuing use of slender, more legant trunks. Which is good because I also enjoy these trees.

It does seem like many of the seasoned bonsai artists are posting almost all fat trunk trees lately.. This is fine..but what about when one wants to do more than look. What about actually getting to work on this material. I learned many years ago about what could be attained and achieved in bonsai. Now, there are new enthusiasts coming up... When these enthusiasts begin the bonsai journey they might get discouraged pretty quickly. I mean, think about someone who has been in bonsai for about 6 months-1 year. They are new, but seem to have a very good eye.. They finally get to visit a real bonsai nursery. They see material that they would love to work on or maybe at least try. They look at the price tag and it says $2000. This might get someone to think.. If these are the prices, I may never be able to afford material like this.. Ergo, discouragement early on.

Rob

 

[Gene Deci]

The ABS Journal, Volume 44, Number 1, has an article on the tree Colin talks about in the posting october links at the start of this thread.

I could hardly agree with Colin more and I am glad someone of his stature has articulated what many of us feel.

 

[Dan W.]

Great article! I think elegance is one characteristic that should be of the highest consideration.

Michael Hagedorn recently posted some awesome spruce and hemlock with these characteristics:

http://crataegus.com/

 

[JudyB]

I was starting to feel like I was alone out here in the land of grace and elegance. Not that I don't appreciate or have a rugged tree or two, but my heart is with the beauty of a curve in a branch and a sweet smooth trunk...
Thanks for the link to the article, maybe it will turn back....

 

[CamdenJim]

In the article cited at the top of this thread, this quote stands out:

Although, come to think of it, should the best tree be the one that satisfies the generally accepted bonsai criteria or the one that stops you in your tracks? The one that gives you the shivers, the one that makes you 'feel' you are with the tree, whatever its style? If bonsai is an art, shouldn't creativity and originality carry more weight than convention?

Yes!

Hit me where I live! Stop me in my tracks. Hit me in my soft spots. Wake me up.

And you know what? -- A formal upright can do it, a cascade can do it, a windswept can do it, ... a tree by the side of the road can do it!

In bonsai, it's all about the artistic vision and the artistry with which that vision is made manifest in the preparation and presentation.

Damn, I'm glad I get to see trees from you all.

Jim

 

[Tona]

Yes!!! Thank you Colin Lewis. The "Sumo" trees of today have a place, but the gracefully styled Cascade, Slanting, Windswept or Bunjin are the trees that catch my eye at shows. Great to see I am not alone. Fatter is not always better.
Tona

 

[milehigh_7]

It is the ever swinging pendulum of what is seen by the majority as desired... I am sure there are those that can remember that if your maple did not look like a mushroom topped pine it was no good. It is the way of the world for those seeking to be in style. The vision of the artist will frequently be out of step with the majority view.

 

[fredtruck]

The current issue of International Bonsai, 2012/NO.1, is focused on Elegant Bonsai. Check it out.

 

[tmmason10]

This is good news, because all I have are thin trunks!

 

[Ang3lfir3]

I just wanted to add that ...the last section of said article re: shows .... is VERY VERY spot on ... our culture makes travel difficult etc .... increased frequency of local shows is important ...

 

[edprocoat]

I have always been drawn to many types and styles of Bonsai, the stumps have never been one that I like though. I am no fan of large Bonsai either, in part because I travel with mine, and in part because the visual appeal of a small tree mimicing a large one fascinates me while a large sized bonsai looks more like a bush or maybe a topiary to me. Many skinny trunked trees look as if they have been ripped from nature too me, I look at a tree and picture in my mind the tree setting on a hill or out in a field, the way I see them most often, and if a little skinny one portrays that image to me I find it appealing.

I have seen some sumo or stump trees that are well done and beautiful, but that is the odd one out in my eye. I also feel that Bonsai artists can get stuck in a mode, there is a place here in Central Ohio called North dayton Garden Center which is the only local Bonsai nursery I know of. The man who runs the place has two Bonsai, that their only claim to being Bonsai in my eye is being in pots. They are not for sale and I actually seen a picture on a Cincinatti Bonsai club site of one with an award on it. These are well manitained, he has a card that says " in training for 35 years " the two are almost identical. They look like eight legged spiders with balls for feet turned upside down, thats the image they invoke in my mind. They actually have at least 10 branches each all finished with the " pom-pom " style of a little round ball of growth at the end, they have branches that cross over each other also. To stand back and look at them they look more topiary than Bonsai. He also trains all his existing juniper stock in this manner from seedlings, and oddly enough he treats his Fukien Teas in the same manner. To each his own. To look at his stock is repetition.

ed