Interesting display...need rearranging?

Smoke

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This display was the first that caught my eye. It was the first display my Wife and I looked at, and it generated a 1/2 hour discussion with Morten Wellhaven. (charter member of BIB)


What say you?
 

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Brian Van Fleet

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I'll bite...

First, very nice trees. I would not have included the elm(?) on the left, and probably chosen a different accent, maybe a dark mountain suiseki in the position where the accent is.

As it sits, 3 different, equidistant, stands are distracting, the d-tree is too big to be an accent, and the movement of the juni toward the right conflicts with the anchoring effect of the sumo elm(?) on the left.

But, I'm not a formal display expert, just my opinion.
 
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HB Smith

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Its a different way to put together a three point display with the main tree in the middle, the second tree with the same flow moving toward the main tree and the companion. The two trees (the main tree plus stand being the tallest) are usually conifer and deciduous of different sizes but close enough to gel with the accent, different heights, different pot shapes, and different stand forms. I wonder if it is the picture angle that makes the three elements too equidistant appearing.

I find this type of display quite helpful when I have two trees i want to put together in a display at my club show and they move in the same direction.
 

DaveV

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The background seems empty to me. That is what caught my eye first. In addition, the short chunky tree on the left does not harmonize with the flow of the main tree. I am no expert on displays either, just my first impressions.

Dave V.
 

Bonsai Nut

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At the risk of offending someone...

I do not think this is a very good display. At the highest level, it doesn't tell me anything. There is no story/theme. There is no visual flow.

(1) There is no background, so the foreground elements have to stand completely on their own. I do not get a unifying theme from them.

(2) The three foreground elements make up an equilateral triangle - boring and lacking design.

(3) There is no depth to the display (may just be due to photo)

(4) There is no vertical interest - the two smaller elements are both sitting on the ground/low slabs.

(5) The elm is too large relative to the juniper.

(6) The accent "plant" does not work well with the juniper from this photo. What is it? What job is it supposed to be doing? It looks like a potato :)

I could go on, but I don't like this display. If these were my trees, I would display the juniper and the accent plant only... though I would replace the accent plant with something else.

Al please don't tell me this was your display, in which case you probably hate me :)
 

bwaynef

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My thoughts are along the lines of BN's. I worked up a virt and I think its an improvement in the arrangement, but I still wouldn't be pleased with it. I also worked it up before reading others' comments, so I'll have to go back and re-read (and ponder) Howard's comment for a while before I bother to post the virt.
 

treebeard55

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I also find this display un-pleasing. The lack of a background doesn't help. The two larger plants both flow to the viewer's right, and the effect is that they seem to be trying to guide the eye out of the display entirely!

I would use just the juni and an accent -- not something semi-spherical, something that harmonizes more with the juni -- put the juni on the viewer's left, and add something in the background.

Put the elm on its own in a shohin display, and I'll bet it would get good reactions.
 
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Very interesting and creative display. I don't know where this display was positioned in the total design of the exhibition, because that makes a difference in the arrangement.

If I HAD to display the identical three items, one idea is attached. If one looks carefully, the terminal twigs of the Cork bark Chinese elm bonsai have a right to left eye movement, so would perhaps be better positioned on the right side of the designated display area.

I like the three different designs and heights of the display tables and the accessory looks very interesting. I would have used a shallower and round shape for the accessory, but then I can't identify it, but it looks succulent from the photo.

This is just a quick virtual of my arrangement of the same three items in the same display area.

Bill
 

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Smoke

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What if......

What if...I removed the bamboo seperator and removed the potato accent and moved the accent between the two middle trees. Keeping in mind this is a panorama of two seperate displays that were next to each other.

Does it work now?
 

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Smoke

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Very interesting and creative display. I don't know where this display was positioned in the total design of the exhibition, because that makes a difference in the arrangement.

If I HAD to display the identical three items, one idea is attached. If one looks carefully, the terminal twigs of the Cork bark Chinese elm bonsai have a right to left eye movement, so would perhaps be better positioned on the right side of the designated display area.

I like the three different designs and heights of the display tables and the accessory looks very interesting. I would have used a shallower and round shape for the accessory, but then I can't identify it, but it looks succulent from the photo.

This is just a quick virtual of my arrangement of the same three items in the same display area.

Bill


So your saying the elm has left hand movement?

I like looking at the displays as thumbnails. It removes all doubt as to each trees movement. I have a hard time seeing the small nuance of apical twigs carrying enough visual weight to carry that tree left.
 
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As long as you removed the bamboo separator, you might like this better. The texture of the elm twigs is too similar to the dead wood twigs on the juniper on the left side, while it provides interest comparing it to the juniper on the right side. Besides, the movement is more pleasing this way. . . .
Bill
 

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Smoke

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My ideal display would be right here, Given the four trees to work with. I think also the leftover Juniper and elm tree would also have worked better together with what ever accent.
 

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Smoke

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Looks like we think alike. We posted pretty much the same time.
 

Smoke

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As long as you removed the bamboo separator, you might like this better. The texture of the elm twigs is too similar to the dead wood twigs on the juniper on the left side, while it provides interest comparing it to the juniper on the right side. Besides, the movement is more pleasing this way. . . .
Bill


Since I have your attention...

I might post this for a quick look see... I find this one just a tad off also.
 

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bwaynef

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My thoughts. I took some liberties.
 

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Smoke

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My thoughts. I took some liberties.

Flipping trees is an easy way to MAKE it work, but it's a better exercise to make changes in what you have to work with. The tree was not able to be turned around to use the other way.
 
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I like the Japanese black pine display. The only change I would make is to center the accessory on the flat irregular slab of wood. I could be pickier, but that would make me more comfortable.
Bill
 

bwaynef

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Flipping trees is an easy way to MAKE it work, but it's a better exercise to make changes in what you have to work with. The tree was not able to be turned around to use the other way.

Fair enough, but when I saw you taking the bamboo sticks, then joining displays, ...then selecting a subset of those displays, ...I thought anything was fair game. My bad.
 
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