hmmm....Good point. What about the crown's on his trees? What about several other of the Japanese Masters? you might not be able to distingish which Master worked on which tree-especially if you have never seen the tree before. Do you consider other Japanese Masters work to be cookie cutter?
I am really curious to hear what you think.
I don't put "Master" (emphasis on the capital M) and cookie cutter into the same sentance. I'm not sure what would be considered cookie cutter in his crowns... are they layered... are there elements of a triangle? Well sure... but so are the crowns on 99.9% of all trees. Inverted or not... you can find a triangle on a tree. God loves math after all, so I'm not surprised by the geometry of trees.
The only time you lack a triangle is on the .1% of the trees in the world which are ancient. Most people are not very good at pulling off "ancient" in trees because they can't resist the triangle.
For me, the distinction between cookie cutter and that which is not, is vision. Vision is what creates a distinctive style between true artists, as elements that can be identified to an individual. Do you know a DaVinci when you see it? Of course you do... no one else drew a line the way he did... everything else that imitates it is a fraud, and a poor one at that. Because a person can forge something, but only he could create it. Believe me, I've made studies of replicating his work, so I know of what I speak. lol
It has been said, that in Japanese tradition you can't be a master until you can replicate the master's work. Because then you have learned your craft... from there they can depart from the master's work and develop their own style. So there is no shame in replicating the work of a master... it teaches you the skills needed to have the foundation needed for your own vision.
Can I style a tree to be a mimic of my teacher's work? Of course... I've spent years learning his style, thought process, and methods... does my work look like my teacher's... no. Because the vision that eminates from his work, and that which is in mine, are different. He would tell you I am too fond of beautiful layered crowns... because he believes they should reflect the natural harshness of the places where they come from... I believe in refining that twisted story into something harmonious and beautiful. So while his influence is obvious, my work is my own.
Is Kimura cookie cutter.... no... he made his own mold, and was rejected by the establishment for years because of it. When the world noticed, they had to stop and realize he had changed the course of bonsai by the fact that beauty trumps tradition outside of Japan. Bonsai is big business as well as national pride, they couldn't afford to ignore him any more.
