BuckeyeBonsai
Seedling
We could just call them as they are... trees in pots. You can find a nice Latin name that flows off the tongue nicely if you like, but we are artists that deal with trees in pots in the most fundamental sense.
Then you don't understand the function of rules in art. Any art, really."Impasta" and "Non-sai"...........stellar!
What gets me about the Japanese "rules" is that, when confronted with a 900 hundred year old gnarled, tangled Juniper with spirals of deadwood and branches everywhere, a Japanese master never appears to be offended by it's non-conformity. He'll gladly buy it at the highest price, put his artistry to work and command a handsome price for the result. I agree wholeheartedly that these junipers are beautiful and would take one in a heartbeat. It just strikes me as somewhat hypocritical that the "rules" can be ignored when it is convenient.
The All American Bonsai Award was awarded to my American Larch Bonsai. The tree was in a rustic rock scoop container which happened to be American made. The stand was lake bottom drift wood which was selected to enhance the wild natural feel of the tree.The all American bonsai award was given to a bonsai tree, native to the US, in a US pot. But that's less of a difference than how the Japanese and Chinese art forms differ. It's basically the same result with different products.
I typed "rules" in quotes for a reason..........sarcasm. I know they're not rules, but there are a few look at a great tree and pick it apart because it doesn't conform to things written in a couple of books. There are design cues that have been proven over time to be "aesthetically pleasing".....(there's that sarcasm again). Basically, we are doing art. If it pleases the artist, that's what really matters. NOW...... if you want to win contests and have people buy your art, and make a big fuss over it, you must conform to what is expected.
Anyway, I'll still call my hobby bonsai. And, despite the question that Ryan raised, I don't think American Bonsai is different enough (or at all) from traditional Japanese bonsai to warrant a new name.
"If it pleases the artist, that's what really matters."
That would only be true if are was NOT a form of communication. Alas, it is. Art is not "artist-centric." Or, as Marcel Duchamp insisted, the creation of a work of art is a collaboration between artist and audience. And the tree, we might add, in the case of bonsai. So, no: It is not enough that "it pleases the artist." If you want to make art, you need more than that.
Most of this forum hasn’t even attained “bonsai” yet. Don’t you all think learning to walk would be prudent before trying to run?
Just sayin....
Most of this forum hasn’t even attained “bonsai” yet. Don’t you all think learning to walk would be prudent before trying to run?
Just sayin....
so, for example, if Walter Pall chose to do what he does in his private backyard without sharing his trees with others at exhibits or online, his trees would not qualify as art in your opinion?
I personally don't think we need exclusive terms or definitions.
Please quote the part where I told you not to discuss anything? I asked a question... there is a difference. Do you understand the difference?you don't need to play or work in the NHL to discuss hockey
As an aside, this is a discussion-based forum by design; it is designed for discussion. why are you asking us not to discuss? the forum would cease to exist.
This is what the best bonsai are about, IMHO.My goal was to create a tribute to the place my love of nature and Bonsai sprung from, the Adirondack Mountains.
My display captured that feeling for me,