Rocky Mt Juniper: First styling

MACH5

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Hello,

I wanted to share my latest project with you guys. It is a collected RMJ purchased from Andy at Golden Arrow Bonsai some 10 yrs ago. It has been sitting around with minimal care waiting to be styled. I didn't have a clear idea of what to do with it until recently. Below is how it first looked.

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Last year in Spring I decided to repotted it in preparation to it's eventual styling. I repositioned the angle of the tree at this point to highlight the deadwood. The pic below is how it looked back in April of this year with still no work done.

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I realized that this little juniper needed some additional interest. So I decided to add a piece of deadwood at the base. I cut a branch from a nearby juniper in my garden and screwed it to the flat side of the juniper's base.

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In order to be a little kinder to the tree, I decided to split the styling work into two sessions that were several weeks apart. Below is how it looks today. There is still much work to be done. Jin needs refinement and foliage needs to fill out more. Also would like to shift the composition a bit to the left for better balance. I think pot needs to be shallower and wider as well. All in due time but for now I am happy with this first styling :)

I hope you like it and thanks for looking!

RMJfirststylingMAY2011.jpg
 

tnaz71

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That is beautiful! How did you screw that piece to the tree? Looks like it was always there.
 

MACH5

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Thanks Tnaz! As you can see in one of the pics, the tree was purchased with a flat side at the base. I suspect that it had to be sawed off straight to remove the tree from wherever it was growing. Although this cut was facing the back, it always bothered me somewhat and initially didn't know what to do with it. Finally I realized that attaching a piece of deadwood to this area was probably a good aesthetic solution.

The piece of my newly made deadwood was cut flat at a predetermined angle to fit against the flat side of the juniper's base. I used a brass screw to hold them together. I still need to fill in a small gap that's left with some wood putty. Eventually the new deadwood will blend in with the rest of the composition.
 

bonsaiTOM

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I'm quite intrigued with this technique. You've done a total transformation with your RMJ. NICE!

Marty Schmalenberg introduced many of us to to the concept a couple years back and I want to try it out sometime with a larch and a shimpaku. Actually the larch might first get a sizable jin implant ala Nick Lenz.
 

MACH5

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Thanks Andrew!

Thanks bonsaiTOM! Yes I'm not surprised other people have tried it. I would guess the Japanese would frown upon it since it is a kind of Tanuki, but in the end I believe you must use all available tools/techniques at your disposal.

The hardest part for me was finding a suitable branch with the right thickness and movement that I could work into the design.

Have fun and good luck with your Jin implant projects! Make sure to share your results ;)
 

october

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I love this design on this tree... It is beautiful.. Ironically enough and literally, in the last day or so. I was thinking about how we have different kinds of grafts, such as tanuki etc.. but I would like to see the opposite of that technique.. In other words, instead of having a large piece of drfit wood and attaching a small tree to it. What about having a nicely styled tree and only attaching a small piece of wood to enhance the look. Well, I log on to the site and here is a beautiful example...

Rob
 
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Brian Van Fleet

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I love this design on this tree... It is beautiful.. Ironically enough and literally, in the last day or so. I was thinking about how we have different kinds of grafts, such as tanuki etc.. but I would like to see the opposite of that technique.. In other workds, instead of having a large piece of drfit wood and attaching a small tree to it. What about having a nicely styled tree and only attaching a small piece of wood to enhance the look. Well, I log on to the site and here is a beautiful example...

Rob

If I'm not mistaken, Guy Guidry's "Twister" BC has a chunk of deadwood that was embedded into the trunk (left side, halfway up) that wasn't entirely intentional. Think it's discussed in International Bonsai from a few years ago.

Nice work on the RMJ!
 

MACH5

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I love this design on this tree... It is beautiful.. Ironically enough and literally, in the last day or so. I was thinking about how we have different kinds of grafts, such as tanuki etc.. but I would like to see the opposite of that technique.. In other workds, instead of having a large piece of drfit wood and attaching a small tree to it. What about having a nicely styled tree and only attaching a small piece of wood to enhance the look. Well, I log on to the site and here is a beautiful example...

Rob

Thanks Rob, much appreciate the nice comment! You're right, it's more likely to see the opposite happening so I guess we'll call this " reverse tanuki" :D
 

MACH5

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If I'm not mistaken, Guy Guidry's "Twister" BC has a chunk of deadwood that was embedded into the trunk (left side, halfway up) that wasn't entirely intentional. Think it's discussed in International Bonsai from a few years ago.

Nice work on the RMJ!

Thanks Brian! I believe Walter Pall has done this also and imagine scores of other artists as well??
 

Alex DeRuiter

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That is a beautiful tree! You really did bring it a long way. Thank you very much for posting -- this is a great progression series.
 

Dwight

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Bonsai Focus had a couple of trees that had dead wood grafts. I did a small one a few years and it made a big difference in my eyes. Unfortunately I lost the tree to a freak freeze this Feb. Maybe I'll use the dead wood to do another "graft" some time.
 

october

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Dwight..Did you take any pics??

Also, I was wonderiing what the feeling was, if any, towards this technique. I know that it is not a tanuki, but that tanuki are looked down upon in many bonsai circles.. I was wondering if any one knew what view the Japanese masters or any masters in general, take in regards to this practice.

Rob
 

MACH5

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Cool styling. I like it very much.
You made a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Thanks Walter! This is a huge compliment and very much appreciated!! Interesting that you posted here since it was mainly seeing your beautiful work on countless wild RMJs that inspired me to work on this species. Now I am hooked!
 

MACH5

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That is a beautiful tree! You really did bring it a long way. Thank you very much for posting -- this is a great progression series.

Thanks axxonn, I appreciate the kind words and you're very welcome :)
 

MACH5

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Dwight..Did you take any pics??

Also, I was wonderiing what the feeling was, if any, towards this technique. I know that it is not a tanuki, but that tanuki are looked down upon in many bonsai circles.. I was wondering if any one knew what view the Japanese masters or any masters in general, take in regards to this practice.

Rob

Rob, my guess on this technique is that is probably not generally accepted in Japan as a legitimate technique since their bonsai rules are very stringent. Not sure if the younger generation is more open to more "unorthodox" approaches.
 

Walter Pall

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Rob, my guess on this technique is that is probably not generally accepted in Japan as a legitimate technique since their bonsai rules are very stringent. Not sure if the younger generation is more open to more "unorthodox" approaches.

It's done all over the place in Japan and Europe. The only rule is that you are not supposed to notice.
 

Bill S

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Nick Lenz had definately done this jin implant. Not sure if you mentioned it or not, did you use the same wood?
 

Alex DeRuiter

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I believe he did. In the pictures it looked like he removed the bottom branch and screwed the jin to the base of the tree. I could be wrong, though ;-p
 
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