QUOTE=Will Heath;6703] I worked on the photograph a bit in the first attachment.
In the interest of learning more about this piece, I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions and stating an opinion or two. The second attachment is marked up for my questions below.
A) This branch seems overly large for the tree, my eye keeps landing on it and sticking to it. It seems so large that it may pull over the tree someday. Did you consider removing it and if so what was the deciding factor in leaving it as is? The third attachment below is without the branch.
B) What type of plants are these growing in the background?
C) What is this plant? It looks like a creeping juniper.
Will[/QUOTE]
Mr. Will,
Thank you for taking the time to make these virts and raise these thoughts…I will certainly attempt to speak to all your questions and suggestions, and hope it raises other questions and discussion…
First virt…I am not in the least pleased with the photo quality of the landscape pic as posted…This photo was taken at our club meeting when I was doing a program on ‘Bonsai Portraits’…I only had available some of my most portable lighting and backdrops, and in addition had to compensate for the lighting in the room, which of necessity had to be left on during the program…I was also being assisted by others in the placement of the lights, which I was very encouraged about, because I am very much a believer in hands on learning…In the future when the wire is removed, the stones ‘antiqued’, the soil surface dressed, possibly a grilled salmon fillet to ‘tweak’ the foliage separations, and the planting is more ‘show ready’ I will probably attempt to take better photos…Who knows?...After the comments here, I may even be inclined to enter a photo in a contest…Thank you for the effort…With different graphic editor settings details are often brought out that are otherwise invisible…
Second virt…Plant ‘B’ is a single clump of ‘super dwarf mondo grass’…This variety attains a maximum height of 2 inches, is not nearly as aggressive as the larger varieties, does well in sun or shade, easily propagated by separation, and is very hardy in pot culture…I have even kept clumps alive for more than a month by just putting the roots in water…Plant ‘C’ is ‘elfin thyme’ the smallest of all varieties of thyme…It does have a ‘creeping’ tendency, and needs to be controlled occasionally by removal of the outer edges,[roots and all] because it does put out roots as it advances…I don’t find it to be objectionably aggressive, but needs attention a couple times a year…One characteristic I am particularly fond of is the manner in which it will grow over the edge of the container in somewhat of a cascading fashion…This can be used very effectively to ‘lead’ the eye into a composition, or to provide an ‘exit point’ for the visual movement…The other plants are a dwarf variety of sedum which has a somewhat ‘grayish’ color and in my opinion lends itself well to a ‘Southwestern’ feeling…
Third virt…Really, Mr. Will…Was this a test?...Was this only to initiate discussion?...If so, well done…On the other hand, I do find this suggestion not at all uncommon with more than one of my trees…I have shared a boxwood clump in the ‘live oak form’ at BonsaiTalk, and had several people suggest that I shorten the width of the canopy considerably…Interestingly enough, at least to me, was the fact that all those which made this suggestion were either people which lived in more ‘northern’ areas, or those that were more ‘traditional’ in their approach to bonsai…This led me to a couple different conclusions, which may be totally wrong, but I do believe has some merit…
Here in the ‘southern’ and ‘gulf costal’ areas of the U.S. we have several species of trees that spread many times as wide as they are tall…As Ms. Irene stated “that is how the mesquite trees grow down here……..Our Oaks do this as well”, and so do several other species…I have always thought it has something to do with not only the genetics of the tree, but also our longer growing seasons…I am also a firm believer that Mr. John Naka at least attempted to help us understand that if there was ever to be a recognized ‘American Style’ we would need to use the forms of trees in nature that are prevalent here as our inspiration for our ‘artistic’ trees…It will likely take many years of doing this before it becomes accepted worldwide, and I seriously doubt I will live to see it happen, but I certainly plan to give all my effort in the time I have left to hopefully help others see this…
Mr. Al said, “The last virtual just made the tree symetrical, destroying all the character in the tree. Now it just looks ordinary. I heard that way too many times in the contest. That large character branch is what sets the mood for this piece”, and I fully agree…I was a bit disappointed in the judging of the most recent AoB contest, although not in the least unexpected…The judges did an admirable job in judging, and I don’t think many would or could dispute their choices for the best trees… However, consider that three highly respected artists, all from ‘Eastern’ cultures and backgrounds, were ask to judge trees created by ‘Western’ artists from two quite different regions, and many of them styled in a manner which very well represented a tree form ‘native’ to the artist, but which the judges were not likely familiar with…Will this or can this ever change?...I think it possibly can, but it will only happen as more ‘good’ trees are exhibited that represent ‘native’ tree forms…I am of the opinion that the internet forums, blogs, and artist websites, will help to make the difference in this, and help to establish a recognizable “American Style”, which could very well include “Northern American, Southern American, Eastern American, and Western American” native tree forms…
Mr. Tom made a very interesting comment concerning the ‘branch in question’, “It adds credibility (maybe realism is a better word). That this is indeed a ruin.That large branch has been allowed to grow unchecked across the doorway to mission. Something that if inhabited we humans would never let happen. Your third virt shows a neat and tidy tree, which would be out of character for this scene.” I had not considered this however it is very notable and indeed is worth keeping in mind when working with a similar ‘story’…
Ms. Candy totally took me by surprise with her comment, “the original foliage outline echoes the outline of the ruin. That long flowing branch is needed not just for character but also for repetition of that long lazy line.”…I will always be amazed what people see in a work that makes everything come together for that particular individual…Thank you so much for that observation Ms. Candy…A few years back I entered a bonsai styling contest at BonsaiTalk…This was my first attempt in any bonsai contest, and my first attempt at doing a ‘phoenix graft’…In the voting comments, Mr. Carl Bergstrom [who by the way won the contest] said, [to paraphrase] ‘a mirror image seldom works in art, however it works well with this tree’…I had not noticed this in the least, it certainly was not intentional, and I doubt I would have been successful at an attempt to do it if it had been intended, but he was right on the money…It was not only a mirror image side to side, but also front to back…Unfortunately due to losing some of the branches the tree is no longer quite as obviously a ‘mirror image’ but I have tried to maintain that as much as possible, and now that I am aware of the canopy echoing the line of the ‘ruin’ I will certainly attempt to maintain that characteristic…
A couple things along this same vein that were planned are; the negative space on the right of the main trunk being occupied by the ‘visually’ very strong ‘arched window’, which I believe helps to balance the weight of the strong lower branch on the left…I also intentionally attempted to mimic the line of the right side of the trunk with the left side of the ‘arched window’…The window in the rightmost wall [not very visible in this photo], is also mimicked by the lower branches on the right side of the tree…
Mr. Chris said “Critics are always fond of finding things in works of art that the artist may never have intended (why else would
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris still be produced?), so my point in this discussion was to draw out some meaning in a work that is obviously saying something. Art stirs the intellect and emotion through the skilled application of technique and composition.”…This is certainly true and I am excited about this discussion as a learning tool for me…The more any of us can learn about what ‘moves or excites’ viewers, the better we will be able to use these things in creating art with emotion…
Mr. Attila stated, “The tree is slightly imbalanced and awkward, and that's why I like it. "Improving it" would take away from it's charm and would be much less endearing to me.This tree, as it is, couldn't stand alone as an individual bonsai without some changes…I believe one of the most important things that contribute to ‘character’ is imperfection…This tree has an abundance of imperfection, and Mr. Attila is on the money about the tree standing alone…Don’t we all have trees that fall into that category?...I am growing more and more fond of landscapes, and have quite a few in the planning stages…This is a ‘medium’ where an ‘ok’ tree or trees can become a ‘wow’ experience with some creative planning and execution…
But in the context of a landscape, realism is more effective than immaculate conception...I mean perfection.
Now that was some serious funny, but also so true…I also fully agree Mr. Attila about “very nice discussion going on here, fun to read all the opinions”…
Ms. Irene, How can anyone respond to that…Thank you again for a beautiful story…I really think you should share with the internet community the story of your meeting Mr. John…as Mr. Attila so properly put it…” Irene, a compliment like yours is the dream of any bonsai artist.”
Mr. Attila, the Chilean Mesquite does indeed sound like a wonderful species for use in our art…This makes me wish I could find an older plant or 10…You can be sure I will be looking, but I just don’t believe I have what it would require to grow one from a seedling or liner…Thanks for sharing the information…I did decide If I live long enough to outlive the rosemary in this planting, it will be replaced with a boxwood in the ‘southern live oak form’…
Regards
Behr