Self critique, Japanese White Pine

[Adair M]

This is a grafted JWP on a yamadori Lodgepole trunk. There are two grafts, one is basically the foliage on the right, the other is the crown and back foliage. The grafts were done about 25 years ago by Jimmy Inadomi.

The deadwood Shari has a piece that ends as an “eye piper”, right in front. The temptation is to shorten it so that it doesn’t poke, or turn the tree so that the poke isn’t quite as directly in front.

I have chosen to keep it poking directly at the viewer, for it seems to make it more “yamadori”. With yamadori, we are more liking to accept nature’s imperfections, and that Jin adds to the effect.

At one time, I considered turning the tree counter clockwise maybe an eighth of a turn. But doing so puts more of the deadwood Shari directly in front, and the trunk moves away to the back too much. So, I came back to having the front as shown, complete with eye poker! The photograph actually minimizes the eyepoker, it is more apparant in person. However, this photo was taken last winter, since then the new spring growth has come in, and with the additional foliage, it’s muted a bit.

The pot, by Shuzan, has the rivits that very definitely define where the front is. Turning the pot sends the triangle of rivits off Center. The pot may be a little oversized. There is a long stabilizing surface root that I considered removing when I potted it, that extends under the trunk and to the back. I wanted to place the nebari as close to the center of the round pot as I could, so I used the larger round pot. The lighter color of the pot contrasts with the grey bark nicely. The moss I used has the same color as the blue-green of the needles, which I think helps to pull the composition together.

The rough bark is very nice and adds to the feeling of age.

In the future, I wand to grow out a bit more canopy on the left side to mask a bit more of the Shari. Give a bit more “hide and seek” feeling. At the same time, I’m constantly looking for back buds so I can keep the foliage cut back and close to the trunk.

I don’t consider this to be a literati, as the foliage is too lush. But it does have a literati feel to it with the dropped branches. I’m just calling it a slant.

This tree will be on display at the upcoming Nationals, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Thanks for sharing. Your trees are inspiring.
You have taught me the most about wiring.
Whenever I wire a tree I think of your stories.
I wired a tree today- removed it and wired again. I still need much more practice.

 

[Adair M]

Thanks for sharing. Your trees are inspiring.
You have taught me the most about wiring.
Whenever I wire a tree I think of your stories.
I wired a tree today- removed it and wired again. I still need much more practice.

I’m glad to have helped!

When I’m wiring, I try to make it as nice and simple as possible. Pines need to be wired just about all the time. It’s not a “do it once” kind of job. It’s more like mowing the lawn. It seems that as soon as you get finished, you have to do it again!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Love the pot, but could wish it was just a touch deeper too. Works for the tree. Nice moss, but if it has some nebari on the right side, I’d like to see it more exposed and it seems to be blending in with the moss. Could be more visible in person than the photo.

Love the lodge pole bark, great color and texture.

The Shari is good and the Jin doesn’t bother me at all, it’s natural and chunky.

I think the lower right branch is too round and heavy, and maybe could be broken up into a couple pads that are a little less rounded. The two bare dropping right branches are distracting, and I would pull down a little of the foliage from the next pad up to obscure the right one just a little. A branch above them repeats that bowed look, and while repetition is pleasing, the bow look isn’t, and I’d try to obscure that a bit with some foliage too. That look with the right branches is inconsistent with the very pleasing shape you have on the left branches.

I like that it is just off balance; it has tension, but is not unstable. You could get away with shifting some of the crown’s mass even more to the right.

Congrats on getting it into the show. Hope to see it there...maybe on a different stand?

 

[Adair M]

Love the pot, but could wish it was just a touch deeper too. Works for the tree. Nice moss, but if it has some nebari on the right side, I’d like to see it more exposed and it seems to be blending in with the moss. Could be more visible in person than the photo.

Love the lodge pole bark, great color and texture.

The Shari is good and the Jin doesn’t bother me at all, it’s natural and chunky.

I think the lower right branch is too round and heavy, and maybe could be broken up into a couple pads that are a little less rounded. The two bare dropping right branches are distracting, and I would pull down a little of the foliage from the next pad up to obscure the right one just a little. A branch above them repeats that bowed look, and while repetition is pleasing, the bow look isn’t, and I’d try to obscure that a bit with some foliage too. That look with the right branches is inconsistent with the very pleasing shape you have on the left branches.

I like that it is just off balance; it has tension, but is not unstable. You could get away with shifting some of the crown’s mass even more to the right.

Congrats on getting it into the show. Hope to see it there...maybe on a different stand?

Thanks, Brian!

Yes, David Knittle is making a stand for the tree.

Joe Noga photographed the tree at the Silohette Show, and the pad layering looks different in the photo than it does in person. The camera angle, and lack of 3D vision. I like lots of little layers, too.

The moss had grown up since I first placed it on the tree for the Asheville Show. It obscured the nebari a good bit. It will be reworked for the Nationals!

It sounds like you’re going to the Nationals? Good deal! We’ll finally have a chance to meet! I’ve seen several of your trees at the Asheville Show, but you always have conflicts. It should be a fun time!

 

[0soyoung]

It is well done, @Adair M. I like the touch of foliage above and behind the jin, on the left, rising from the shari. Nice sense of unity and depth here. However it feels unfriendly to me in the pic. The lower right pad is like a big paddle shooing me away or about to hit my butt. I recall a previous discussion about how the back pad of these two descending branches was bigger/heavier that the front one; i.e., the reverse of correct perspective. I don't think this is a good solution to that difficulty.

I also felt before (and still do) that the foliage needs to be more to the right because of the expansive weathered deadwood on the left. Ir is very raw and wild and it still is seeming to be wearing silk panties. You've done your characteristically masterful work with the foliage. The image just leaves me very unsettled/nettled/confused, despite being well done.

 

[Djtommy]

The two bare dropping right branches are distracting, and I would pull down a little of the foliage from the next pad up to obscure the right one just a little. A branch above them repeats that bowed look, and while repetition is pleasing, the bow look isn’t, and I’d try to obscure that a bit with some foliage too

This is exactly what I thought. Those 2 drop branches look like to parralel and my eye keeps comming back to that, and that’s not a good sign. It’s a very nice tree though and with possibility to be even better

 

[petegreg]

I like this one very much. So it's created from two (grafted) branches, unbelievable. Must have taken decades to grow the grafts out.

Thanks Al and all for this kind of threads. Great trees and wise words.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Thanks, Brian!

Yes, David Knittle is making a stand for the tree.

Joe Noga photographed the tree at the Silohette Show, and the pad layering looks different in the photo than it does in person. The camera angle, and lack of 3D vision. I like lots of little layers, too.

The moss had grown up since I first placed it on the tree for the Asheville Show. It obscured the nebari a good bit. It will be reworked for the Nationals!

It sounds like you’re going to the Nationals? Good deal! We’ll finally have a chance to meet! I’ve seen several of your trees at the Asheville Show, but you always have conflicts. It should be a fun time!

I talked to David yesterday, as he is finishing up a second stand for my display too, and he’s been working so hard to get stands done before the show he’s developed tenonitis! I’m hoping my trees will be ready, but I’m not 100% confident.

 

[Silentrunning]

To my beginners eye that tree looks perfect. I can almost envision it sticking out of a crack in a rock along the tree line of a mountain. Beautifully done.

 

[erb.75]

I’m glad to have helped!

When I’m wiring, I try to make it as nice and simple as possible. Pines need to be wired just about all the time. It’s not a “do it once” kind of job. It’s more like mowing the lawn. It seems that as soon as you get finished, you have to do it again!

excellent tree and display (as always)! One of the first things I noticed about the composition was the pot. Interpret that how you will! I played around with the scroll bar to hide the feet and then see them again. If I really wanted to be brave I'd suggest a white glazed flared round pot.

 

[Adair M]

excellent tree and display (as always)! One of the first things I noticed about the composition was the pot. Interpret that how you will! I played around with the scroll bar to hide the feet and then see them again. If I really wanted to be brave I'd suggest a white glazed flared round pot.

Lol!!! The white glazed pot won’t be happening!

This pot is absolutely top of the line. My bravery is that it’s as light of color as it is. Most unglazed pots for pines are considerably darker, and I have two similiar pots that are darker. For me, using this clay color is as close to the Wild Side as I’m willing to take it!

Joe Noga photographed this tree at the Winter Silohette Show last December. His lighting, from the side, pierces the canopy in ways that I don’t see when I’m working on the tree, or see when I have it up on the bench. And the pot looks “brighter” in the photo than it does in person, too.

I’m certainly not complaining about Joe’s photography, I’m honored to have it! But, the image we see in the photo is a bit different than what you see in person.

Here is Joe at work:



And just for reference, here is a picture of the tree taken with my iPhone at another show:

 

[erb.75]

haha I was talking about my own personal bravery...I have to think myself brave to try to make any comments or suggestions to improve your work since it's so high level

 

[erb.75]

Thanks for the second shot with the iPhone. Photography elements can really change perception of a design.

 

[erb.75]

I am going to make some really interesting posts next spring with some trees that should finally be ready for a pot. one of them is a literati Scotts pine that's going in a glazed orangey red brown round

 

[erb.75]

or maybe I'll stick it in something else....spring is a while away and I sometimes change my mind

 

[Adair M]

or maybe I'll stick it in something else....spring is a while away and I sometimes change my mind

Well, it’s always best to have several pots to choose from. It could be that when you get in there working with the roots the first time, you may find that the root ball doesn’t fit the pot, or you need more depth, or less depth, or the tree is too top heavy for the pot... there’s lots of good reasons to have a selection of different pots. I have often found that the pot I ultimately chose was not the one I had initially planned to use! In fact, I thought I was going to put this tree in a nanban pot.

But, this pot has a bit more character... the color is unexpected. Which makes all the difference.

 

[defra]

Nice adair!
The jin doesnt bother me at all, at least in the picture.
The pot is a great match i think (not that i know much about pots and tree's combined but i know what i like and dislike tough)
The new display table what color is that going to be?
Thnx for sharing

 

[Adair M]

Nice adair!
The jin doesnt bother me at all, at least in the picture.
The pot is a great match i think (not that i know much about pots and tree's combined but i know what i like and dislike tough)
The new display table what color is that going to be?
Thnx for sharing

Hexagon rosewood. Something like this:

 

[defra]

Hexagon rosewood. Something like this:

View attachment 206592

Nice !
I asked because the pot might look even better on a different colored table