Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Agramham said:
"At any rate, I am tempted to take Vance up on his challenge."
So am I!
Go for it guys, lets see some good trees from you.
Agramham said:
"At any rate, I am tempted to take Vance up on his challenge."
So am I!
I do stand by my opinion though, that bonsai from GOOD prebonsai stock and/or GOOD collected material is ultimately(assuming like quality skills of the artists) on average,"better" than bonsai from GOOD nursery material.While "acceptable" results may not vary much in terms of a short(2 to 3 years) time frame,the ultimate quality of the results are hardly comparable within a longer time frame. At any rate, I am tempted to take Vance up on his challenge. .
But,it is not a fair comparison.There are too many variables to be considered.
I hate using the quote function, but at times it is indeed a valuable tool when clarification is sought and offered.So if I go out and find a suitable nursery plant and someone else with equal skills goes out and finds a Yamadori I will bet you that ham sandwich I mentioned earlier I will be exhibiting a new bonsai before the Yamadori is beyond the recovery stage. Ten years down the road may be a different story depending on the quality of the Yamadori, but if things are done properly in ten years odds are the tree will only have had five years worth of work done on it. In that ten years I will have produced a bonsai of some quality and worth.
... good solution! Unfortunately, I can only participate with two categories (nursery and collected) should I accept the gauntlet.I think Tachigi has a good idea. Perhaps the challenge would be most meaningful if a number of us of different skill levels entered three trees, one from each category, all acquired at roughly the same time, the best examples we can find within our budget and local situations, and follow their development over time. It would be instructive on many levels, in terms the difficulty of finding/affording good material in each category, in terms of the strengths and weaknesses each category brings to people of various skill levels and various artistic temperments, etc.
grouper52
Pre bonsai
This tree has no reason to even be in a bonsai pot.Especially one this nice .But I bought the pot(from Shadyside) for another tree and it ended up being too small.24" wide just didn't cut it.What's the old saying?Measure twice and cut(order)once?I couldn't resist using the pot and in 2 years ...or maybe 1,this tree will be worthy of it,if I don't screw up.
Anyway,this is another tree grown from a cutting.But always with bonsai in mind.I doubt if I could have bought a Ficus microcarpa "Golden Gate" from a landscape nursery or florist that had character built in.
first pic....August,2005
second.....June,2007
Vance, who specifically ever said that nursery stock was a waste of time?