Brian Underwood
Chumono
Here is the original post on the tree; http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?5461-Tall-Atlas-Cedar&highlight=tall+atlas+cedar
I took my beloved cedar to a Ryan Neil workshop I had the honor of attending yesterday. I always hesitate to bring trees that are what I consider "MY" creations to any workshop, I think mostly out of fear of change. Fortunately I came to the conclusion that this mode of thinking is silly, and any change that could come out of a workshop with one of the best bonsai artists in the world would be a positive one.
We started by discussing what would be the very best front for the tree, which of course I thought was my current front. We discussed which had the best movement, base, direction, and forward lean, and came to the conclusion that the opposite side (of course) was the best of all worlds. I had actually come to this conclusion once before after bringing the tree home from Jim Gremel's workshop and placing it on the bench "backwards." I remember thinking "Crap. The base is WAY better from this side." But, I had no idea how to make this the new front with my current design, so I let it be.
Here is the old base, then the new base... Notice changes in movement, lean, and basal flare/taper; all improvements.
I took my beloved cedar to a Ryan Neil workshop I had the honor of attending yesterday. I always hesitate to bring trees that are what I consider "MY" creations to any workshop, I think mostly out of fear of change. Fortunately I came to the conclusion that this mode of thinking is silly, and any change that could come out of a workshop with one of the best bonsai artists in the world would be a positive one.
We started by discussing what would be the very best front for the tree, which of course I thought was my current front. We discussed which had the best movement, base, direction, and forward lean, and came to the conclusion that the opposite side (of course) was the best of all worlds. I had actually come to this conclusion once before after bringing the tree home from Jim Gremel's workshop and placing it on the bench "backwards." I remember thinking "Crap. The base is WAY better from this side." But, I had no idea how to make this the new front with my current design, so I let it be.
Here is the old base, then the new base... Notice changes in movement, lean, and basal flare/taper; all improvements.