I do love a good naturalistic thing, it’s my favourite but personally I don’t always care if I does look like a real tree as long as I like it. “Don’t make your bonsai look like a tree make your tree look like a bonsai” I read that somewhere sometime. Maybe got that backwards but anyways in moderation every now and then it’s alright I figure. Maybe it really does look like a tree like this though.. it’s got bark and needles and things.,
All fun and games till someone does cut branches off but I’ve never said I was an artist either so it’s still not my fault!
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Yup got that backwards, John Naka intended otherwise. To quote the authors words. " But most of all i want to thank my great silent teachers- the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Mohave Desert, the Monterey Coast, the Sequoia National Park here in California, and also the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, my birth place. They have offered a multitude of Bonsai models for me."
Taken from his forward to Volume II Bonsai Techniques.
Wireme thanks for the virt attempts, the last pic i posted with the right lower branch shifted to obscure the trunk shape did nothing for me personally.
I like and noted the small adjustment line drawn to the base angle. Would never consider a cascade from this quality of material and base as others have suggested. I am still going to spend some time considering the squash, bend, tweak aspect. One unexpected change could alter the dynamic considerably.
The right lower branch removal has solid prospects, specially coming from the inside curve and improving the overall shape at the same time. The branch above will in time fill in elongate and give a sweeping older vibe. I have removed considerable foliage this year so will let the tree recover this season before further reduction. I am not in a hurry the tree took a long time to get to this point, what is another year in the grand scheme. Thanks for all your input, would love to see your trees some day.