Win my second book with your best idea…

[Robert Steven]

Sam，the book has been sent out, hope you enjoy it...

 

[sammiboii]

Thank you for sending out the book Robert. I can't wait to save some money and order "Vision of my Soul". I will most definitely let you know what I think of it, although I think I will really REALLY enjoy it.

Thank you also for your explanation to Smoke. I thought the piece of deadwood at the top looked a bit too unnatural but after reading your explanation now I understand why you chose to keep it. It's very interesting to see your thoughts on Smoke's topic. I completely agree with Smoke that with forums, great learning opportunities especially from well respected artists are sometimes missed. I hope this isn't on purpose. You have some amazing material you work with. Keep up the great work.

Have a great week everyone!!!!
Sam

You might be right, sometimes too much courtesy comments or too much argument on nothing on such forum. BTW, I have been doing critique session on different forums and you will find what you expect at : www.bonsaibark.com



My approach to bonsai art is artistic concept and horticultural clue. I apply the aesthetic principles of visual art, the plant physiology and plant morphology in nature into my bonsai design or when I am doing a critique; and I don't use the right or wrong convention tools to judge the beauty of a bonsai.

In the case of the two bonsai you and me like better, I never said mine looked better, that's why I used the word "preference" because I like mine by both subjective and objective means and I don't have argument to second-like yours in objective point of view. The one you like is simply beautiful in artistic sense and logical in horticultural sense; and I like mine with the same reason, but they are different in pose, different in mimic and they are conveying different life chronicles because of the with and without the deadwood.

There are always different design options from the same material. Different viewing angles, different position will suggest different pose with different mimic. Sometimes certain simple feature can play important role to suggest different character or message..like the deadwood on this bonsai.

I like it because it give an accentuation to the design, it emphasizes the dynamic and casual character, it adds a story to the tree. It's the deadwood make this bonsai unique and unusual, a little bit naughty, yet logical. Without the deadwood, it's simply beautiful, calm, charming, elegant.. It's a matter of choice.

I like beard with long hair, but maybe I will look the same cool with bold head..
The way I pose for my pictures will certainly different from how you pose yourself, and it related to our characters. The same in bonsai, the styles are all about poses, and those poses are all about design composition.
In bonsai, when the artistic and technical aspects are well considered in the design, the rest is the preference..and preference in art suppose to related to the character of the artist, otherwise, he is simply a craftman...

Smoke, I hope this answer to your question, although I am not very sure of what you mean by "... in the context of training, culture, surroundings..." Thanks !

 

[Robert Steven]

Thanks Sam. I hope you will find something interesting and useful in my book.
I just try to approach bonsai design from different perspective because from my experience, I find many people got trapped in the "textbook" mindset with all the "rules" without searching the why.

Many peoples are doing the same mistakes all over the world especially on deciduous trees by mis-apply the basic shape, basic physiological character and neglect the morphological aspect.
For me, good bonsai should not only look decoratively beautiful, but it should be able to communicate with the viewers, evocate the viewers to imagine where this "tree" grow in nature and how the form is shaped. Bonsai is an art, but many are crafted too perfect....

 

[ghues]

Thanks Robert for the answer to Smokes post as it explains much to me about this wonderful passion we share. For me the dead wood tells the tale of its history, its life's struggle with its elements, it portrays an important stage in its life.....its loosing the battle of time and punishment against the elements...... sure we can remove it and focus just on the foliage masses having them well balanced and following the rules.... its all about our preferences and our perspectives.
Cheers G

 

[sammiboii]

Hey Robert, I received the book yesterday afternoon. I'll write my review on it a little bit later, but based on what I saw last night, I was very impressed. I'm honestly not just saying this because I respect you as an artist and a visionary, but because that's exactly how I felt.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, for sending the book to me.
I also hope to meet you some time. Do you have any engagements in the US in the future? If you're on the east coast somewhere, I'd love to drive up to attend.
Have a great week everyone!!!!
Sam

 

[Robert Steven]

I need to know what my readers feel, so please don't try to please me.
So far, my next plan for USA will be in Spokane, Washington in 2013.., however, hope to meet you somewhere earlier...

 

[sammiboii]

Robert, I'm sorry for the delay. I won't give you any sorry excuses but without further ado these are my thoughts on your wonderful book.

Have a great week!!!
Sam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert Steven has been one of the most influential bonsai masters in my bonsai journey. As with most beginners, every bonsai I saw looked good. It wasn't until I started studying more and looking at more and more pictures that I started figuring out what made a good bonsai. I still have much to learn but with this book I feel as though I am getting closer to my goal.

What is bonsai? While the translation literally means "tree in a pot", the rest at times feels forever obscure. I think that in every art, artists develop certain styles and preferences of that art form. Although I very much enjoy the perfect forms of Japanese bonsai, I personally tend to prefer bonsai that emulate nature. This doesn't always mean they are the most perfect bonsai because usually they're not, but they are the most thought provoking and for those willing, soul touching. These bonsai have been styled in a way to emulate nature and nature isn't perfect. It's in these imperfections that true natural beauty is found. I believe that artists like Robert Steven and Walter Pall and many others in the international bonsai stage have discovered this truth. It's what I hoped to find one day and Robert's book has opened that door and kicked me through it. And it does so in a wonderful way.

It begins by showing you natural trees and bonsai, both successful and not. It goes on to explain various ways to transform your bonsai and designing it in a way that's convincing. It's not enough to have a tree in a pot because the tree must tell a story in order for it to be successful. The theme has to be consistent from the bottom of the stand to the last leaf and Robert teaches you the techniques to use so you can create your own "story". In effect, the man is teaching us his dirty secrets, but of course one has to practice for many years to master these. The book ends with Robert showing us raw material and their transformation. This is HUGE because in order to see the potential in that scraggly pine on the corner of the nursery, you need to train your eye. The only way to train your eye is to see what other artists have done and why and then use that training on your own material.

This review sounds lavish and it is. There are very few faults with this book. One of my concerns is sometimes the spelling isn't correct. I might catch some flack for writing this and I understand that Robert's native language may not be English, but neither is mine. I believe a written and published piece has to go out in perfect grammar. My only other concern is that I've read the book a bunch of times and it's starting to fall apart. I think it may have been the way it was put together.

These concerns are nothing compared to the quality and the power of the teaching material that is contained within this book. The beauty of any book, is that if you find the teachings relevant, you can go back and study them again and again. It gives you a study guide and in the case of this book, this is the most relevant study guide I have ever come across. Maybe this is the reason my book started falling apart on me and I can honestly say, I've read this book about 5 or 6 times and have opened it at least 30 - 40 times since I received it a couple of months ago.

Robert, I'm very honored that you sent this book to me and I look forward to reading it until it completely falls apart. I hope that you keep writing, although I feel you have covered so much here and in such detail, that the only thing left to do is to get really specific on how to grow and style certain species. But perhaps this is better left for your demonstrations. I'm grateful to be living in the time of such a visionary and to be able to learn from him even if only through published books and bonsai forums. My bonsai goal is to be able to create beautiful bonsai and information like this is a must have.

Have you ever wondered why internationally known artists create the type of bonsai they do??? This book will tell you!!!

 

[Robert Steven]

Hi Sam,

Thanks so much for your review, comment and critique. I will certainly improve for the future reprint.
Keep going with your bonsai and all the best...

Your friend,
Robert S.

 

[mizz5540]

It should be "Be funky"