You be the Judge

Smoke

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Its not often that we get to be judge and jury of a display contest. These are the six entries for judging. Please place first, second and third.

IMG_2292 (2)1 copy.jpgIMG_2293 (2)1 copy.jpgIMG_2295 (2)1 copy.jpgIMG_2297 (2)1 copy.jpgIMG_2298 (2)1 copy.jpgIMG_2299 (2)1 copy.jpg
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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As a display, I would rate them:
4 1st (congrats) good overall movement, I like the play between moon and accent pot, but not sure the scroll is Spring.
2 2nd, convincing shoreline display. I like the accent bloom with the sun in the scroll.
3 3rd, good mountain stream setting, but a bit too busy. Probably don’t need the erodium.
 

sorce

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I ‘think’ 2 is my favorite, but because of the scroll and accent. But I’m too partial to anything red or with red flowers, so grain of salt.

I LOVE the red as well...

But the light dark stand then white pot dark soil ranks it lower.

The red accent is perfect!
IMO...too perfect to not perfect!

Sorce
 

sorce

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4 cheats with the perfect lighting!

That tree moves left for me.

3 without that 4th plant is Dynamite!

Sorce
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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3 without that 4th plant is Dynamite!

That 4th element killed it on several levels:
(1) It muddied the overall aesthetic.
(2) It required crowding of the other elements - actually reducing the impact of what I thought were individually very nice pieces.
(3) The statuette of the mountain goat is really strong - with a lot of energy and strong movement. You need to distance it from the bonsai or it dominates the entire composition. Void space is your friend.
 

sorce

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Very strong...

In the boldness of using a "figurine".

I love how it looks up the tree, as if it must respect it to find its way back to the scroll.

Seems a human uncomfortable with the boldness...
Damn if Karma doesn't havr the direct tv commercial "do your thing"..

Uuuugggh....feels like another BS human emotion error as brought on by People just hating on figurines rather than artistically speaking of when they work, and when they do not.

Somebody Photoshop that joint!

Sorce
 

sorce

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I see the river that goat went to drink from.
He doesn't need plant a to eat.

I see the Bear fresh out of hibernation that makes it so necessary for that goat to respect the tree, to return to safety.

Spring.

That plant sits right in the middle of the river!

Sorce
 

Smoke

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As a display, I would rate them:
4 1st (congrats) good overall movement, I like the play between moon and accent pot, but not sure the scroll is Spring.
2 2nd, convincing shoreline display. I like the accent bloom with the sun in the scroll.
3 3rd, good mountain stream setting, but a bit too busy. Probably don’t need the erodium.

Close up. Late winter?

DA8DAA4A-43CF-4D84-B04C-8C90743CBF66.jpeg
 

justBonsai

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I feel in a lot of these the tree is competing with the scroll. Is it just the perspective of the photographs or should the trees not interfere with the line of sight for the scrolls?
 

milehigh_7

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I don't know crap about display but for me:

#3 has the best scroll match and yes without the erodium it would be much better. I plain old don't like the even number.

#1 has a cool theme with the bat and the spooky oak.

#4 seems to be the most coherent overall with the color match from the little flower and the scroll.

So to answer the question I would score them:

#4
#1
#3
 
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