Vance Wood

Mike I agree with you, especially about the high degree of craftsmanhip but no artistic concept to follow it up. I am hesitant to post this because the person envolved in the story I will relate comes to this forum and I consider him a good friend fine student with tons of potential. In our club show he entered two trees in particular that illustrate the above point. One a Chamychiperis the other a Boxwood. Both of these tree were absolutely emaculately trimed and styled by the book and were of course very beautiful. But there was a problem with both trees.

One was so perfect as to look almost artificial, it was a formal upright with all the branches in the right places, all the foliage pads were maticulously groomed. It was healthy and if anyone is familiar with Chamychiperis species very difficult to get to cooperate to any bonsai training at all let alone at this level. The other, a Boxwood, was cared for in the same carefull manner so much so that it almost look liked a fine topiary. He brought this tree to me after the judging portion of the show was done and asked what he could do to make it a better bonsai.

I told him it was too perfect, it looked so much like the model that it was almost a parody of the same. I told him to loosen it up a bit, don't make the profile so perfect, and open up the front. As soon as we moved one branch aside a bit, exposing more of the interior of the tree it totally changed the charactor of the tree and it became a first rate bonsai, not that it was not a good bonsai to begin with. This tree is a broom style, anothe difficult style to do well. As soon as this person starts designing with his heart and not his mind he is going to make some noises around the bonsai comunity, I guarantee it.

P.S. If he is reading this I hope he is not offended, I really do think he has great potential in the art and I really do applaud his efforts as being way above a lot who have been doing bonsai a lot longer.