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Matt,

Glad to see some stuff getting posted again. I'm sure you have been busy with the new auction feature, but it's great to have TOD going.

It appears this bonsai is either dormant, leaf-cut, or dead (I doubt the latter). The obvious strength of this material is the nebari. It has a very wide base. The root on the left needs to taper into the soil however. It looks too straight. The roots on the right seem to have scars where they are callousing over. The roots could be a little deeper which would make that less notice-able. The trunk has a nice taper, but the apex looks like it is still rather young and needs to thicken. A little too pointy at the apex too. Rounding off the apex would look a lot better. From the amount of wire on the bonsai, it appears that initial branch placement is underway. Several, specifically that one in the back (lowest), could be removed and improve the silhouette. A lot of fine-twigging/ramification is needed in the future design. As of now the bonsai looks a little too tall and not wide enough. Those areas should be considered. I believe the right ratio can be made with the current height (it looks to be a medium-sized bonsai in the pic), but with a substantial increase in width. The rounded apex will also help with that.

I like the placement in the pot. I recognize the pot as a Sara Rayner creation. In the leafless state, the bonsai looks a little small in the pot. Still, I like the color, and it probably is close enough when in leaf.

I've attached a virtual of what I would like to see the bonsaist attempt as a "finished" version. I think it is do-able.

John