bnsaijim

I've taken numerous workshops with Dan over the years. In fact he was the very first real "bonsai artist" I ever saw and took classes from. Who am I?- really no-one just some little guy (literally) from Texas whom Dan probably wouldn't even remember. Never taught more than beginners and you've never seen my name in the magazines.

Dan is a wonderful person and one of the pioneers in American bonsai. His passion and skill in the collecting of natural material is unsurpassed. He was probably the major influence on the use of powertools in the US and Europe- he brought the spark.

Additionally he advocates several Robinsonisms that caused me to look at trees in nature with new eyes.

I do however think the carving, as pointed out, is unnatural in appearance, primitive and in the longest time perspective, ill conceived. I don't fully appreciate his styling as well.

It is rough and unrefined showing the clear hand of man's imperfect intervention. Dan does not think further refinement is necessary, that deadwood is rough- his odd angular surfaces and curved router-bit exit points somehow resemble the action of rot, wind and insects. While true in some respects, natural deadwood is different than what he produces. While he teaches this principle, oddly enough he circulated a piece of naturally sand-blasted buttonwood driftwood.

Even termites tend to follow the grain. One can not create swirling ribbons of deadwood where none formerly existed in a straight grained trunk. Maybe from twenty feet away with the light from behind one might fool a person, but really, what have you done? I had the opportunity to work with Kimura when he came to Dallas and managed to slip in a question about carving shape across the grain. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot; his (translated) reply was something to the effect of "Never! Why would you do that? It will crack, not last"

The deadwood of the trees I worked with Dan on in the early days "failed". Both artistically and structurally. The cracks created weak points. The elements weaken this wood further and the curls on my "ribbon candy" split off. The wood eventually becomes the flattish spike of deadwood it should have been to start with. I've had to re-work these trees into convincing images.

He is proponent of wildly twisting branches because that is the way they grow in the wild. These twisting branches are to have sparse lollipops of foliage because these trees are from harsh environments. I agree, in principle, with both these articles of the Robinson agenda.

So your ram-rod straight formal upright trunk has twisting branches with lollipops of foliage. When universally applied, as Dan will, this is neither bonsai nor is it approaching perhaps a Disney-esque or Seussian caricature of a tree that will be successful either. While one might contend that this perhaps is simply his interpretaion and justification of the Horai/octopus style, this has never quite worked for me other than as an oddity of bonsai.

I hope the paradoxical influence of the Robinson on my own work has come through. In my naivete I once thought he was the bee's knees. As I've progressed I've had to reconcile a lot of what I learned. The man is a pioneer- he lit the carving bonfire. He made it okay for something other than conifers to have deadwood. Driven, enthusuastic, a rebel; he has clarified his own personal vision. He'd surely kick my tail all the way up and back down the mountain. For these traits I admire him. But don't ask me about his carving, his trees... his ability to judge the age of trees...

I would suggest you really contemplate the work appearing below; look at the work of other carvers. Use this as an influence to grow upon. I'm sorry but the Emperor is naked...

jim

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Jim Stone
Seki Bonsai Studio
sekibonsai.com
Santa Fe, TX