Jay--about the last thing I want to do is discourage your love for pine bonsai
But they take a little more time to learn about than most other species used for bonsai. That's why I recommended planting it in the ground to thicken the trunk while you look into the techniques needed to make your tree a credible bonsai. One thing you can work on while it is in the ground is getting the branches to bud closer in to the trunk. Stone Lantern has a good book out on pines, I would recommend a copy for your library.
I would let it get established in the ground the first growing season and do your pruning the following year. And fertilize it well! Try some other pines while you're at it; black pines are generally a little easier to work with and may be a nice complement for your white pine. If you've got native junipers, definitely keep your eye out for one to collect but it will need at least one growing season to recover before you want to work on it. See if you can find a nice one at a local nursery and go ahead and style that (don't do anything to the roots the same time you style it)Good luck with your projects
