Here is a virtual to challenge your notions of what a maple could be. Personally, I find too often that bonsai don't reflect the form of the species.
You can reasonably style a maple in the form of another tree, but it is a deciduous tree, and it can look especially magnificent if it has soft curves with branches that rise gracefully as opposed to branching out in a horizontal way as a pine would be prone to do.
Please keep in mind that this is a suggestion and may be completely inappropriate for this tree given its state of development. I just thought it would be interesting to see it starting from a "blank slate" Maybe one reason you like it so much in leaf is that it has a nice silhouette. I think if it had a very nice branch structure, it could be a great tree year round.
Regards,
Matt
