I'm planning to attempt one myself in the fall. I have the driftwood, and have wired the tree to fit the curve of the driftwood. I will post some pix when I get these two together in fall.
Jur, my only criticism (maybe a personal taste) is that your finished front shows only the deadwood with branches sticking out of it. I would prefer to see the "lifeline" from the front. Kind of like this:
http://pictures.bonsaitalk.com/showphoto.php?photo=1174
Although this tree is not a phoenix graft, you get the idea of what you want to try and achieve.
Good luck.