Smoke

For the forum.

Ron Martin, Thanks for posting that blurb in Fred's thread. You actually thwarted me from posting a response there that could only have been deemed as bad, and I am glad that I did not post what I intended to say. What I have decide to do is to make some remarks about where I see bonsai as a growing medium in the America's.

For my first in a hopefully weekly column, I hope to start some provacative threads that can be discussed by the forum in an intelligent and meaningfull way so that all can benifit.

I start this first thread with "The future of bonsai". What does the future hold for bonsai. Well for starters, the world bonsai convention is only about 6 months away. While I don't think that will cause any ripples in the current trend in bonsai in America right away, I can only hope that there will be a new trend develop in the way bonsai is practised and exhibited in America.

Fred, While I see many of the feeling that you have about bonsai as a good thing for you, this is a very personal feeling that is felt by many, but not all of the bonsai practitioners out there. While you sighted Walter for the direction of this forum, I hope you understand that it was thru me that many of the things that we share on bonsaiTALK from Walter was due to trying to take the forum to places artisticly that many other forums just were not trying to do.

It was here on bonsaiTALK that we had contests judged by Walter that I orginized and an Ask The Master section that I asked Walter to host. All of these things were done to help elevate the artistry of bonsai as a medium. Bonsai is an art that needs to be kept as pure as possible. Not in the Japanese sense but in the asthetical sense. I have heard many say that bonsai was not practised as an art medium by the Chinese nor Japanese many centuries ago. To think this way is ignorant of the medium. The most ancient scrolls that depict bonsai show many literati innterpretaions of bonsai that were, and always will be works of art.

Many of the innteractions and arguments about bonsai of the last 6 months have been about whether bonsai should be strictly viewed as art. I say yes, many say no. I have my opinions about those people, but have decided it is the appropriate time to just shut up and let those that wish to do bonsai in their backyard with little regard to artistry to do so and never say a bad thing about them. It is not worth the typing.

But..There is room for the discusion of such things by those that wish to engage in it. Trying to make someone understand that you are trying to help them is sometimes hard to do over the internet, and I am sure that Will means that in every sense of the word. Trying to nudge someone to see something that others have a hard time seeing is a very tough sell. Maybe being a used car salesman gives this person a much stronger will to keep thumping away than most. Don't condemn Will for trying to keep bonsai something great and good. Don't condemn anyone for trying to achieve all that is possible and more.

The forum is a little boring lately, and mostly that is due to the likes of Andy, Carl, and myself not writing about artistic challenges that have kept us going in bonsai over the years. Its hardly worth the fighting anymore. Most of the artistic threads while they may get heated up, touch on many new aspects of bonsai and I for one learn many things from the interaction. Speaking of bonsai artisticly is the only logical approach to a discussion forum. There is no place else to go. There are many books dedicated to all of the beginner aspects of bonsai and all the horticulture needs. They are very well written and a search of the FAQ will give the uninnitiated a very good deal of reading for a few nights.

The future of bonsai lies in its art. It lies in the exhibit. It lies in the understanding of this medium as one of artistic intentions, not always met, but always moving forward. Moving forward in the endeavor known as bonsai can only lead to a path of artistic understanding. It is the natural progression of the medium. As one gains more experiance, trees done in past years are replaced by trees with better lines, better proportion, and more artistry. To fight this natural progression is foolish. It would be better to embrace this ideal and find new ways to help speed this feeling along.

Think about this...Ask this question of yourself tonight! "If I am better at bonsai now then I was last year, What did I get better at"?

Did you get better at producing art, or plants in pots?

~Smoke~

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