[I missed out on taking part in Thursday's tree of the day. I did have a critique written but couldn't post it in time. Here it is. Maybe this post can be appended to the correct thread ??]
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This is a GREAT idea Matt!
I have been having isp problems so I was not able to critique the first two.
as for this trident: (I'm doing this before I read the other posts)
Strengths:
- Powerful masculine trunk
- rugged masculine bark
- Strong nebari
- Moss
- good trunk movement
- good branch placement (apart from see below)
- good balancing of the rightward trunk movement with a low left foliage pad
Weaknesses:
- feminine pot conflicts with other masculine elements
- Raised feet on pot giving impression of instability
- Skinny soup-spoon shaped branch on upper right
- Canopy branches have slight spoked look
- Bad placement in pot
This tree exudes power. I would call the trunk a "muscle trunk". The tree itself is dynamic and quite well balanced. Three things would help the balance: extending the foliage outwards at top right in a uneven dome profile; selection of a new pot; better placement in the new pot.
There is a lot of detail in the foliage, which is complemented by the texture of the bark. These two features along with the nebari and moss help to convey the impression of a very large and old tree. On the other hand, the smoothness and large curves of the pot detract from this.
I would select a rounded rectangular pot about 1/4 of the the current width wider, and a little deeper. Planting the tree so that the extra width is all on the right will help the balance. The colour of the pot should be mottled light brown or grey, textured to match the trunk.
Regards,
Chris.