Reunions with past material

Joey Bagadonuts

Long time lurker, first time poster. I have greatly enjoyed all the contributors, your personalities, experience, opinions and of course everyone's idiosyncrasies that make each of you, well...you.

I am curious: Has anyone observed material once in your posession, but now belonging to someone else?What was your experience?

Whether you are a grower who regularly sells material or an enthusiast who parted with material and was later re-introduced, when you met your "ex-material", now in the hands of another, what was your experience, reaction and feelings? Were you surprised at the progress the material made in the hands of another, was it a bittersweet reunion because you wish you never parted ways, were you delighted because your work has "lived on" or was the meeting frought with sadness because of the butcher-job the new owner compelled upon the material.
Perhaps you were humbled by the advancement the new owner created and thereby questioned your own abilities.

Just curious as to people's experiences with their "ex-material" and what feelings were generated as a result.

Best Regards,
J.B.

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Joey BagaDonuts

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tuckerg

the new owner of any material i dont want or dont see any future in is about 5feet tall and has 2 wheels and a lid-its called a wheely bin!seriously though,id be to embarresed to pass on any dont wants,there some stuff i still have and wont part with out off pity because ive had it for a few years and have come attached to.they wont make excellent bonsai by any stretch off the imagination,i just keep them hoping "one day"?Oh by the way,welcome to the form Joey.

xuanjo

When you have been in bonsai for a long time in an area where most every club has an auction of unwanted bonsai material, bonsai artist who have move and must sell, or pass on leaving their bonsai to be sold You some times see your old material move on to more than one artist. It's always rewarding to see it still alive. It very rewarding to see it as a good bonsai. It's sad to see it as a tree that is more dead than alive. Most material that moves from a bonsai nursery or grower is never seen again. I've talked with many growers and merchants about this. I have to believe only a small amount of bonsai or bonsai material ever lives past the second owner but most fortunes inherited don't make it past the next generation, most estates run down and most grave sites don't get maintained past the next generation.

Bonsainut

jOEY b,
not exactly on topic but in the same spirit. I have been trying to make bonsaipots since 1998. I have accumulated a ton of junky,clunky and just plain ugly experiments. these so called seconds I had a hard time disposing of. so I thought well I be a sport and give them away. Just use them as training pots okay. okay??

So next local show I see two of my blunders in the show Arrrrgggggggg.

No one even said a peep. woow cool bonsai, only I know that one has a big ole crack in the back and that one overfired and looks like a big mudpuddle.

Now I crack them up, shards of learning I call them.

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Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

ChrisM

joey, i don't normally hand away any trees, even if they won't ever amount to anything, unless they are dead i keep them to learn new things on. but i do occasionally give a tree or two to some of the neighborhood kids and my younger cousin. they then do some styling and potting and take it home. it not only gives me time with the kids, but it is a great expierience for them. a lot of responsibility can be taught with bonsai simply by the care it demands, they don't even know it and these kids are learning and maturing!!! its great to see and gives me a chuckle every now and then when i think about the life lessons they inadvertantly learn.

chris

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A bonsai is like a good marriage.You commit, for better or for worse, till death do you part. I DO!!!

Joey Bagadonuts

ChrisM,
I do a bit of propagation, for kicks mainly and continuous learning. As a result, I end up with far more material that I could ever use. I end up giving it to the local club, neighbors, family, beginners, etc. I like the idea that I may be playing a role in someone's bonsai development, learning, enjoyment or whatever. Maybe it's a tad silly, but I'd like to think maybe someone someday will look back and recall that first little tree that "got them hooked". Whether he or she becomes a master, whether the material lives or dies doesn't matter so much, but the thought of contributing to an indivual's enjoyment of bonsai is very rewarding to me.

JB

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Joey BagaDonuts