Beautifully flawed, opinions wanted

PatArizona

G'day October...

My previous post intended no negative criticism of your bonsai...at all! I will address that in my following post...

I am absolutely certain that if I happened to encounter your bonsai displayed at a show...up close and personal...I would stop and admire it. Probably, even shot a photo of it.

Thank you for showing it to us...

Pat

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THE ONLY WAY: Always remember, and don't ever forget, that whatever you read here is not cast in concrete... the intent of any advice is to help. In no way should you feel that I’m saying that my way is the only way…heaven forbid! I've seen far too much of the "my way or the highway" attitude in bonsai as well as in other areas of life.

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Mindcrime

I'd have to agree with those that think the lowest branch should be kept. It really makes the tree looks tall, without it the tree would look like a seedling in a pot. The branch gives a sense of scale, age and it also makes it easy to imagine the tree within a context.

Esthetically speaking it activates the negative space both below and above it.

I really like the picture provided by mike_p, but IMO literati is so much more than what can be seen in paintings/drawings like that. Without being too philosophical, I think the best literati speaks of ideals, moral, and what it means to be human. By reducing it to something that you've seen in a picture you strip it of everything that makes it literati, and turn it into pure craft (I'm not saying that mike_p was doing that, just stating my own opinion).

Regards
Emil

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Less is a bore...

october

I realize this Pat, no need to give it a thought. I want everyones honest opinions and want to know exactly what they think. Like I said, this is not something where someone can say, well, this needs or must be like this. It is all how we see the tree. This is what makes this tree unique, Its the fact that, for a change, there is not a necessarilly right or wrong staement. Its how we all interpret this tree.

I was quite conflicting when buying it. However, the initial beauty that I saw in it is starting to come out and I am very glad I didn't pass on it. It actually has been at the nursery for a while and I believe I did pass on it a few months back.

QUOTE]Esthetically speaking it activates the negative space both below and above it.

I really like the picture provided by mike_p, but IMO literati is so much more than what can be seen in paintings/drawings like that. Without being too philosophical, I think the best literati speaks of ideals, moral, and what it means to be human. By reducing it to something that you've seen in a picture you strip it of everything that makes it literati, and turn it into pure craft (I'm not saying that mike_p was doing that, just stating my own opinion).
[/QUOTE]
Very well put mindcrime. I believe that going out of my way to try to get this to conform to something would make it more generic. In a way, there are so many flaws, that is becomes symetrical. In other words, all the flaws together seem to actually come together and form an elegant composition making up the trunk, branches and foliage. If this tree had only one flaw, It would actually make the tree less symetrical, in my opinion

Ashbarns9999

Here's my take on the tree. I have removed the left hand branch further up ( it could be jinned too ) as I felt it was disruptive to me, pulling the tree in the wrong direction.

Ash

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october

Hello ashbarns9999.hmm Different, I feel as though there would be too much weight on the right now. However, there is no wrong here....

I will try to post a pic of the tree with all the wiring and pruning I've done. Hopefully it will be all set in a couple of days and I'll post a new pic

october

ps.......3 pages for this thread and no fights have broken...We may be going for a bonsai talk record ha ha ha ha

Vonsgardens

Nope. No fights. And no matter how much I appreciate Mike P and his obvious love of literati, but the reason I like this tree is that it is a 1980's design- before folks got hung on looking for the one ideal. A couple of years and this tree will have the refinement it needs to move to the next level. John

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Victrinia_Ensor

You so nailed it....

To try and update the style of this tree into a more modern interpertation, would be a loss.

It's a marvelous tree...


Kindest regards,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

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Vance Wood

I think it is a beautiful tree for the most part.

1.) keep the bottom branch for two reasons; one you like it, and I like it.
2.) the foliage pads need to be thinned a bit to expose some of the secondary branching. If you do not do this you will start to get some die back on the interior of the tree.

These are the things that I think need to be done, and not done.

There is one flaw that has not been pointed out but it is one I think you are going to have to think about and address in the future. The point above where the bend in the trunk takes place there is a visual anomaly because of the way the branches are aligned. The trunk, the right hand branch above the bend and the left hand branch above that one, together form a distracting "X" configuration. The problem that I see is that these branches form a visual continuation of the line ending at the trunk of the lower and upper branches directly above and below them. If your eye is a good as I believe it is you will see this. I believe it can be corrected with a little careful wiring to break up this relationship. It is almost like two pairs of bar branches crossing each other obliquely rather than the common horizontal bar branch.

I am not trying to demean this tree or unduly criticize it but this problem is going to cause you grief in a few years. Feel free to ignor this entire post if you think it is out of line. Remember I like the tree a lot and I think I can see how to make it better.

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