Juniper first styling

Arnie

This Juniper caught my eye at my local Bonsai dealers, I believe its a Chinensis Itoigawa. It was imported from Japan at the begining of last year and for some reason had remained unsold. Why I don't know, it had the potential to become a quiet decent tree....perhaps buyers were put off because the main branch that would form an apex is quite thick and would need significant bending down to make the design work.

Its plus points as raw material.

* The potential apex when pulled down will bend nicely towards the viewer, giving the tree an ecompasing feel and good perspective.

* the dead wood and branch placement has the potential with some carving to create a flow from left to right balancing the weight of the crown.

* the tree already had good shari, I don't know how the Japanese create this, but it looks old and weathered. I'm sure this must have been originally done at least 10-15 years aqo.

So a good deal was struck and home we went.

The first job was to clean up the trunk with a wire brush and define the edges of the exisiting shari. This is just a case of cleaning out with a small chisel where neccessary or removing some bark where things require more definition. If larger amounts of bark are to be removed first make sure you know where the final design is heading and consider live vein supply to all foliage areas.

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Arnie

I only carved the branches that flowed to the right, anything coming towards the viewer were removed....as I got more into the carving the tree begain to give me the sense of the Medusa with snakes emerging from the crown, I think subconsciously this often happens with working deadwood - or maybe I just took too many halucinogenics when I was at Art College.

The foliage was cleaned right out just leaving small florets at the tips. This is a must as the whole tree will be wired, right down to every last green shoot. This takes a lot of effort and time but is essential to accurately place the foliage. I find my wiring can get a bit messy with so many small areas to wire on each branch - any new methods grately received.

I then applied rafia to the man branch and wired with heavy guage aluminium wire. This has to come down quiet a long way to make the design work, I find working slowly allowing the wood time to relax and using a copper guy wire looped under a coil of the main wire the best way....over a day, a bit at a time with many prayers i managed to get this heavy branch low enough.

Next lots of intensely fidly wiring.

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Arnie

Heres the final image. I'm quiet happy for a first styling.

Still not sure about the low branch, it could go and some of the heavier branches that form the crown on the left could drop lower - I'll live with it for year and listen to any worthy suggestions.

I've yet to refine the carved branch at the back, big mistake.....I set to this after a couple of bottles of Badger Champion Ale - not a good idea, one slightly heavy kiss with the Makita and my original plan for this branch was scuppered! Although some reduction here will help the trees perspective.

The branch that secure the main guy wire will probably go next year, I think this can be just a subtle jin and shari.

Any pot suggestions? not my strong point.

Arnie.

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TreeBay

I can only see it in two dimensions, but I am not sure that first branch is contributing much. It looks awkward and would probably be shaded out by the crown anyway. I think I would consider converting it to deadwood, but I would need to see the side view or something.

Interesting material!

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rowan57

Arnie, whereabouts in the UK are you from? its a nice looking tree + a good first styling, im not sure about the first branch but i feel that the lower portion of the tree may feel empty without it, perhaps it could simply be re-positioned?

Nice stock
Regards
Rowan

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Bone-sigh

Arnie, this is an ok first styling in my opinion. I am struggling to understand why you styled the canopy the way you did. I really like the way you designed the trunk and its jin and shari. That canopy design is a mystery to me though.

The picture you showed, before the canopy was designed, offered the potential for a three demensional design with more of a loose triangle shape that would have had distinct foliage "pads"(I hate that term, but it is all I know to describe them). It would have looked more like the apex of a tree instead of a dome, which is what I see in the current styling. This is just my opinion and I would love to discover why you chose the direction you did. I am hoping to learn something from this!

Best always,
Ryan

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Arnie

Matt: certainly something I've considered, and feel you may well be right....but I'll live with it for a year to be sure!

Bone-sigh: you make a good point. Something has been troubling me about the foilage position and it helps to have a fresh set of eyes - hence posting the tree here. I think your right, its a little flat and could do with more seperation. I've been out and had a slight adjust!

Thanks guys, this is best facet of Bonsaitalk - good and considered feedback.

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Bone-sigh

Thanks Arnie! I am glad you see this as I meant it to be-->Constructive. Things have been kinda weird on Bonsaitalk lately, lots of "criticism" without much "constructive". Ok off my soap-box I go and back to your tree .

I like the new position a lot better. It really opens the canopy up and allows for some depth. But....What if you didn't have to lose that lower branch like Treebay proposed? Even with your current restyling of the foliage I agree with Treebay that it may have to be sacrificed. But, what if ( I am sorry if this is hard to follow, but I can't do virtuals ) the upper part of the canopy, that covers the trunk line, was shortened or repositioned to reveal the trunk line leading up to the canopy? I liked the picture that was taken before you styled the foliage because I could see the trunk. Where as now that part of the trunk is hidden. And that is the part that I think needs to be revealed by removing/repositioning/shortening the upper foliage.

To me this would do two things: #1. It would give more flow to the design by revealing more of the trunk leading up to the upper foliage thus eliminating the floating look that the upper foliage has at the present. In other words it would help to visually ground the upper foliage.
#2. By removing/repositioning/shortening (whatever option would be best) the upper foliage the lower branch that treebay proposed removing would give weight to the design and thus be justified visually.

I hope this all made sense. And maybe some one with some good virt. skills and the capacity to interpret what I am saying could give us a visualization of what I am trying to accomplish with words.

Best Always,
Ryan

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Degs

Arnie....

I emplore you..... no no I BEG YOU!!! how could you find material like this in the UK?... the "local" bonsai nurseries in my area that I know of (hertfordshire) hold nothing of this ilk.

ive been gagging to get hold of some decent material and the local places have nothing like what you found.

Please PM me.... Please............................................ .

Please......