juniper squatmata, x2 informal upright update

jamie111

hey guys, heres an update of my two larger junipers, let me know what you think and any comments or critizism.

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	Picture 187.jpg (69.6 KB, 82 views)
	Picture 188.jpg (67.7 KB, 61 views)

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queensland australia, in hervey bay. 21 years old junior bonsai artist, willing to learn anything

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jamie111

51 veiws and no comment?

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queensland australia, in hervey bay. 21 years old junior bonsai artist, willing to learn anything

Vonsgardens

Ah, well wire the branches to define the foliage into layers, will require an additional reduction in foliage mass. Split out the components of the apex, so that you can simplify and reduce the appearance of pom-poms. Work to be sure that you have 3-dimensional depth in both trees (right, left and back in addition to he vertical aspect).

Thee are slender junipers, to give them age you may need to add shari, in future don't prune brances flush, leave Jin to add interest.

An old saying (I always say this when i don't know who said it frst) is foliage sells, people like lots of foliage. on bonsai, you need to minimize foliage to ensure the image you are looking for- yet enough to keep the tree alive.
Help?

John

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"Wiring is simple; However, it is not easy to do it right" Boon

Vance Wood

I noticed that you reduced the top, which is a positive step in the right direction. What is necessary for you to do at this point is to determine what future you see in this tree and then do the things necessary to get it there. If it is your desire to make a show-able bonsai out of it now the only good option open to you is the Literati/Bunjin style. This tree is almost there, understanding that there are not a lot of rules about this style.

If you want a Bunjin you need to reduce the foliage masses back even further and closer to the trunk, especially the top two, they also need to be thinned out so that some of the branching can be seen. Bringing the branches and growth in will bring them into proportion to the trunk giving the tree the appearance of an old tree and more like a finished bonsai. If you leave the branches long as they are now it will look like a young tree styled into a bonsai shape.

The other option is the informal upright. If it is your desire to have this style you are going to have to put the tree into an over-sized growing situation and allow the trunk to thicken. If this is not done you will have the same result as above; a young tree styled into a bonsai shape.

What I mean by a young tree styled into a bonsai shape is simple. You have made some great moves with this tree, you have an eye for balance and understand what a bonsai is supposed to look like. You have trained this tree into a shape recognizable as a bonsai but if it were to remain the way it is, it will take twenty years in a pot before it starts to look like a really good and mature bonsai. This is a common error even intermediate growers make, assuming that you grow trees up into bonsai where the truth is that you actually cut them down into bonsai. The key to all bonsai art is in the proportions between branch and trunk. These proportions define the visual impact of the tree as to whether is looks like a beginners attempt or a partially finished bonsai.

Where you are missing the boat is that you are not looking down the road far enough to understand that this tree is way to young for the form you have in your mind but you are hoping it will grow into that form in time, (the informal upright) or you are not seeing the proportions of trunk to branch that make the tree look young that could be corrected now; referring to the Bunjin style.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

jamie111

THANKYOU vons and vance! thats the sort of information and comments and critizism that i need, ive been looking at these trees and thinking there alright but could be a hell of a lot better, when i first done them i was thinking one for literati and one for informal upright, i was thinking the one posted on the right as the literati.

on one note the trunks look quite slender due to the overall size, there are a bit over 1 1/4 inches thick each, now i know thats quite slim but these are the most mature junipers i had and i wanted to work on them straight away as i was so eager when i got them.

once again i thank you for the comments and iformation and taking the time to write it.
will keep posted with progress.

thanks, jamie

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queensland australia, in hervey bay. 21 years old junior bonsai artist, willing to learn anything

Vonsgardens

Here are some comments on a tree that I posted last year after an initial styling http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f15/sle...-2-a-18184.html

John

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"Wiring is simple; However, it is not easy to do it right" Boon

jamie111

thanks for the ideas vons, that looks like it has come through well and only a slender trunk aswell. there is one thing om worried about and thats putting sharis into the design as i have tried with a couple of trees and most of the branches have survived apart from one or two? how do i pick the life lines and such forth to keep all branches alive?

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queensland australia, in hervey bay. 21 years old junior bonsai artist, willing to learn anything

Vonsgardens

Young trees will redefine their lifelines as you place them- you decide where they are. John

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"Wiring is simple; However, it is not easy to do it right" Boon