Rugged Olive poll (try again)

mike_p

Why've you decided to leave the roots on the right? (Or, ...why did SHE decide ...)
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My bonsaiTALK journal

This question was asked about the olive in my previous post. What do you folks think?
I feel that the roots are part of the "gnarly" character of this tree, and will stay as long as I'm breathing. However, I realize that we all have different eyes and different ways of looking at a bonsai.
Vote and give your opinion.

Mike

Attached Images

	phylolive_06_resize.jpg (69.9 KB, 214 views)
	phylolive_06_root.jpg (68.4 KB, 180 views)

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Victrinia_Ensor

No touchy touchy... (waves "nono" finger at Mike)


It would be like someone saying remove the smile from the mona lisa... isn't it a lil much? The eyes are enough....

The roots should stay... and for good reason... I see them as mirroring the movement of the branch structure. Which is unusual... to see it so well pulled off... and therefore it is something to cherish in this tree. I always try and echo movement in different elements on a tree... It gives a sense of cohesion to the overall image.



Kind regards,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

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Bob O

Mike, I voted to keep them.
I have seen roots like this in nature, water & wind often expose roots like this. If it pleases the owner & you, the artist, that is most importent.
This is a beautiful tree & your hand is obvious in it.

Regards,

Bob O

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rockm

The root should be kept, but pinned down to follow the contour of the top of the soil. It's distracting as it is now. If you can't pin it down, get rid of it

bwaynef

Well, since you quoted my question, I'll weigh in.

The oldest, gnarliest, most impressive olive I've ever seen (sadly, only in pictures) is posted here . This tree manages to impress without errant roots. In fact, the "nebari" is one of the best examples I've seen.

It would seem to me that such a precariously placed root, were it to appear in nature, would soon be removed from the tree, whether by natural causes (wind, sand, limbs falling...), animals (chewing, gnawing...) or by human intervention.

Ancient olives have drawn the attention of many an artist. I can't say for certain, but I doubt that all of these trees are renderings of actual trees(, though that doesn't exactly go against my point). I'd imagine many of these paintings are romanticised ideals of what the ancient olive would look like. None that I've seen have roots anything like the olive posted above.

To me, in a tree thats survived many hardships, I'd imagine the least efficient, and the suboptimal would be the first thing to go. If this tree's survived what its made to look like its survived, isn't it a little contradictory that the root managed to make it?


Off to a meeting, hope that made sense,
WF

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mike_p

Ms. Vic, I'm glad you said this. Good eye! It is part of the reason the roots stay. I almost said much the same in my post, but decided to let folks express opinions without too much influence on my part.

Mike

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Bonsai is not a hobby.
Bonsai is a way of life.
MP@BBB Studio

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way
Gautama Buddha

rockm

It's just that it is a young root on a very old looking tree...Old trees don't have thin roots, especially thin roots sticking up in the air. Having such a young bit on an old tree is like putting a speedo on a 45 year old. It's distracting and not in a good way

bwaynef

I'll never tire of rockm's use of simile.

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Treebeard

Mike, I voted to lose them.

This is based on the reflection I see in your bonsai of my own local trees. There are many old, hollow trees in my area, your olive is very similar to them. They all live in semi-open woodland or park land, and none of them (to my recollection) have skinny little knee roots .

Without the roots, your bonsai becomes an ancient oak, possibly over 1000 years old. Maybe families of woodlanders have made a living selling the pollarded timber, perhaps they have fed their pigs on the acorn crop. Maybe a hermit has lived inside it for a couple of decades... maybe a king has taken refuge from parliamentarians in its branches.

With the roots, I'm just left thinking 'why are they there?'.

But you're keeping them, so it's all academic . But what if you just cut off the sticky-out one? or do thay all stick out?

Regards,

Chris.

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