San Jose Juniper: Design advice needed please.

Tom Buchanan

Hi everyone,

I wondered if I might pester you all for some thoughts on this small San Jose juniper. I've been looking at it for a couple of years now, and have a bit of a block concerning where to go with it. The basic design is pretty much decided, dictated by the trunk shape/angle, rootage and branch placement, though as you'll see from the pictures it still has a very long way to go.

My problem is that I can't quite see how to develop it into a balanced design - the angle of the trunk is throwing me off. It might sound silly, but all my other slanting trees lean to the right - as this one leans the other way I'm having real problems 'seeing' what it should look like! What I want to avoid is the feeling that it's falling over.

The tree will have significant deadwood - the large live vein(s) will remain, but the stumps will be jinned and the existing deadwood refined.

I've included a fair number of pictures, progressively rotating the tree clockwise, to give an accurate view of its structure. I (currently) think the front is View number 2 (view 1 might be the obvious one, but the lower left branch pokes forward a bit too much at that angle). The foliage is pretty sparse at the moment - I've worked on the tree this year, and will let it grow out next year - but it's healthy and growing well.

Any visions of the future for this little tree would be very much appreciated!

Thanks,
Tom

View 1



View 2



View 3



View 4



View 5



View 6



View 7


View 8



Better view of trunk / deadwood



Closeup of base / roots from 'front' view.

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Franco

I think the tree looks good. Branches are in the right place, I would just introduce some more movement into the trunk above the thick portion. If you wire the canopy more over the base of the trunk it will look more balanced. Nice tree.

mike_p

A suggestion for long term styling. This San Jose was in training for about 10 years. This image is as it appeared in the 2002 World Bonsai Contest.

Attached Images

011.jpg (68.9 KB, 74 views)

__________________
Learning the mechanics of bonsai is a matter of rote. Over and over again the processes are practiced until the hands and eyes know the moves.
Learning the art of bonsai may be more like water wearing away a stone, or climbing a mountain where the peak is always shrouded in fog and just out of reach.
Persist, and someday you may see the peak in sunshine. You may pick up the stone and it's a thing of beauty.

MP@BBB Studio

Vonsgardens

Mike,
I have always liked this tree. It is so artificial- yet it is so believable, I love it. John

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zen

I like view 5, it does lean somewhat away from the viewer, but it has a combination of a good view of the jins and the most depth in the foliage.

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mike_p

Thanks, John. Your comment, "artificial" prompted a thought. The creation of bonsai does involve a lot "artifice".
Mike

__________________
Learning the mechanics of bonsai is a matter of rote. Over and over again the processes are practiced until the hands and eyes know the moves.
Learning the art of bonsai may be more like water wearing away a stone, or climbing a mountain where the peak is always shrouded in fog and just out of reach.
Persist, and someday you may see the peak in sunshine. You may pick up the stone and it's a thing of beauty.

MP@BBB Studio

ElGringo

I also like view 5, as the foliege on the 1st branch comes behind the tree and gives the illusion of greater depth. The, it's just a matter of bending the apex back over the trunk (to the left in this view) as someone suggested to counterbalance the leaning trunk.

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Richard

Wales= RBS 6 nations champions 2008!!!!!

CScott

Two or Five are both nice. View 5 has those extra stubs to be jinned out that should add lots of interest. On the other hand it looks like the roots are better on view 2. Either way it should look good.

Francois Jeker's book Bonsai Aesthetics talks about the flow of trees from right to left or left to right. Westerners have a tough time with the former, because we see it as going backward, while Japanese any one who writes left to right prefers that orientation.

Try to overcome the bias and your trees will be better for it. Someone (unknown source) suggests taking a photo of your tree in a mirror so you can view the mirror image. Problems seem to pop out.

Carmen

Tom Buchanan

Thanks everyone for the comments so far.

Mike, I've always been impressed but a little scared by that tree of yours I think it's the combination with the pot that gives it a lot of power. I can see possible similarities in the trunk, so I'll think about it for the future, but to be honest I think I'm looking for a more 'peaceful' image here.

Carmen - interesting about the left/right flow - I guess it's not just me who has this problem then. I may well look at a mirror image for inspiration.

View 5 looks better in the picture than it does in 3d, real life. The rootage is poor on that side. But it remains a possibility - I've spent about 3 years trying to decide on the front for this, and View 2 is my current favourite, but I can't say I'm quite convinced as yet.