Styling Philosophy

TreeBay

"American hobbyists have been too much influenced by bands of roving bonsai masters who slash and burn for a demo tree."

--Chris Johnston in "Back Branches and Bar Branches

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Bonsainut

I seem to recall a certain Austrian Bonsaiman who does a bit of burning also!

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Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

Walter_Pall

'"American hobbyists have been too much influenced by bands of roving bonsai masters who slash and burn for a demo tree."'

I second that. But I have to add that the same applies to Europeans.
In a demo one tries to end up with a good looking sketch. Often this is achieved by means which are not so appropriate for general styling. People see this and think that 'this is how to do it'. It is NOT!
We have something like a 'demo style'. Working for silhouette only and not caring at all about the structure.
While in rather rare occasions this may be the only way possible it is not wise to follow this 'professional' way by amateurs.

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best regards
Walter Pall

CD now available online
http://walter-pall.de/cdavailable2.jpg.dir/index.html
http://walter-pall.de
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Ah, then, Walter, you are saying that we should in most cases accept the demonstration as a show. An entertainment perhaps, with some teaching, if we're lucky. Perhaps we learn a technique or two.

Some years ago. at a MidAtlantic Festival in NJ, Yasuo Mitsuya styled an evergreen (spruce comes to mind) that had been damaged prior to his styling, so that it came out as a "flat" tree, with almost no front or back branches. It was a pretty tree, but looked funny in the pot at the end of the demo.

Lucky tree! Solita Rosade won it in the raffle, and took it home. Chase found an oval pot, perhaps 16" x 4" and repotted the tree to the delight of Mitsuya, who was staying as their houseguest. The end result is a beautifully different tree, that in less-skilled hands, would have remained a "problem".

But that is one tree in How many?

He wasn't teaching us to make "flat" trees; He was taking a "lemon" and showing us how to make lemonade.

I look forward to meeting you in Washington.

Maybe they'll have good beer!

Walter_Pall

'Ah, then, Walter, you are saying that we should in most cases accept the demonstration as a show. An entertainment perhaps, with some teaching, if we're lucky. Perhaps we learn a technique or two.'

Thomas,

that's exacly what I am saying.

I meet lots of folks in the world who have seen 20, 50, 100 or even more demonstrations in their life. Are they all experts by now? Not at all. Most of them are just as amateurish as those who have only seen a couple or even no demostration. So these demos cannot possibly have been more than entertainment - shows as you say. Otherwise America would be full of wonderful bonsai stylists and experts. It is not, as we know.And also Europe is not, as I know. Neither is Japan, btw.
The overwhlming majority of these shows are poor - as we all know. not, becasue the artists are poor artist, but because they just don't know how to run a good show.

I am on stage almost every weekend. I do this under the clear understanding that it will first of all be a show. I think it should be a good show if it is worth my time and people's time. It must be entertaining, educational and inspiring. Inspiring is the most important part. It must be genuine, not a show for show's sake. I will as a rule only do things with a tree that I wold do with my own tree at home. I may do a bit more in a short period of tim, but I will tell people. Very rarely I will do somehting that I wold not do with my own tree. And I wll clearly say so.

For some reason they keep reinviting me.

__________________
best regards
Walter Pall

CD now available online
http://walter-pall.de/cdavailable2.jpg.dir/index.html
http://walter-pall.de
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/