Tree of the Day - Tuesday March 8, 2005

TreeBay

Great comments all around on this one!

TRUNKS

Having too much space between the trunks is a problem, but as was noted above the chief difficulty may be that the nebari is completely obscured, causing a loss of connection. In a twin trunk bonsai the two trunks should not be arranged abreast, but one trunk slightly in front of the other


Oº

or

ºO



The heights of the major and minor trunks are good. The ratio of trunk thickness is okay but could be improved. An unfortunate scar on the main trunk that draws the eye.

FORMS

I think the silhouette is interesting, with the boughs supporting the oval profile that Lesley described. (This oval is definitely a feminine element that would echo well with an oval container vs. this rectangle.)

BRANCHES

The branching an important point in communicating the grace of the Japanese Maple, a distinctly feminine tree. The branches carry a grace that is worth some study. There is not a huge amount of ramification, but it is successful because the taper and movement in these branches communicates grace. Jim's comment "Long spindly trunks but the stong ones can form beautiful canopies that dance with the slightest breeze" is right on. These branches have that dynamic quality to them that Jim nailed with words.

There are some issues with crossing X branch arrangements that disturb the harmony of the trunks and the minor trunk is topped with an uncomfortable whorl made up of three branches without any real transition from the trunk.

As Mike notes, there are bar branch at the level of the first branch on the main trunk. It might be acceptable if the flow were better, but the branch itself is rather straight and calls attention to that point.

POT

The remarks concerning the rectangular, dark pot contrasting with the feminine nature of the bonsai were very on-target. The idea of the off-white oval is great.

In the sketch I attach here I pointed out a few of the problems and visualized it on an irregular stone slab, although I really do like the suggestion of the oval pot. I think the idea of a slab that is not quite flat appealed to me because I visualized the slightly irregular trunks suggesting that we were in the foothills.

DISPLAY

As noted the foliage color is very nice. It is suggestive of spring to me so it would be appropriate to show it with an accent that befits the season. It could work with a hut-shaped stone or bronze sparrow in the foreground. If someone's interested in continuing that idea in the Formal Display thread, that would be great. The options for scrolls are numerous. You might have a simple haiku about a walk in the woods, maybe the bird (if you didn't use it in the foreground) or a floral painting of some bluebells

I am going to close the discussion on this tree so we can concentrate on the next one!

Regards,

Matt


Attached below is a sketch I did yesterday before the comments just doodling out some ideas in advance of posting.

Attached Images

1110268518_image.jpg (59.3 KB, 32 views)

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