It’s a little fuzzy (enlarged a tad too much), but you can still see the time consuming detail in François Jeker’s carving. It’s especially noteworthy because the tree is a yew (taxus), a genus known for the hardness of its wood. From the cover of Bonsai Today issue 103.

Continued
This post is a continuation of the day before yesterday’s post about François appearing at Rosade Bonsai Studio on May 15th.

Borrowed from François‘ website. I’m not sure what it is, but I know I like the pot, the tree and the creative presentation.

Also from François’ website.

We just received this from François Jeker. François is the author Bonsai Aesthetics and is an accomplished bonsai artist and teacher. He is particularly known for his skills in creating, carving and aging of deadwood. Bonsai Today featured a series of his articles on the topic (issues 103, 104 and 105). The bad news is that two of these issue are out of print. The good news is that we have been posting excerpts here on Bonsai Bark and plan on posting more in the future. I particularly like his article on aging deadwood which was featured in July of last year (see images below).

François’ message en français
Bonjour à toutes et à tous. Ci-joint le résultat du premier stage 2010. Encore un bon moment et de belles émotions. Amitiés,

Rough English, courtesy of FreeTranslantion.com
Hello to all and everyone, Here is the result of the first training 2010.  Again a good moment and of beautiful emotions.  Yours in friendship.

Bonsai Aesthetics en español
Tenemos Bonsai Aesthetics en español y en ingles.

François’ drawings showing aging progression of deadwood. This originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 103 (out of print) and also appears in an earlier Bonsai Bark post.

The styling progression on this cascade Shimpaku juniper by Shinji Suzuki is remarkable (you can see the whole step by step progression in our Juniper book). So is the end result. Remarkable and very unusual. Shinji Suzuki styled it when he was 24 years old. I wonder if he would do it differently now.

It’s not just the wild mixed interlocking swirls of live and dead wood…
… nor is it just the very long piece of deadwood that runs through the center like a dagger, all the way from near the top to the very bottom… nor the delicate deadwood branch the floats on top and undulates down into the very center of the cascade…. nor the 360 degree deadwood circle on the right… nor the crazy two piece trunk at the base, that lies flat on the soil with a big fist of deadwood above that, but….

… it’s all those things taken together
Nothing about this amazing bonsai is conventional, except maybe the pot and the stand. You might say the the foliage pads are somewhat normal for a cascade juniper, and that may be true, though you might take another look at their very open spacing the way they interact and move with and against the deadwood.

A not particularly eccentric bonsai. This powerful and tranquil old Needle juniper is probably Shinji Suzuki’s best known tree. It originally appeared on the cover of Bonsai Today issue 63 and also appears in the gallery section of our Juniper book.

Shinji Suzuki
Is world-renowned for his bonsai, both conventional and unusual. If you are interested in learning more about Mr. Suzuki check out Michael Hagedorn’s excellent book; Postdated; The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.

Shore Juniper (J. procumbens) by master bonsai innovator, Masahiko Kimura. I like this one. It combines the sculptural look that has been favored by some Japanese bonsai artists (especially in the 90s) with a more wild, rugged natural look that is in favor in much of the world bonsai community. Not that bonsai is so simple that it can be divided into two categories; sculptural versus natural. If bonsai is an art, then categories are continually being broken down as artist play, explore and innovate. And no bonsai artist that I know of, has played, explored and innovated more successfully that Master Kimura. Photo is from our Juniper book.

What is it about junipers?
Junipers are tough, durable, flexible (they take to wire like they were made for it) and pruneable. They don’t mind having their roots hacked (sometime quite heavily) and they take to container culture. Their needles tend to be small and dense and both their needles and bark come in a range of attractive (sometimes luminous) colors and textures. Perhaps best of all, junipers take to carving like few other plants; and their deadwood is both attractive and long lasting (all deadwood eventually rots, but juniper wood rots more slowly than most), especially if you keep it clean and apply lime sulfur.

Everywhere and for everyone
Junipers grow almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere (they don’t occur south of the equator), from the Arctic tundra to the Central American mountains and African tropics. This means that there are varieties for almost any climate, including some that can survive indoors (only under just the right conditions, with the emphasis on survive, rather than on grow; as indoor cultivation is tough on most plants – but that’s a story for another time). All this makes junipers a first choice for bonsai, from beginners all the way to the masters.

Dwarf Japanese garden juniper (J. procumbens ‘Nana’). By Jerald B. Stowell. From Bonsai Today issue 26. Procumbens nana is by far the most popular juniper for beginners, at least here in the States (it’s the one you see ad nauseam in the malls around the Holidays). However, you seldom see a masterpiece, as the trunks tend to stay too thin. The trunk on this one is about a thick as they ever get.

Contest entry number eight by Jonathan Pessin. There’s something going on with this little juniper, though I’m not sure where’s it’s headed. Cascade? In any case, it’s potential will have a hard time developing in such a small pot. Most of the best shohin are grown in larger pots (or even in the ground) and then reduced. As it is, unrefined potential is probably the best description. I do like the heavy little trunk and think that over time and with some work the deadwood might add character. Maybe it could go all the way down to the base of the trunk and even be hollowed out some at the bottom. Is it just the photo, or is the wire already digging in?

Once again, let’s get this over with
Two more entries and we can award one of you a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. What are you waiting for? Details here.

This Manzanita is growing on a granite ledge on a rise just before you drop down into Yosemite valley. The others shown below are from the same general area. All the photos were taken by Amy Palmer, during a Sierra hiking and tree identification trip that Amy and I just returned from.

Pervasive, beautiful, and seemingly perfect for bonsai
Whenever I go into the California Coast range or the Sierras, I’m struck by the Manzanitas. Not only are they eye catching in ways few plants are (the photos speak for themselves) but many appear to be near perfect for bonsai with squat trunks, small leaves and more than their fair share of character. And, they are practically everywhere. To be sure some are too big (there are over fifty species of Manzanita) but many, if not most, varieties look ready made bonsai.

Where are all the Manzanita bonsai?
My guess is that manzanitas just don’t take to bonsai culture. But, it’s just a guess. Or maybe there are some great manzanita bonsai that have been hiding from me. Perhaps one of you lucky enough to live in mazanita country can clue me in.

The fairly short grasses give you some idea just how squat and powerful this trunk is. No need to point out the dramatic interplay of deadwood and the trademark slick red bark.

Same tree as above. It stands about five feet high.

Another powerful little trunk. It looks like soil around the base of the trunk, but really it’s almost all granite. What appears to be soil is just some organic matter that has dropped off the tree or been blown around the base of the trunk by the wind.

We shot this one to give you some idea of just how much deadwood an old manzanita can have. Notice the two thin live veins that support the entire tree.

I won’t say where juniper (looks like a shimpaku) bonsai came from, but will say why we choose it as an eccentric bonsai (see below) after an apology for it being slightly out of focus (it was enlarged a tad too much so it would fit our format).

The contest: win a $25 gift certificate to Stone Lantern
The first person to tell us whose tree this is and where we can verify that, will win a $25 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. Please put your answer in the comments below.

Eccentric?
I realize that eccentric is in the bleary eye of the beholder, and certainly mean no offense to the artist.

Unsettling?
There is something about the relationship of the two trunks that seems unusual, almost unsettling. I like the slanting right trunk and think that it could stand on its own, especially if the branches and crown where developed a bit more. The stately left trunk also has possibilities as a bunjin. Both trunks appear to have great deadwood; it would be nice to see close ups.

Near equals
So, what’s unsettling? Perhaps it’s the two trunks being too close to equals in magnitude. Though the left trunk is much taller, the right trunk is almost its equal because it’s thicker and stronger. People that study aesthetics sometimes say that this creates a problem for the viewer. Rather than finding one dominant place (focal point) to start and return to, the eye just flickers back and forth between two equally powerful objects.

Jaws, or maybe a structural weakness
Or maybe it’s that the two trunks look a bit like a jaws about to snap shut. Or, perhaps its the way the two form a large V. On large landscape trees a V like this is considered a weakness. Eventually the heavy leaning branch or trunk will most likely split off due to the force of its weight. In this case, because the second trunk is supported by its flaring base, it may never be problem (were it a full sized tree). Nevertheless, that might be why the angle and relationship of the two trunks seems a little unsettling. Anyone else?

More on Junipers and on bonsai aesthetics

Nick Lenz calls this rugged heavily scarred old larch a ‘super hack back job’ (performed with a chainsaw). It’s noteworthy for its excellent taper and nebari (among other things), things that doesn’t come naturally with most larches. I guess you could say that the Halloween carving is also noteworthy. The photo is from Nick’s book, Bonsai from the Wild (Stone Lantern Publishing).

Round these parts it’s a Tamarack
Here in Vermont we are right on the southern edge of the Larix laricina’s range. Most bonsai enthusiasts (and many others) refer to it as the American larch, but around here almost everyone calls it the Tamarack.

So many good qualities
Of all the trees that grow around here, larches are the most prized bonsai candidates. They are easy to grow, flexible, take to pruning and root pruning, have small bright green needles and excellent fall color, the wood is easy to carve and the resulting deadwood is attractive, they develop real character with age, and so forth…

This rugged old naturally dwarfed larch is makes its home in the middle of a somewhat barren and boggy, larch-friendly field. Nick Lenz says that trees like this one with plenty of deadwood are often riddled with borers and that the gems are usually found in the smaller mounded forms (if you look close, you can see some). This photo is also from Nick’s book, Bonsai from the Wild.

And quite unique in their own right
Larches are abundant in these parts, especially in the boggy lowlands. However, because they are conifers that happen to be deciduous, they are unique among the world’s trees (there are only three or four – depending how you classify – deciduous conifers in the world). This gives larches a special cache, as well as a bright yellow fall color.

This  famous bonsai (also from Nick’s book) gives you a pretty good idea of why larches are valued for their seductive yellow-golden fall foliage.

A little man-made rocky hill in my back yard that doubles as a bonsai field growing area. You can see about twelve different species in this shot (excluding the big trees in the back) including several larch. If you are interested in more on field growing, here’s the latest in a series of posts we have been running.

Not ready yet
I’ve been collecting young larch for about five years and growing them on. They are all are still fairly small and need to stay in the field for many more years to age and gain some character, so none are really developed enough to show you much. Nevertheless, here’s a couple photos to give you some idea of what’s going on.  Meanwhile, for the real goods, we always have Rarch Master Renz’s (Larch Master Lenz’s) trees to enjoy.

Here’s one I dug up on a friend’s farm and stuck in my yard for about four years. There trunk is almost 2″ (5cm) thick just above the root that flares out on the right. As you can see, it lacks good taper, which is a common drawback with larches. This year I decided it was time to do a little work on it, so that’s why its in a training pot. I ended up butchering it a bit (some people call it carving) and then sticking it back in the ground. As is often the case, I neglected to take photos. BTW: This photo and the one above are by my friend Amy Plamer, one person who does have the wherewithal to remember her camera.

Carl Morrow sent us this digitalized revision (and two others, see below) of a juniper that was originally submitted to our ‘Fearless Bonsai Warrior‘ program, by John Romano. This is the second critique of John’s juniper that has been submitted to Bonsai Bark (here’s the other).

Carl’s turn with John’s Juniper
The photos and text in this post were submitted by Carl Morrow. Carl has been here before with his own tree. Now he’s tackling John Romano’s juniper.

“A tree needs to tell a consistent story and when one has an outstanding feature or focal point then the theme created needs to be repeated through other parts of the tree to create a consistent image.

This is a lovely tree that I would happily play with. Deadwood is a very powerful focal point and it is difficult to look anywhere else when there is a stark white area on the tree. In the current form, John’s tree has single piece of deadwood that is not repeated anywhere else. What could have caused just one major branch to die without affecting anything else on the tree? The tip of the jin is firmly pointing downwards while the rest of the (trunk line and foliage) tree has an upward feel. For this reason I find the jin jarring and unnatural. I would do one of two things to solve this.”

Carl’s revision #1 (without the lines) and his explanation
“Cutting off the jin allows attention to fall on the beautiful trunk line and attractive foliage arrangement. I would extend the foliage out to the right a bit to create more balance in this, now gentle, tree. The main branch on the left is becoming visually straight (something that seems to happen often in Juniperus procumbens var nana) and so some work needs to go into creating a stepped feeling that repeats the angle and curves in the trunk. This can be done by bending the branch along with using foliage to create the feeling of steps.”

Carl’s revision #2 with explanation
“My preferred option would be to create more deadwood in the tree that would repeat the motif seen by the existing jin. The shari on the trunk repeats the line created by the jin (although once done, it would be the jin repeating the trunk shari!).

The second branch on the left would be killed off to create another jin that picks up on the line created by the hook part of the existing jin and it also opens out the canopy which is consistent with a tree that is living in harsh conditions that create deadwood, curves and angles in trees.

The little bar branch jins on the main curve of the trunk are sorted out by removing the left hand one. Again the stepped effect needs to be emphasized in the branches. Your eye now sees a number of white areas that have a consistent pattern that contributes to the direction of the tree and so you then have a look at the whole planting rather than just a single area.”

For more on Juniper bonsai check out our Masters’ Series Juniper book.

Dear John (from Patrick)
John, no need to apologize for the tree. It’s a given that a tree needs to recover after the stress of preparation (for) a show or photo contest. A big part of the recovery is to let the tree grow out. I appreciate the confidence and the stones you have to (present) it in its “shaggy” recovery stage. What we should be talking about is the high standard of artistic design the tree is projecting and why.

The tree is pleasing… because of the asymmetrical triangle of the canopy. A straight line that starts right and zig-zags to the apex gives direction to the viewer (a technique used by the master painters of the Renaissance). The deadwood gives just enough tension and flow to keep your interest and further gives the viewer direction back to the canopy.

The story it conveys is about the artist: he created a pleasing work of art the conveys his knowledge of horticulture, craftsmanship and creative talent. Make no mistake, these attributes should be the basis for experienced bonsai artists. Is this too high a standard? It better not be, if here in the USA, we want our due as great bonsai artists and we are… We just don’t know it.

A small exception
Thank you Patrick! I agree with most of you have to say. Especially the “no need to apologize” part. I also like your comments on the shape and movement of the tree and especially like the graphics you provides to illustrate your points.

Where I might take issue is about “our due as great bonsai artists.” Though I have seen some excellent North American bonsai and expect to see many more in the future, I would hesitate to make such a strong statement (no insult intended, but it almost sounds like bragging, though I’m sure that isn’t the intention). From where I stand, it looks like most of us still have a ways to go before we can talk about greatness. I would include the strong little tree above as a work in progress if greatness is the goal. I suspect John would agree.

Patrick Giacobbe’s art
Check out Patrick’s site. He’s got some interesting bonsai, but what really caught my eye are his drawings of bonsai and other subjects.

Your turn
Anyone else? Be a fearless bonsai warrior (like John and Patrick) and send your photos, or your comments, or both.