Friday. This and the other images in this post were are lifted from Graham Potter’s video, ‘A Yew saved from the woodpile.’
Graham Potter’s bonsai videos are remarkably popular (the one featured here has been viewed over 138,000 times on youtube and who knows how many times on Graham’s Kaizen Bonsai website) and it’s no wonder. Not only are they very well-made and highly instructive, but they are also, at times, simply astounding (too much coffee this morning?). This one features a five day transformation of an old English yew (Taxus baccata), some great highbrow music and a wealth of useful information. Most def worth a few minutes of your time.
Deadwood is more than a discontinued TV series. I could say a lot about what you’ll see in this video, particularly the extensive deadwood carving, where Graham employs a wide range of carving tools and techniques. In fact, I’ll venture that you have never seen so many carving tools used on a single bonsai over such a short period time.
Monday. This is where it all started. If you use your fingers, you’ll realize that Monday thru Friday is only five days. Not bad.
A small power carving tool.
A much larger power carving tool.
One of many hand tools used.
Remove a little rot, do a little carving, and this is what you get.
Graham’s videos are always an inspiration for anyone attempting bonsai from collected material — I’ve watched the whole video series several times and enjoy Graham’s talent and wit. Nice yew!
Love the tree, find the deadwood overpowering.
It’s still al log with a parasitic bonsai tree. People do too much deadwood lately. it’s a nicely-carved log, but it’s still a log.
Maggie and Terry,
Yeah. Point well taken. It’s a style of deadwood dominance that’s not going to appeal to lots of people and definitely a stretch for bonsai. Maybe ‘sculpture with bonsai’ is apt.
In the aspect of Bonsai as idealized nature, I love this tree, it looks just like something I have seen up on the “mountain” tops of northern Pennsylvania.
Terry,
It seems that you might be a tad envious of something that takes more talent than you might have, so maybe you shouldn’t hate on someone that has that kind of talent and if you have seen any of his work before you would know that. I would say that it is far from just a log. You could say the same thing about some of the Juniper we see from Japan that are so carved and manicured too, (but we don’t seem to)and actually if you took a survey probably most people would think this is a beautiful bonsai (not just a log).
Ah, the great deadwood debates! I too cut my teeth on the European bonsai scene with Graham’s video’s ( the Kaisen website also has awesome articles on binsai how to and the yamadori they have for sale will make you want to buy your own Leer jet so you can fly the stuff home to the US). The transformation of this tree and all the others in the series is more like Harry Potter, not a Graham Potter.
As Marco Ivernizzi likes to say, ” deadwood sells “. However, I do believe a time is coming where trends will swing back around to emphasize foilage again. Walter Pall is predicting this and this is normal in all forms of art from painting to dog breeding.
I think this tree was done intelligently to use the green which draws the eye to frame and showcase the deadwood.
Yes, it’s just a carved log with a styled branch, but if it was on my bench, I would be happy to water it.
Also I think some of the comments may be too caught up in the “finished” image of the tree after its FIRST styling. Two points: First, the tree lacked the necessary branching to create a better balance with the deadwood, this will develop only over time. Secondly, one can further carve the deadwood in the future once the foliage matures in order to create the “final” image in a more balanced manner, its much easier to take the wood off later then it is to put it back if it was carved further presently. However looking into the future of this tree does not allow one to vent at “what those crazy kids are doing these days with all their crazy power tools and deadwood” hurrrumph! ;)
Envy? It was done over five days. It just the beginning… Graham Potter does some incredible things. He’s an inspiration. Would anyone ever criticize the dead wood on a 5,000 year old Bristlecone Pine? Kimura’s dead wood is okay a nd anyone else’s is not? Foresight. Artistry. Am I alone with this?
I do agree with Farkas about trends back to foliage (and I´m in Brazil, dealing with tropical trees, so there are some self interests in this opinion). By the way, Pall was in Brazil last november/12, one of his lessons (at least to me) was about to carv to get better apearance scars, not to much enphasis on jin and sharis… (pause)
Ok, ok: I confess my envy of these wonderful pines and amazing sculpture skills…
Hi Bob,
I’m not sure Terry was hating on anyone, just expressing an opinion in blunt language. Otherwise I appreciate everyone’s contributions to the discussion, especially Joseph’s reminder that this is just the first styling. Perhaps revisiting the tree in a few years and opening the discussion back up would be a good idea. We’ll see…