The uninitiated sometimes wonder how a tree like this stays alive. The answer; excellent care and that live vein that snakes its way up the trunk.
The feature that really sets this tree apart (taking nothing away from the live vein and the tree's overall beauty and balance) is that delicious deadwood reaching into the sky. I think it's the fluidity of the movement that keeps it from being over the top (so to speak). The tree belongs to Nicola Kitora Crivelli. It’s from a gallery on Bonsai Empire.
More deadwood. We’re on a roll so we’ll just keep going.
Going down? I can think of at least six reasons to love this tree: that little piece of wood that hangs over the edge of the pot, the remarkable texture and color of the bark, the way the powerful old trunk seems to cling to the pot, the radiant health expressed by the foliage, the fact that it's Southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis) a variety that's new to me, and that remarkable jin that seems to point in the direction the rest of tree is headed. The tree belong to Greg Brenden. The photo is from the 2010 2nd U.S. National Exhibition Album (out of print but we still have the 3rd and 4th).
The 3rd and 4th U.S, National Bonsai Exhibition Albums
Going up? When I let go of my notions of naturalness and try to look with unprejudiced eyes, I’m struck by the way the whiteness (fresh lime sulfur) of the deadwood sets off the delicious slick live vein (a tough brush and some camillea oil?). Then there’s the story behind the partially hidden twisted deadwood stump. Something happened to this tree before it was discovered clinging to its little patch of soil somewhere in eastern North America (it’s an Eastern red cedar that's really a Juniper (Juniperus virginiana). Oh yeah, and there’s those three jin. The tree belongs to Juan Calderon. The photo is from the 2008 1st U.S. National Exhibition Album (out of print).
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