Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree 2/21/16

Robert Steven's digitally enhanced version of a Trident maple by Carl Morrow (the photo Carl submitted is below).

This is one of our earlier (September, 2010) Robert Steven critiques. And one of my favorites. The tree is great and Robert’s lesson is simple. Reign in the spread of the crown and the pot, and suddenly the already powerful trunk and nebari jump out. Not that they didn’t already claim some demand on your attention, but with the distracting horizon horizontal energy reduced, that demand is more clearly focused and exactly where it should be.

There’s more, but we’ll let Robert speak for himself (below).

The original photo. It doesn't hurt to start with a quality tree. 

Robert’s comments
Despite the details, bonsai design is all about composition, and the pot is one of the most important composition elements. A well chosen pot can reflect and enhance the best features of a tree and effect the overall image, adding both nuance and balance.

Our first impression is a sense of visual imbalance. This is due to pot size (which is too big) and improper potting position. Another disturbing thing is the foliage edge on the left side seems to be heavier than the right side. This creates and unbalanced effect, since the tree’s movement flows to the right.

Solution :

1. Reduce the foliage on the left to enhance the tree’s natural flow to the right.
2. Prune some leaves to show some of the branches structure, this will give an older look to the tree.
3. Use a smaller pot.

There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste because of personal preferences. But I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul (out of print) and Mission of Transformation which are available at Stone Lantern.

You can also visit my bonsai blog.