Weeping Bald Cypress Critique by Robert Steven

McAtee-Simulation

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Bald cypress that was submitted by Mac McAtee (see below for Mac’s original).

It will cost you absolutely nothing (except maybe a little pride)
Email us a photo of your bonsai and we’ll submit it to Robert Steven for a critique. Robert is a world renowned bonsai author, teacher and artist (you could say bonsai master, but I tend to shy away from using the term) and we are delighted to be the recipients of his generous offering of his time and expertise (how’s that for a string of prep phrases?). Normally you would pay handsomely for such detailed advice from a bonsai artist of Robert’s status.

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This is the photo Mac submitted.

Robert’s critique
I always emphasize the importance of ramification (branching), no matter the style of the tree; good ramification makes a bonsai look like a mature tree in nature.

There are some styles that need specific ramification structures if you want them to resemble trees in  nature e.g. windswept and weeping style.

This bonsai looks like a dying tree rather than a weeping tree (sorry); simply because of improper ramification. The main branches are too stiff and too straight; something you’ll never find on weeping trees in nature.

The main branches should show curving lines along with more secondary branches and twigs. All of these should the same lines; that is, growing upright before bending down to weep. This is especially true on the top of the tree. In almost all cases, weeping trees have rounded rather that narrow tops.

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Detail that shows ramification on a weeping tree.

My next comment is about the rock. It looks separated from the tree which expresses a lack of unity. You could rearrange with few more rocks in an over-lapping manner. This will enhance the poetic nuance….

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 and Mission of Transformation which are available at Stone Lantern.

You can also visit my bonsai blog.

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New Planting Angle (Plus) Equals New Tree

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After. Ezo spruce by Tomohisa Fujikawa. From Bonsai Today issue 50.

Changing the planting angle is only part of the story
At first glance you might think that just changing the planting angle is the whole story here. True, it’s a big part of the story and changing the planting angle so radically and making it look so natural is no mean feat. But if you take a closer look at the before picture (below) and the after picture (above) you might notice that there’s more than first meets the eye.

The whole story
If you’d like to see a step-by-step (pictures and text) explanation of how this remarkable tree was so radically transformed, check out Bonsai Today issue 50 (available at Stone Lantern).  .

ezo2Before. With a little wiring and a little trimming, you could leave it as it is and still have an exceptional bonsai.

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A little creative thinking. If you mask the top of the tree (after the transformation), this is what you come up with.


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Fertilizing & Back Budding

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Speaking of Mario Komsta (previous post), this instructive and somewhat self explanatory photo about a lesser known benefit of fertilizing, is something he cooked up. I don’t remember where I found it (facebook?), but I do know where you can find Mario.

Fertilize! Skip ahead to the fourth point unless you are a beginner (or, either ignorant or lazy – or both)*
Many, if not most people under fertilize their bonsai. I imagine it’s laziness on some people’s part and ignorance on others (they’re related). There’s nothing we can do about the laziness part, but, maybe we can help with the ignorance.

First, we’ll state the obvious: fertilizing helps keep your bonsai healthy. Plants need a range of nutrients to sustain themselves, stay beautiful, help resist pests and disease and so forth.

Second (something that should be obvious but isn’t to everyone): you don’t starve bonsai to keep them small. Bonsai are kept small by pruning (top and roots) and by growing them in small containers.

Third (you’d be surprised how many people don’t quite get this): fertilizing encourages growth and growth is critical in developing quality bonsai. You want trunks to thicken, branches to develop, nebari to develop, and so forth. Unhealthy plants don’t grow much, or worse, their growth is leggy and weak.

Fourth (the purpose of the photo above): ample, (even intensive) fertilizing can encourage back budding (budding on old wood). Some trees don’t back bud easily (pines for example) so they need some encouragement. In the photo above, Mario points out a bud that popped up on eleven-year-old wood (on a pine no less!). He attributes this not very common occurrence to fertilizing.

*Takes one to know one
Disclaimer: I actively indulge in both ignorance and laziness with alarming regularity. No high ground around here.

Green Dream fertilizer

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Super Mario

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Hornbeam (Soro in Japanese) by Mario Komsta.

Mario Komsta is his name
Once upon a time, when I was the publisher/editor of Bonsai Today, we featured an article by a rising young European bonsai star (issue 102 – we also featured him in issue 105). His name was Mario Jano. Or so we thought. Turns out, we were wrong (for the whole story see Bonsai Today issue 104 page 53). His name was, and remains Mario Komsta, and judging by the photos here (there’s more on his site) he’s a bonsai star that has fully risen.

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Japanese winterberrry (Umemodoki).

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Another hornbeam.

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Whoa! This is one daring Shimpaku. At first glance I thought ‘oh no, another crazy overly sculpted bonsai.’ But, the more I look, the more I like. It’s two trees in one with that wild free form jin tying them together.

All the photos in the this post are from Mario Komsta’s website.

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Fall Color: Writ Small

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Trident maple from the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, North American Collection in Washington DC. Donated by Brussel Martin.

You can tell by the color
It’s most definitely fall here in Vermont (you can tell by the color and the swoonable luminous sunny days). But even though our fall color is renowned, we’re not the only place with such good fortune. Washington DC, Japan, Germany, pretty much everywhere there are distinct seasons have their own psychedelic displays.

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This time it’s a Japanese wax tree (Rhus succedanea) in Japan. The photo is from Bonsai Today issue 26.

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Fall color in Germany. This one’s a beech by Walter Pall (from dreamstime).

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Back to DC. Zelkova serrata from the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, North American Collection. Donated by Yuji Yoshimura.

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Tiny vermilion persimmons, another sign of fall in Japan. From Bonsai Today 39.

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An old Rock hornbeam showing off its subtle hued leaves somewhere in Japan. From Bonsai Today issue 18.

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Penjing Book: All Good Things Must End & Tying Up a Loose End on a Robert Steven Critique

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An old favorite is almost gone.

Only 3 or 4 left
Thought we’d give you a fair warning in case you’ve been meaning to procure your own copy. It’s a the only Penjing book in English and, in my opinion, belongs in that elite group we call classics.

Tying up a loose end
A while back, Robert Steven asked me to post an original picture that he used for a second critique of an Atlas cedar (the photo for the first critique was posted). Given that most people probably don’t bother to read comments on old posts, I thought more people might see it here.

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The view of an Atlas cedar that Robert Steven used for his second (and best in my opinion) critique of the tree. Submitted by Mike Andrews. In case you are interested, here’s a link for the first critique of the tree.

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Pots: A Flare for the Unusual

bjpots2I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a glaze quite like this one (or the one below for that matter). The potter is Michelle Dougherty.

New pots
I’ve been checking out Michelle’s posts at Bunjin Journal for quite a while now. Though she doesn’t post very often (lately she’s been on a bit of roll), when she does, she usually comes up with something a tad unusual. This time it’s some pots she just made. Not that all her pots are all that unusual, some are, some aren’t (I picked a couple here that I think are both distinctive and beautiful), but if you follow her posts, you’ll see what I mean.

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The Magician: After & Before

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After. Pretty impressive, no? You’ll encounter very few bonsai that are both this powerful and this refined anywhere on this planet. In fact, I challenge you to find even one that rivals it (they do exist, but are oh so rare). Photo from Bonsai Today issue 59 (still available).

Too refined?
Masahiko Kimura has fallen out of favor with some people over the last few years. You might hear or see comments about how his bonsai is overly sculpted, overly refined, unnatural looking. For where I sit, it’s unfortunate when we feel we must take sides and pick either refined and sculpted or natural looking as superior. Both have their place in bonsai, and you might even say that dividing bonsai into two neat categories just limits our view. I suspect Kimura might say something like that (pure speculation on my part). If you look at the full range of his work, though refined and sculpted (and amazing) are his hallmarks, all of his bonsai have at least an authentic natural touch, and some are even naturalistic (maybe not like Dan Robinson’s, but still…).

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Before. Already powerful, but what a mess! If you’d like to see the steps that got us from here to the photo above, check out Bonsai Today issue 59.

The Magician, The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2, marked down to $9.95 from $29.95.

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Robert Steven Critiques a Ficus

Tom Kruegl-Simulation

Robert’s digital simulation of a Ficus nerifolia that was submitted by Tom Kreugl.

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Tom’s original. The small stick marks the front Tom has chosen.

Robert’s critique

In spite of the tree itself, this is a photo that I do not like (sorry!). There’s a problem with appreciation of the art of bonsai because the photo cuts off part of the pot.

Continue reading Robert Steven Critiques a Ficus

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