AusBonsai

Jamie...well done big guy ! this could be really good...Pup, you know I cant spell! ....Dog.

Pup, I think it has a naturalistic look, real trees grow like this. Not in perfect proportions or balance, but the way nature made them. I like it as an aged miniature tree, It doesn't conform to normal bonsai rules.It is handsome, the creator deserves applause for his skill. Chopping it into a ' normal' style would set it back.

Great thread Webos,
I think if you attempted to fit this tree into into a recognised bonsai style, that would be tricky and perhaps this is why the tree has not appealed to quite a few who have posted replies. Like Pup, this tree "rings a bell" with me and I can't help thinking that I have seen similar trees elsewhere - somewhere, I wish I could remember. Regardless, for some reason this tree connects with me on an aesthetic level, this can't be accidental, perhaps those who like this tree are seeing the tree through the artists eyes, Mr Willson has done his job well if that is the case.

Cheers
MM

judging from what i have seen of mr. willsons portfolio he has a way of captivating a veiwer, there are trees there that look so good in picture i could just about guarantee they would look better in real life!
i know for one i have found myself coming back and looking at the tree and the portfolio, just getting caught up in a daze. so like i said captivating.


as MM has stated mr. willson has done his job well on an artistic level, horticultural level and aesthetically !


jamie

This certainly is an interesting post , I agree this tree has certain good quality's . Pup you have quoted that contradiction to the norm is rife in bonsai, sorry mate for myself I must disagree with you . I love trees that do not fit that normal bonsai mould and have a more natural look , I also like some over stylised trees . I see that this tree is off balance and the negative spaces on this tree lack variation. Greth I have hundreds of bonsai books in my collection I must say I don`t see many trees like this one. If we attempt to align this tree with what we would see in nature, the branch on the left in my opinion would be growing over something like a waters edge or a cliff. If this was the case the trunk on the right may not be there, or it would have grown in the same direction as the other . I think that sometimes we are presented with trees that have been styled by recognised artists, and these trees are viewed with a " it must be right because he or she styled it attitude " this is an attitude I don`t agree with . They are people just like the rest of us ! I would like to share what I think would be a more stylised bonsai way of looking at this tree, with less negative spaces. JMHO CHEERS ROD...

interesting rod!

as much as i can agree to not conforming with everything all the time, i have to say that these things can help, after seeing your collection personally, i can see that your trees although not everyone of them conform to the art of bonsai they bent, twist and turn it inside out but everyone of your trees is balanced. i couldnt put one in front of you that doesnt have a balanced feel to it. which is the point i am getting at regarding your virt. personally i found the tree by itself, or the other two virts you have done balance well, the last one just feels a bit unbalanced to me, it feels like it is going to tip over and i just want to run over and stand it back up, just my thoughts on it mate, i think your design and skill are up there with the best, and i think your different approach to trees is intriguing but also conclusive to the fact that it shows in your stunning collection!


just my thoughts mate, some of the things you said when we met have made me to start thinking this way


jamie

Jamie that is why posts like this one are good , it gets people questioning and discussing how we look at and how we style our trees. Mate I agree with you about the third virt, it was just done as another angle of looking at this tree. For me personally the v with the upright tree is the only way to go, I may add this is through my eyes . I also think this helps us all develop our trees and take them to the next level, that is if you want to we all work at different standards. I find that I am rarely totally happy with my trees , I like to continually critique and re-evaluate the direction they are heading. That is not to say my way is the only way , though it does work for me. Jamie if I have said something to you when we first met that has you thinking, YIPPEE...... that`s what us old guys should do. ROD....

im glad you took that the right way mate, i knew you would

i think striving for the next level is an important part in our bonsai journey, if we do not strive for better next time we style a tree, or restyle, or just add little minor touches and tweaking we will not further ourselves in our bonsai!
i cant narrow any one thing down in the conversation we had when we met that has got me thinking bout trees differently, i think it was a combination of our coversation, and the phoenominal trees you have and the trees that are in training has opened my eyes to a whole new level of bonsai. after that day it has inspired me to one day have a collection like your own, thinking outside the square of styling, thinking about the way we style, and the general way we develop trees!
i am very grateful that you welcomed me into your home and was only to happy to share your knowledge.

as for the tree, i keep looking at it, and i just cant put it down to one choice, i find that any of the options are viable, other than the third virt for reasons like i said.
i agree that we should re-evaluate or trees on a constant basis, i have just done this today actually with a celtis, i got it a while ago and is what enlightened me to the speices and how much i love them. it has gone from an upright tree to me now deciding on a semi cascade/full cascade tree. havent decided on that yet but will once i figure out what i want

jamie