AusBonsai

I pulled this from Bonsai Bark, stone lanterns blog.

DaveP
Posted 06/18/2011 at 10:49 AM | Permalink

Perhaps “Locally Influenced” would be more accurate. The junipers high on the mountains in central Taiwan weather and grow in a considerably different environment than the larches of New Brunswick. The images presented in the trees from Uruguay are that of wonderful, convincing bonsai. Then again, perhaps ” Influenced” could be applied to any specific tree, regardless of where that tree resides. Sitting in the US, I can carve and shape a tree to appear to be from any given region – provided I have sufficient information or experience of that region to draw upon.

Wouldn't this equate to the majority of Bonsai enthusiasts in a local area having a particular influence or flavor to their work? With the exception of the small amount who are able to travel for extended periods to obtain sufficient information of course

interesting topic, what do you think?

I think we are also more influenced by what we read and see than where we live.
Most of my bonsai shaping is influenced by what I have seen in books or Bonsai shows, but then I'm new to the game!
If I was only influenced by where I live then most of my bonsai would be over grown, dying or dead!

Teachers would also heavily influence a region or countries style.
Interesting topic Damien.

Regards,
Steven

good topic Damien

I'd like to see people pay more attention to real live mature trees, whether these are from the exiting wild, from beautiful parks and gardens or from along streets.

I often feel people get side tracked and hung up on formulas. They use 'styles' as shapes to copy rather than just a language to help describe the shape of trunks. There is quite a difference between saying a tree is growing upright and setting out a series of rules for how an upright tree must look.

Roger

Oh Roger, Roger, Roger!

You want people to see things, and feel things, and understand their essence, rather than blindly following a pattern book! Deary me.

Patterns are clear and easy. But, let's face it, dull. And repetitive. And repetitive.

A lot of us, me included, make Bonsai, rather than Trees. We imitate other trees that imitated someone else's take on something that made sense somewhere else to someone else.....

(It's called tradition. Or Art.)

There is a place for a bonsai that doesn't look like a Tree - that's the magic moment when the tree becomes Itself, and with a bit of luck, the grower gets it. I can't define it any better, but that's the art, for me.

Kenn just introduced me to "Penjing: World of Wonderment" by Qingquan Zhao. Lots of Un-Rule-y trees, not Trees, not Natural, but strong, clear and dynamic. Art who's leaves drop off.

Gavin

Ah Gavin....!
I think it will be a good time when students of bonsai are, at the same time they are learning the language of 'left, right, back' and 'informal upright', that they are also taught the language of feelings in art. So far, the former has largely excluded the latter.

I have no issues with the enjoyment of beautiful bonsai that are by and large homages to many other trees that look the same. I agree it is about some aspects of 'tradtion'. But I hesitate to call it 'art'. Art is much more personal, and about 'inspiration' and imagination. I like the quote from A. Einstein 'Imagination is more important than knowledge.' 'left right back' and 'semi-cascade' are 'knowledge'. Knowledge gives us confidence, and so we seek the inspiring to find the art.

My sadness comes, not because I see Chinese elms styled to look like endless sinusoidal wave-forms, each more perfect than the last, but that so few people, looking in awe and admiration at mature elms, don't do the hard work of translating that inspiration into exciting and beautiful bonsai. We buy books like 'Remarkable of Trees of ...', with some truly awe inspiring forms in elms, and then pick up a potensai and shape yet another sinusoildal wave-form. That is like some Pavlovian response: provide stimulus (un-formed potensai) -> automatic sinusoidal wave-form.

I also agree whole heartedly with you that there is a place for bonsai that don't look like a 'trees', in the sense don't look like a tree one has seen in the ground. My point isn't about that, it is that there is more than the very narrow, and now painfully, dully, repetitious set of forms that have formed a straight-jacket on bonsai in so many parts of the world. Let's see more of these trees that don't look like trees! And don't look like trees seen in most of the bonsai books of today either!
Roger

Ah Roger... We must stop meeting like this...

When I said repeated stages of imitation were Art, I was being a tad sarcastic, about myself as much as anyone else. True imagination and instinctive creativity visit all too rarely.

Gavin

OK then, talk to me in the sweet greens of celadon...

A quickie:
My friend Frank passed on this link from Bonsai Bark. It is worth a read/look as it is relevant to this thread:
http://bonsaibark.com/2011/06/18/local- ... /#comments
Roger

Hey can I jion the group I like the thinking here. I love all styles of bonsai. From the cookie cutter bonsai that reminds me of a freshly cut and tamed lawn to the wild style of penjing.
Recently when in my home state of WA and walking a few kilometers across the estuary looking for crabs that weren't there. I ended up at a camp site waiting for the misses to pick me up from the other side as I wasn't walking/swimming back again. A paper bark caught my eye. It had so many elements that would be great to create with bonsai. It showed the harshness of the salt environment paperbarks are renowned for yet had interesting pads of foliage. I meant to take a picture of that tree before I left but now I just try to hold the image of that tree in my head as it is where I plan to go with Pup's paperbark that I brought home.
I have wondered if I give Dad directions whether he could snap a picture of it for me but I doubt he will go along with me on this one

Brett
You simply must go back for the photo. I'm sure there are crabs out there just waiting to be caught! You can't leave us in such suspence.

Rodger,
I just got some very bad news so it seems I will be heading back home to WA for a few days. I should be able to fit in a little photo session.
But the crabs won't be back in ther esturay until it warms up agian.

Really sad to hear about travels because of very bad news. I've done it a couple of times myself. Hope it goes as well as possible. If searching for and photographing trees brings some peace, it would be worthwhile.

I enjoyed taking a drive looking at the trees. The sun was in the wrong spot for many of the pictures so I had to photo shop a little to take the shadows of the sun behind the trees alot. I really wanted to get into a farm to get some better pictures of some great old paperbarks but didn't have time to ask permission.
Have heaps of pics as I know Rodger loves to look at our natives in their habitat but will load them up as I get time.

A few location shots.