Artisans Cup selections
- Thread starter rockm
- Start date
I believe Randy Knight won best of show with a massive yamadori juniper. A few observations... The lighting was very effective. Highlighted the trees while eliminating background visual noise. The Art Museum was the venue to be able to do that in. Very well attended (crowded). A half dozen or more viewers per tree when I was there. You kind of had to wait your turn to read the placard and or snap a quick photo. Native species and collected yamadori were very well represented as well as classic species. I believe I saw one shoshin display (please correct me if I missed something). Otherwise, most of the material was quite large. Due to distance and time constraints, I only spent an hour there. I'm sure other attendees can add to this.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
I hope the lighting was better in person than in the photos. It looks like a carnival spook house in some of the photos. Was Lindsay Farr there? Did his head explode at the sight of all those huge yamadori? ;-)
The scariest thing I noticed was snapping a photo of a nice tree just as someone photo bombed you with the back of their head! I don't know or would recognize Lindsay Farr. There were at least 3 yamadori collectors set up in the vendors tent. Bring your wallet.
The lighting was different...at least from the perspective of the photos. It appears to be intended to put all the focus on the tree. Therefore, at least in the photos, it was much more difficult to appreciate/assess the displays as a whole. Perhaps it was not this way in person??
Personally, I hope that in future renditions the overall display will play a bigger role.
It is one thing to focus on American trees, its quite another when they are also used to tell an American story.
For me...I want to appreciate the tree and read the story...just focusing on the tree is nice but seems to be incomplete.
Personally, I hope that in future renditions the overall display will play a bigger role.
It is one thing to focus on American trees, its quite another when they are also used to tell an American story.
For me...I want to appreciate the tree and read the story...just focusing on the tree is nice but seems to be incomplete.
Vin
Imperial Masterpiece
I'm not sure it reached that point but some were very moved by the displays as I understand it. Have you ever been to a place (in nature) that brings you to the point of unexplainable emotion? I have and I can relate to what some must have experienced at the Cup.
0soyoung
Imperial Masterpiece
Art at the Artisan's Cup! 
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Personally the lighting seemed way over dramatic. It almost became a element that ironically fights with the trees. The harsh light creating deep shadows can almost distort what a tree really looks like. This is all from photographs and I was not there. But I have experimented and witnessed what this type of lighting can do (or not do) for a tree. Just my humble 2cents.
Needless to say some fantastic works displayed and I look forward to going there in the future. Congratulations again to all that exhibited!
Needless to say some fantastic works displayed and I look forward to going there in the future. Congratulations again to all that exhibited!
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Many good (considering the lighting) photos of trees and the info cards can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/Naedokobonsai
For those of you who are afraid of facebook, this is a public page...I don't think you have to be a member to look at the pictures.
The award winners are listed at
http://www.bonsaiempire.com/blog/artisans-cup-winners
Hard to really know how well the lighting worked without being there, but the pictures are pretty interesting, even if you can't see all the details of each tree. I would think they had a professional photograph each tree in more standard lighting? Guess we'll find out.
Chris
https://www.facebook.com/Naedokobonsai
For those of you who are afraid of facebook, this is a public page...I don't think you have to be a member to look at the pictures.
The award winners are listed at
http://www.bonsaiempire.com/blog/artisans-cup-winners
Hard to really know how well the lighting worked without being there, but the pictures are pretty interesting, even if you can't see all the details of each tree. I would think they had a professional photograph each tree in more standard lighting? Guess we'll find out.
Chris
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
carp
Chumono
Randy Knight won first, Tim Priest second, and Amy Blanton (in memoriam to her husband) third. Randy Knight also won best accent. All three trees were bad ass, yamadori juniper, all three trees were styled by Ryan Neil and all three trees were displayed in modern Chinese pots.
Like I already said, the rankings were removed from The Artisan Cup website less than 8hrs after it went live. After I figured out who the lowest scoring person was, I'm not surprised. The person is nationally recognized, and by making it public they received the lowest score, it hurts the ego and is an embarrassment.
Ryan Neil had no involvement in the judging mind you. But in a show where 60% of the trees were styled by Neil, odds are in his favor. C'est la vie.
I've talked to several people, in private, who were very disappointed with the show overall, primarily due to the pricing and the hype. The show was a success by all means, but there are quite a number who were let down. You won't read this stuff publicly, not yet anyhow. It was about $400 to ship each tree to Oregon just to exhibit, and then each event was around $100+- to attend, none of which were demonstrations or workshops, then add in travel expense and food cost; quite a hefty trip for most. Consider the amount of hype that has been surrounding this show for the last year, it would be hard to live up to those expectations.
Oh, on top of that all, Ryan Neil has threatened to sue at least one photographer for posting images to Facebook already. That information is public.
Like I already said, the rankings were removed from The Artisan Cup website less than 8hrs after it went live. After I figured out who the lowest scoring person was, I'm not surprised. The person is nationally recognized, and by making it public they received the lowest score, it hurts the ego and is an embarrassment.
Ryan Neil had no involvement in the judging mind you. But in a show where 60% of the trees were styled by Neil, odds are in his favor. C'est la vie.
I've talked to several people, in private, who were very disappointed with the show overall, primarily due to the pricing and the hype. The show was a success by all means, but there are quite a number who were let down. You won't read this stuff publicly, not yet anyhow. It was about $400 to ship each tree to Oregon just to exhibit, and then each event was around $100+- to attend, none of which were demonstrations or workshops, then add in travel expense and food cost; quite a hefty trip for most. Consider the amount of hype that has been surrounding this show for the last year, it would be hard to live up to those expectations.
Oh, on top of that all, Ryan Neil has threatened to sue at least one photographer for posting images to Facebook already. That information is public.
barrosinc
Masterpiece
I haven't been doing bonsai for long... but I really like the lighting.
Might be because I have a photography background and I understand why people would prefer regular soft lighting as the comment that Mach5 does.
Might be because I have a photography background and I understand why people would prefer regular soft lighting as the comment that Mach5 does.
thumblessprimate1
Masterpiece
I'm amazed at just how little years the trees have been in training. Just 4-5 years and they're centuries old. Would like to see how they look in 45 years.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
I think the lighting will make for great photography. But... are we doing artistic photography or bonsai?
barrosinc
Masterpiece
Bonsai is much more than just the tree...
It has always been a whole display, thats why there are stands, accent plants, trees, pots, scrolls, rocks... Lighting has always been an issue but asumed it must be soft and exposed as if it where evenly iluminated.
The photos I have seen do emphasize the trees. In person, each display area was lighted enough to show the accents, stands, etc. spot lighting from underneath highlighted to interior of the trees more than usual. The junipers with a lot of deadwood seemed to benefit the most from this approach.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
I'd considered shipping a tree out there, but $400 for it to sit in the back of a truck for two or three days and possibly get damaged was just too steep of a price. Not surprised Neil is looking to sue. Wonder how much $$ on the backend he's expecting to make on albums, etc. Not begrudging him that. He put up his time and effort to put the show together and manage it. Didn't know that most of the trees in it were styled by him...Far too many Rocky Mountain conifers for me. Even the big showy pinesjuniperspruces all blend together into an impressive, yet somehow vanilla-looking lot.
Not everyone is doing conifers...or more specifically Rocky Mountain conifers.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
I hope if they have this show in the future, there will be different divisions for conifers and deciduous. Why are some people allowed to post photos on FB and not others? I think it's good that there are photos out there, something with this much hype behind it, it'd be sad for the majority of bonsai folks who couldn't see it if not. Like a non-event hidden behind a curtain.
barrosinc
Masterpiece
I still wouldn't mind purchasing the book even after seeing the pics on facebook.
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