cishepard
Shohin
In this thread, the OP mentions The Cosmic Burton style which intrigued me enough to look it up and purchase a book from the author who invented the ideas for this concept of bonsai styling, Laurent Darrieux.
www.bonsainut.com
Mr. Darrieux has credibility in the world of bonsai, this is his bio-page:
I find the book utterly fascinating and am still trying to grasp the authors intent, as well as the styling techniques.
As exemplified by the cover photo, I believe the idea is to create trees that would be growing on a different planet, perhaps, or in a futuristic time on earth where vastly different and unimaginable conditions may exist. The styling philosophy includes not following traditional bonsai guidelines, de-emphasizing ramification, not constraining the trees growth in the same way as traditional bonsai, but using it to further the design, and creating extremes of twisted branches, scarification and imagination. One is still striving to create the feel of an ancient tree with a story to tell, just not of our planet or epoch.
I have two trees that I found a few years ago when cleaning out my late aunts’ house and overgrown, neglected garden. I thought they were native Doug firs that she had stuck in bonsai pots, probably many years ago (certainly more than a decade) and which were subsequently lost in the tangle of her yard as she aged and declined. The foliage was soft, sparse and anemic looking. They seemed barely alive when I found them.
I repotted them right away, together in one large pot, in good, well draining bonsai soil and they received fertilizer and watering along with the rest of my collection, plus a half hearted attempt at wiring. I never had much hope for them as bonsai, but definitely a sentimental feeling for the trees.
A couple more years went by, the trees responded with lots of healthy growth at the apex and on most the branch ends, and I realized that they are spruces of some sort, not firs, as the new growth was stiff, prickly and decidedly spruce-like. After reading Cosmic Bonsai, I determined that this style would totally suit these beings, with their long flexible branches and tufts of lush foliage on the tips.
I played with the idea of bending and twisting the trunks, but in the end, the story they are telling is one that mirrors their real life - quietly struggling to grow at a normal pace, lacking in the basics of food and water, reaching for what sun they could find, tall and lanky, suddenly yanked from their familiar habitat into an unknown alien world and bombarded with unfamiliar nutrients and an abundance of life giving water and sunshine, which caused strange and wonderful reactions in their demeanors, almost like a joyous dancing of their branches, undulating with delight!
After the branches set and the wire is removed I will experiment with the scarification process. I think I can make the trunks look interesting with some contorted shari, fooling the eye with movement.
I like the simple concrete pot they call home, I think it suits the narrative just fine, but will be on the lookout for something special for the future.
I was indifferent towards the trees, keeping them on the bench only as a sentimental tribute to my aunt, but now … well, I love them now, to be honest. I know this concept is not to everyone’s taste (maybe no one but me, lol!) but I hope some of you might be inspired to take a look at the book and maybe experiment a little with the ideas it presents, and to share those with me here on BonsaiNut (I already have ideas for attempt #2).
Cheers,
Ci
A last example from the book:
Hawthorn yamadori literati
Here is a small movie I made of my Hawthorn. It's digged out two years ago and waiting for a first shaping. In my opinion it's made for a Literati style. I'm doubting about best front. When the shari are most visible, the top goes to the back. But, is that a big problem anyway?
Mr. Darrieux has credibility in the world of bonsai, this is his bio-page:
I find the book utterly fascinating and am still trying to grasp the authors intent, as well as the styling techniques.
As exemplified by the cover photo, I believe the idea is to create trees that would be growing on a different planet, perhaps, or in a futuristic time on earth where vastly different and unimaginable conditions may exist. The styling philosophy includes not following traditional bonsai guidelines, de-emphasizing ramification, not constraining the trees growth in the same way as traditional bonsai, but using it to further the design, and creating extremes of twisted branches, scarification and imagination. One is still striving to create the feel of an ancient tree with a story to tell, just not of our planet or epoch.
I have two trees that I found a few years ago when cleaning out my late aunts’ house and overgrown, neglected garden. I thought they were native Doug firs that she had stuck in bonsai pots, probably many years ago (certainly more than a decade) and which were subsequently lost in the tangle of her yard as she aged and declined. The foliage was soft, sparse and anemic looking. They seemed barely alive when I found them.
I repotted them right away, together in one large pot, in good, well draining bonsai soil and they received fertilizer and watering along with the rest of my collection, plus a half hearted attempt at wiring. I never had much hope for them as bonsai, but definitely a sentimental feeling for the trees.
A couple more years went by, the trees responded with lots of healthy growth at the apex and on most the branch ends, and I realized that they are spruces of some sort, not firs, as the new growth was stiff, prickly and decidedly spruce-like. After reading Cosmic Bonsai, I determined that this style would totally suit these beings, with their long flexible branches and tufts of lush foliage on the tips.
I played with the idea of bending and twisting the trunks, but in the end, the story they are telling is one that mirrors their real life - quietly struggling to grow at a normal pace, lacking in the basics of food and water, reaching for what sun they could find, tall and lanky, suddenly yanked from their familiar habitat into an unknown alien world and bombarded with unfamiliar nutrients and an abundance of life giving water and sunshine, which caused strange and wonderful reactions in their demeanors, almost like a joyous dancing of their branches, undulating with delight!
After the branches set and the wire is removed I will experiment with the scarification process. I think I can make the trunks look interesting with some contorted shari, fooling the eye with movement.
I like the simple concrete pot they call home, I think it suits the narrative just fine, but will be on the lookout for something special for the future.
I was indifferent towards the trees, keeping them on the bench only as a sentimental tribute to my aunt, but now … well, I love them now, to be honest. I know this concept is not to everyone’s taste (maybe no one but me, lol!) but I hope some of you might be inspired to take a look at the book and maybe experiment a little with the ideas it presents, and to share those with me here on BonsaiNut (I already have ideas for attempt #2).
Cheers,
Ci
A last example from the book:
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