My Contribution to "American Bonsai"

[Vance Wood]

Central and South Americans I believe are screwed even though they do awesome work, cause no one ever hears about them...
Sad really, perhaps they should be included in the whole "American" theme, we got going?

Kind of their own fault; they have access to the same Internet but use it not.

 

[Dav4]

When you display a workpiece that can only be understood by a clique of "insiders", what's the point?

Art should be a form of education, not a way to build walls between the common people and the elite.

(Wow! I think I'll soon be labeled a "commie" by some- fortunately, there's a forum software between me and the trigger-happy wet blankets, and only would-be criminals carry guns in wonderful old europe )

It's quite funny (or rather, surprising) to see that some of those who belong to a country that dropped an atomic bomb and killed thousands of children in Japan to assert their power over the "new order" are now trying to imitate a culture they only know through clichés, from the surface layer of a fantasized eastern world.

1955, the year I was born.
The locals
Spencer Tracy

Yeah, this really has NO place in this thread...and from a Frenchman to boot...sheesh.

 

[Gunstock]

Modestly,I already saw them earlier today on facebook. Nice !

 

[Adair M]

Hmm...

Stacey, along the lines of cultural misunderstanding,
I wonder if some Japanese would feel that the scrolls are being "abused" by using them the way you have. I have nothing to base this on, but the discussion of cultural ignorance (of which I am the poster boy!) brought it to mind.

I'm thinking of someone using an American flag as a drape, and setting trees down on it, would be seen by some as offensive.

 

[brewmeister83]

Not everything in America has to be representative of John Wayne, in order for it to be "American"...

Very true, but keep in mind the broad spectrum of "America" in terms of regions of influence, and what may work for your displays may not be wholly indicative of what other people would look for in an aesthetic from different parts of the country.

John Wayne may be OK for the Southwest, but up here in the Northeast I might take my "American" inspiration from something closer to home. I am particularly fond of Eric Sloane and various artists of the Hudson River School, they represent for me the America I see and experience, and so I strive to reflect that feeling in my trees, and perhaps eventually my displays.

First two are Sloane, next two are Cole, and the last is Durand:


While I can agree that John Wayne is American, so are Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe, but they're aesthetics don't particularly speak to me being a person from New England. Well, OK, maybe Adams, but that's because he's a damn fine photographer. I can say the same about these displays, while obviously thought out and well put together, they don't speak to my New England worldview. For me, they lack a rugged simplicity or a sense of understated beauty that I feel from the woodlands around me. I think what it comes down to is that America is too big for just one "style". Frankly, I'm just happy working on my trees and don't really care about an American style. Leave that for historians to decide when they sort out this mess later on trying to write a book - they get the last say anyway!

In the case of the Fuikien Tea, I have quite literally taken a "Mallsai"... A piece of material that Chinese people keeping importing to us, that most in the "American Bonsai" scene would say is crap... and have quite literally polished a turd... I have made a piece of Art.

This is totally representative of what America is all about...
.

I sincerely hope not. 'Cause I'm not in the habit of polishing turds.
I might put pearls on a pig however, but for the right price...
I am a "nutmegger" after all

 

[A Random User]

Very true, but keep in mind the broad spectrum of "America" in terms of regions of influence, and what may work for your displays may not be wholly indicative of what other people would look for in an aesthetic from different parts of the country.

John Wayne may be OK for the Southwest, but up here in the Northeast I might take my "American" inspiration from something closer to home. I am particularly fond of Eric Sloane and various artists of the Hudson River School, they represent for me the America I see and experience, and so I strive to reflect that feeling in my trees, and perhaps eventually my displays.

First two are Sloane, next two are Cole, and the last is Durand:
View attachment 106386 View attachment 106384 View attachment 106387 View attachment 106388 View attachment 106385

While I can agree that John Wayne is American, so are Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe, but they're aesthetics don't particularly speak to me being a person from New England. Well, OK, maybe Adams, but that's because he's a damn fine photographer. I can say the same about these displays, while obviously thought out and well put together, they don't speak to my New England worldview. For me, they lack a rugged simplicity or a sense of understated beauty that I feel from the woodlands around me. I think what it comes down to is that America is too big for just one "style". Frankly, I'm just happy working on my trees and don't really care about an American style. Leave that for historians to decide when they sort out this mess later on trying to write a book - they get the last say anyway!




I sincerely hope not. 'Cause I'm not in the habit of polishing turds.
I might put pearls on a pig however, but for the right price...
I am a "nutmegger" after all

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it!
What you are saying, in my opinion is correct on all fronts, and I would definitely have to agree.

 

[brewmeister83]

Been tumbling this over in my head for a few hours after thumbing through a couple of my books...

Interesting thought - you can look at literati Penjing and Bonsai, and you can tell one is Chinese and one is Japanese just from sight, even though both may be minimalist in their respective presentations... Perhaps we should contemplate why that is when asking ourselves "what should a bonsai from America look like?" Perhaps it's more than just scrolls, tables, and 3 point displays...

 

[A Random User]

So, for those interested in seeing more... let me just say a couple of things before I begin. I first apologize for not being able to do a step by step process of the whole creation of these two displays. so you would of really been able to of seen the work and time involved in the process. Would of been cool to of had! Was way to busy, to stop and do the photos along the way... So, I will just discuss the work involved and will have to show finished pics...

Let me also state that with these 2 displays, I created everything except for the Pot the Green Island Ficus is in. By this I mean the Pot for the Tea, the stands for each tree, the accent pot and plant for the Ficus, and both scrolls, and I did it all in the past 2 and a half weeks! So, I am freaking torn up! But it I believe was worth every hour I spent working on it! Which was somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 to 20 hours a day, everyday...

I submitted images that I took of the trees a couple of months back for review, to hopefully be able to be on display at this years Bonsai Society of Florida Convention. Well of course they don't actually tell you that the trees have been picked until a month before... and when they informed me they wanted both trees, I was like shit, I don't even have the first thing to display them with! Not to worry... use to work in the Film Industry as a set designer both in London England, as well as in Hollywood California, and have made a living of quite literally pulling crap out of my ass, and on a moments notice!
So what to do?

Lets start with the Tea, seeing it has had the most work done, and is where the whole process began with. Here is the pictures I submitted for review. You will note that the tree is pretty decent size, so should really begin to give a sense of scale to the photos I posted earlier of the overall displays... quite large.



I liked the pot it was in as far as shape, and I even liked the feel of almost a bunjin pot for the tree. However, I would prefer it not to be a non-glazed pot. Called around.. no luck finding one of correct size. So, started considering other options... In the submittal letter for entering the trees, we were asked to tell in a paragraph the story of my tree. This tree is an import, a Mallsai... and are often consider not very good material in the Bonsai community. So, much so... that people go to great lengths to try and remove, obscure... totally eliminate any and all of its notorious past. Which I didn't want to do. One of the most important things I learned over the years working in the Film Industry, is that often rather then try and hide something which will always resemble something hidden, instead it is better to just roll with what it actually is... and make it the whole focus of the tree.

So, continuing on with the story... The tree is From China, this is to be my theme. For me, it reminded me of images I have seen on old manuscripts and scrolls from china, of trees along the shores of bodies of water in China, with fog and mountains off in the distance. A very poetic image... So this is where I wanted to head and what I wanted to try and depict.

So, I started thinking what if I did a rock planting... went to the rock stores in my area, and shortly came to the realization that what ever I was going to pick up there would have to be so heavily modified, that I might as well just start from scratch and design what I wanted too... so, I did!

 

[A Random User]

So, right off the bat, I threw all of what was and is really considered Japanese, within Bonsai pretty much out the window! And decided to go with more of a Penjing style with my design... Penjing is obviously a lot less formal and to be honest allows for more adornment of items... which is right up my alley, so hey... win, win! For me, I have always had more admiration for Chinese Culture, than Japanese anyways, for so many reasons of which I will not describe here. But one of the things I have always really loved, with a lot of the personal items I have scattered throughout my house which are Chinese, is their amazing sense of patina and age! So, I wanted to have this play a role as well... adding to the more realistic and authentic feel. Second bonus! Again having worked in the Film Industry for years, designing sets, props, etc... it is always easier, faster, and cheaper to establish a set with age, than it will of ever be to create something of a pristine, clean cut image. In other wards... if shit looks beat-up, it suits the image and the feel... it plays the part! Takes much more time to eliminate cut marks through sanding to make a really nice stand for instance.

In penjing... often landscape display, on slabs are sometimes placed on rather ornate wooden dazios , like stones are often displayed. I liked this feel, and wanted to try and create a pot, that embraced both a rock planting and at the same time a wooden carved base for it, but all within the same pot. You will also note that I have added patina to everything, including cracks in the pot! Age is extremely important in my design... it along with the theme, helps tie everything together, and make it work as one cohesive unit... And yes, the rocks are fake!



















Also, wanted to point out the running them of my story that I created within the pot... The tree is suppose to be a tree one could imagine finding along the shore of a body of water. So, in the construction, I included water lapping up against the rocks, as though they were the shore. I have also included cattails, and lillypads. And the grass planted within the design is actually a type of grass that grows in water here... and is representative of what one would often image growing along the shores of a body of water, and actually overhanging above the water... all to give continuity to the design and running theme.

Got to stop here for tonight... sorry! Will try and pick up where I left off tomorrow!

 

[MichaelS]

"AlainK,
When you display a workpiece that can only be understood by a clique of "insiders", what's the point?

Art should be a form of education, not a way to build walls between the common people and the elite.

Maybe Alain, but let me ask you this: Do think those who go to a concert to listen to say Stravinsky or Eberhard Weber understand or even derive as much pleasure from it as the musicians who write it or those who play it?
Do you think that people wandering around a gallery looking at Matisse understand or get as much pleasure from it as he did or those who practise painting do?
Do you think that general public viewers of masterpiece bonsai understand or get as much pleasure as those who create the tree or those who are practiced at looking and seeing and feeling and shaping the trees?

There will always be a spectrum of appreciation relating to the amount of exposure the viewer or listener has experienced. Just the way it is IMO. And among those, there will be yet another spectrum of appreciation. The point of art is not to build bridges so much as it is to feel satisfied. It's probably got something to do with sex..

 

[JoeR]

You know what I have been wanting to make related to 'American Bonsai'?


A Montana themed display.


Or really just a western themed display.


Make the main tree a native juniper, or better, pine. Displayed with a mini cattle skull, a sage brush accent, rocky outcropping, scroll or backround of mostly blue (Big Sky Country!). Add a tumbleweed, too!


That, to me, would be American bonsai.


I love the OP's display, 'American' or not. I dont mind that it focuses less on the tree. I think just a sad little accent plant is redundant.

 

[Vance Wood]

You mean some little Chinese figurine sitting at a desk doing calligraphy doesn't work for you?

 

[Djtommy]

Or really just a western themed display.


Make the main tree a native juniper, or better, pine. Displayed with a mini cattle skull, a sage brush accent, rocky outcropping, scroll or backround of mostly blue (Big Sky Country!). Add a tumbleweed, too!


That, to me, would be American bonsai.

.

sounds like you want a cactus as your tree.

for a more southern ”everybody loves the sunshine”theme, here is a palm tree

 

[JoeR]

sounds like you want a cactus as your tree.

for a more southern ”everybody loves the sunshine”theme, here is a palm tree

View attachment 106431

No. No I do not want a cactus-tree. But I do actually like that alot.

Ponderosa pine, mugo pine, etc. Would work well with it as they are all over Montana (mugo are used for landscapes).

 

[A Random User]

You know what I have been wanting to make related to 'American Bonsai'?


A Montana themed display.


Or really just a western themed display.


Make the main tree a native juniper, or better, pine. Displayed with a mini cattle skull, a sage brush accent, rocky outcropping, scroll or backround of mostly blue (Big Sky Country!). Add a tumbleweed, too!


That, to me, would be American bonsai.


I love the OP's display, 'American' or not. I dont mind that it focuses less on the tree. I think just a sad little accent plant is redundant.

I don't know if you had the chance to checkout some of the scrolls I have created? They are in the forum section regarding scroll, paintings, art... Reason why I asked is that I have painted and sold scrolls with themes of everything from Buffallo, to rattle snakes, hawks, owls, bear, wild horses, plains Indian encampments, cliff dwelling Pueblo Indian cities etc. All for the use in more of a Western type setting. For those on the Eastern Coast, I have also done aligators, raccons, owls, snakes, herons,waterfalls, swamps scenes, foggy mountain screnes, Seminole and Cherokee Indian encampments etc. West Coast I have done cliff shore lines, condors, cougars, scorpions, images of redwood forests... and the list goes on an on!
Been doing these since shorty after getting into doing bonsai and before the was even much talk or even an Artisans Cup regarding "American Bonsai"... folks through word of mouth, started sending me emails and messages with requests, asking if I could do them!

Been selling and creating American Themed subjects and scrolls for quite a while now, which is why I was never quite sure why somehow Scrolls seemed to make it to the discussion panel at the Artisans Cup, as something we here in the states are not supposed to use? Kind of silly, especially seeing that the host was most certainly aware of what I was doing? And because a couple of people didnt like them, all of a sudden the masses flocked! Anyways... a totally nother subject.

Might give you some ideas on where and how to move forward with you ideas and construction. If I could help, feel free to contact me.

 

[A Random User]

sounds like you want a cactus as your tree.

for a more southern ”everybody loves the sunshine”theme, here is a palm tree

View attachment 106431

This is gotta be the first and probably last palm tree I have even seen as a bonsai that I actually like! It's funny... never would of thought that I would like a palm tree as a bonsai... but, it reminds me of a spot in California, called 12 Palms... outside of the LA area... on the way to the desert.

There is a worn mountain range that drops down to the desert floor, that has this oasis of palms like one would see on a movie with camels over in the sahara... pretty cool!

To bad the pot is not so good... would be cool with a almost rocky / sandy slab...

 

[A Random User]

Haven't heard anything about the pot I created for the Tea, and posted a few posts up?

Any thoughts, feedback, I hate its, like it, I am spell bound, just plain craps?

It took up the vast majority of my 2 and a half week building session... a lot of sculpting, carving, paint work etc...

I am for the most part pleased with it... really hard to try and build something that is so form fitting with the tree and it's roots, especially when you can't just place the tree in the work until it's done! Would of liked it to be a little different in certain areas... but overall I think I did pretty good...

Anyone want to see more?

 

[choppychoppy]

Stacy,

I saw both of the displays yesterday at the exhibit. I also was hearing a lot of positive chatter about the two displays and you as well. Nice work on everything you did at the event.

 

[Vance Wood]

I think the pot is remarkable. How everyone associated with bonsai is going to accept it is going to be controvertial and-- you should know that and keep doing what you are doing.

 

[Eric Group]

The pot is great! I can tell you out a lot of work into it and the way the form fits to the tree is really interesting...

My only critique- the bright orange/ red cat tails sticking up out of the fake Lilly Pads are... Well... I just don't like it personally. It reminds me of the yards you drive bye where instead of planting flowers, someone stuck plastic flowers in their yard! Probably they put a pink flamingo in there too... I guess to me it would look better without that or, if you want that spot to be part of the pot, plant a companion plant in it instead perhaps? There are lots of cool little plants that would send up blooms and look pretty similar to the image you created there but with a natural element instead of a sculpture of a plant. JMO...

Really interesting display though overall! The amount of work and Thought you put into it is evident and I am sure it would be well received almost anywhere you display it!