Western juniper
When Akio Kondo came for a visit this summer he worked on a lot of trees. My favorite is a semi-cascade Western Juniper.
Front as styled by Akio Kondo
Although the tree has only been in training for a few years, it has a very bright future. The movement is attractive and the deadwood is spectacular. It will be a boon to any exhibit in which it appears.
Its first exhibit was earlier this year in Bay Island Bonsai’s Exhibit of Fine Bonsai. Michael Hagedorn styled the tree for this outing and it looked great. Previously Boon had worked on the tree, carving the right side of the trunk to add interest where previously the deadwood had been smooth.
Right side
Over the past five years, I’ve seen many collected Westerns become amazing bonsai. If collectors can continue to find such great specimens, we’ll have a wonderful generation of them to display in coming years. Even then, however, this tree will stand out among them.
Left side
Back
From above
Whether viewed from the sides or from above, the tree appears to be styled like many other bonsai. What makes the work special can be appreciated better from below.
From below
Collected trees rarely have the branches necessary to create an attractive silhouette. Rather, they are frequently long and leggy. And until new buds can be developed closer to the trunk, much bending is required to get these trees into shape. This juniper is a good example of this. As you can see in the photo below, long branches are bent back and forth to bring the foliage closer to the trunk. Guy wires hold the more extreme bends in place – well applied wires take care of the rest.
Wiring detail – note at least 3 guy wires
When new buds pop and young shoots develop, the longer of these branches will be cut. This will help the tree develop the kind of character we appreciate in bonsai. In the mean time, the tree will look great thanks to good wiring technique.
Kondo’s work on this tree is some of the more beautiful and creative I’ve seen. While it’s hard to appreciate in photographs, it’s surprisingly compelling in person. And it’s great encouragement for me to do my wiring homework.
Peter Tea wins New Talent Competition
Congratulations to Peter Tea for winning the 2009 Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition! Supported by the American Bonsai Society, the New Talent competition is usually held at ABS conventions, but this year was held at GSBF Convention XXXII, A Southwest Bonsai Journey, in Riverside, CA.
Posing with the winning tree (Peter Tea photo)
To enter, contestants with less than 10 years of bonsai experience submit several photographs of their work. From these initial submissions, eight finalists are selected to compete in person at the appointed venue. The finalists are given similar material and have eight hours to complete their work.
What makes the contest so fun is that the finalists style their trees in public view. Watching people work on trees can be both fun and educational as there are many ways to get from bonsai stock to styled tree. I attended the 2004 event in St. Louis and was surprised, each time I stopped by, to see the trees progress so quickly. The contest was first held at ABS 2002 in Milwaukee. Last year, Vladimir Foursa, took the top prize in San Antonio.
Procumbens nana as styled during the competition (Peter Tea photo)
Why would one go to such effort and subject oneself to public scrutiny? For the top prize – an educational opportunity with a recognized master. Past winners have used their prize for travel and study expenses. Peter is currently undecided as to how he’ll apply his prize. Winners are also invited to perform demonstrations at upcoming ABS events. In Peter’s case, this means the 2010 ABS convention to be held in Louisville, Kentucky.
I asked Peter how he approached the tree. His answer was informative. He began by cleaning it. He removed the little shoots that grew at branch intersections and thinned out areas where shoots were crowded. While giving the tree the once-over he found that he could use most of the existing shoots in his design. He cut or jinned unnecessary branches and opened a shari on the trunk to add interest (see below). All that remained was the detail wiring.
Trunk detail (Peter Tea photo)
If you haven’t seen Peter’s wiring up close, I recommend you take a look – his work is excellent. A good opportunity to view his work in person will be the upcoming Bay Island Bonsai Exhibit in Pleasanton, California. Mark your calendars now – An Exhibit of Fine Bonsai will be held on January 16-17, 2010.
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