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Lights, camera – bonsai!

October 23, 2015 by Jonas Dupuich

Two lights per tree – that was the sum of the lighting at the Artisans Cup. The effect was dramatic.

exhibit

My first view of the exhibit

To better convey the shape of the tables and backdrops, here’s a shot that’s slightly over-exposed.

Exhibit

Yew flanked by hemlock, Eastern cedar and Rocky Mountain juniper

Many of the trees with deadwood looked particularly good in the low light as the jin and shari contrasted with the background.

California juniper

California juniper by John Kirby

Dense, healthy foliage also looked great against the dark background. I noticed this in particular on a number of the pines and mountain hemlock on display.

White pine

White pine by Konnor Jenson

Hemlock

Mountain hemlock by Anthony Fajarillo (read the tree’s story)

Here’s another shot with the background lightened up a bit.

Southwestern white pine

Southwestern white pine by Greg Brenden

And for contrast, here’s another tree in low light.

Ponderosa pine

Ponderosa pine by Scott Elser

Could the exhibit have benefitted from more light? Good question. More light could bring out more detail in the trees but at the expense of decreasing the wow factor. Part of me wanted to get a better look at the trees, but another part of me was grateful for the spotlights. I’ve seen plenty of well-lit shows – it was a treat to see the hand-crafted lighting design presented at the Artisans Cup. And I can’t help but think that the lighting will be even better next time.

Upon leaving the exhibit, visitors passed one of the more dramatic pieces in the room – an Engelmann spruce planted on a large piece of deadwood. The shadows on the wall were intriguing – the tree made quite a send-off to an impressive exhibit.

Engelmann spruce

Engelmann spruce

✕

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Filed Under: Exhibits Tagged With: Artisans Cup

Previous Post: « Judging the Artisans Cup by categories
Next Post: East Bay Bonsai Society’s 54th Bonsai Show »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paul says

    October 23, 2015 at 8:32 am

    “large piece of deadwood”. I have seen many trees planted in other then ceramic bonsai pots. Is this a trend and are they accepted by judges.

  2. brendenstudio says

    October 23, 2015 at 8:48 am

    Great post Jonas! I agree…the staging of this show added another element to savor…

  3. Jonas Dupuich says

    October 23, 2015 at 9:32 pm

    Hi Paul – good question, I’d be curious to hear what others think. I’ve long seen alternatives to ceramic pots and it seems there are a few more every year. How judges receive them would depend on the judging criteria and the judges in question.

  4. paul3636 says

    October 26, 2015 at 7:02 am

    I had a pot made from 1″ sq. wood, 3 high plus feet. It was stained the same color as the trunk. I was told if it was enter it in the competition one of the judges would not consider it. That was one of the reasons I asked the question.

  5. brendenstudio says

    October 26, 2015 at 9:55 pm

    The spruce in question was not among the judged trees

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