Avant-garde Bonsai?

I've been working on this California Juniper for a few years trying to distill it down to it's essence, which I hope will be "avant-garde".
To achieve that end, a pot that completes the image is necessary. As I write this post, Dale Cochoy is making a pot that I have high hopes for. I have a feeling that the traditionalists will not be happy with the final product. If that is the case, then I may have succeeded in my effort.
Dale, hows the pot coming? I await with great anticipation.

The tree stands 34 inches tall from the pot rim.

Mike

Mike,

I consider myself a traditionalist when it comes to bonsai, mainly because that is how I was taught, and it is what I enjoy looking at. Having said that, I really like this tree ! It captures the essence of bunjin-gi....movement, balance, with grace. How different is the new pot compared to this one ? ( which looks like a Cochoy pot ? )

Ed Trout

Hi Ed
Thanks for your comments.
The current pot is from Houtoku. The image is a virtual of a small pot Dale made that I Photoshopped to enlarge and put the tree in. I think the pot Dale is making for me will be very similar to this one. As each is a one-off, the finished product may be a bit different, but will make the image I'm looking for.

Mike

G'day Mike...Marvelous tree...both pots work for me, however, my leaning is toward the virtual...

Great work again my friend...

Pat...mounted on my trusty steed riding off, wildly, in all directions.

Thanks Pat.
I'm looking forward to getting the pot and doing the transplant. I'll post the result as soon as the deed is done.

Mike

For a minute ther Mike, I thought you had "grafted" your award winner to a new trunk...?

Pat...mounted on my trusty steed riding off, wildly, in all directions.

I like your tree. I don't know if I'd call it avant garde though. I seem to remember seeing something quite similar to this in Naka's book.

Hi Mike:
I will be looking for the new pot. I have several pots that Dale had made for me, they are always the top of the line in looks and quality!

Fondest regards,
Carl

Sorry Mike, I should have signed the last post differently!

Carl L. Rosner
carlrosner.com

Mike,

Wonderful Dale pot in the virtual, but maybe just a tad larger ? Many years ago, we could get a literati/bunjin pot from Japan that was referred to as "primitive". They were round with irregular shapes, sometimes "dented" or deformed along their circumference. I really liked them & owned a couple for a while. As much as you may not want to hear this, I think that you have a traditional style ( avant guard maybe ), AND a very similar tree is in one of John Naka's books. It would look much better on a bonsai bench in South Florida !!!!!!! I'll pay shipping ??


Ed Trout

Mike,
I made three pots, 2 along these lines but w/ changes,
can't do the same one twice
all 3 are dry,
waiting to bisque
but, I'm really pushing that 3" depth!
( start trimming roots! )
No pics until done.

Dale

Thanks all for your comments.
Ed, my juniper has lived in California for hundreds of years, 30+ in my back yard. Going all the way to Florida to live may be too much of a shock for this old home-boy tree.
To add a little history to the post, the image is a sketch by the great John Naka at a 1980 workshop. Sorry John, but I didn't follow your direction with this tree. Guess I'm too damn independent.

Oh yeah, I see where you veered off a bit from the drawing.

Great tree. I really like it.

--- EDIT EDIT EDIT --->
It was in Craig Coussins book I saw a similar tree sketched. My mistake.

Nevertheless, great tree.

John Naka's sketch for the tree was very sweet. That would have been a great bonsai.

But if you look at page 250 of John Naka's book 2 you see something similar. Round pot BTW.

One can forget about California Juniper growing in FLorida. A fellow clubmember tried one and the humidity appears to have done it in.

Rob Kempinski wrote:John Naka's sketch for the tree was very sweet. That would have been a great bonsai.

But if you look at page 250 of John Naka's book 2 you see something similar. Round pot BTW.

One can forget about California Juniper growing in FLorida. A fellow clubmember tried one and the humidity appears to have done it in.

That's to bad, California Juniper is such a beautiful species.
I guess I'll have to move to Cali