Clean Sweep - Show Us Your Brooms

As someone who uses the term "form" when describing the shape of trees, bonsai or otherwise, I would like to offer my reasoning for doing so. This is how I organize my own thinking on the subject; it's not meant as a command or even a suggestion for others to do the same.

For me, in agreement with how I read Matija's comments, style has to do with the human influence in how a thing is done. In bonsai we might have a Kimura style, a Pall style, a Classical style, or a Chinese style, or many other possibilities.

For me, differing perhaps from what Matija wrote, form speaks more to the way a thing naturally, or organically, occurs. When we observe the forms assumed by trees in nature we find there are many more than 12, or whatever number is generally used. Maybe we can say there are a certain number of elemental forms, like informal upright, formal upright, slanting, etc., and many more that are combinations, such as formal upright, semi-slanting literati:



But these categories of shape refer to the natural development of trees. All over the world, we find trees growing in shapes, or forms, that can be categorized by their similarities or differences. In bonsai, we are usually mimicking, sometimes in a very representational way and sometimes in a more abstract way, these naturally occurring forms. It can be argued that when we work on our bonsai, or "style" them, although we base our design on a naturally occurring form, our human activity creates a style that is based on the form. I wouldn't argue too much with that line of reasoning.

However, I find it more useful to stick with the concept of form when describing the shape of a bonsai, as it relates to the natural example. That leaves the concept of style to describe a completely separate element of the tree's design.

To illustrate, I would describe this bonsai as being in the Slanting form, but Classical in style:



And this bonsai I would identify as being a Semi-cascade, Root Exposed form in the Naturalistic style:



Again, this is only my personal way of thinking on the subject, but it makes sense to me.

My question is, Are the Japanese as "true to form" on the rules of bonsai as some non-Japanese bonsai artists?

I have always considered the "rules of Bonsai" to be more guidelines than rules. By broom style (or category) are we talking about the overall outline of the tree as we look at it: Or, are we talking about a style in which the trunk forkes into two branches, and the branches fork into two branches, and they fork into branches until you get a uniform picture of a whole bunch of little forking branches (sorry, couldn't help myself).

If we are looking to style a tree than we need to accept that the tree has a wee bit of a part in the styling. If we are looking to form an exact 1 into 2 into 4 into 8, etc ramification of a trunk, then every last tree looks the same. That might qualify as a tree, it might even qualify as botany, but unless it happens in cooperation with the tree, I would hesitate to refer to it as living "art".

Rules are meant to be broken, in a great many photos in this forum you can see the rulles broken to the benefit of the tree.

JMHO!

Nice one AJ, thats got a ring to it for me. I think that the majority see's this line of thought and all that stands in our way is the language of our habitus and how we percieve the words.

Here's a zelkova from the vendor area at this year's Kokufu:




And another one:

Here's 2 of my broom Zelkova.

The first is 27" and was grown from a pencil sized tree in 1989.

The second is a cutting of the first.

Both have orange red fall color.

This topic was started up long before I began to follow the IBC, and I see it for the first time....

I see a few broomstyle, and a LOT of informal upright trees.

Kind regards Yvonne

I also missed this,
thank God Gary revived it! Ity was very very entertaining and educational, I enjoyed Walters lessons the most, Fionas wit and AlainK's humor had me in tears...
I'm going to photograph my catogorized broom Styled FORM Bonsai Tree quickly...

Here's one. Not yet finished, as secondary branches need thickening. Triphasia trifolia (large tree).

Hello all,

I want to participated in this post with my project of a broom style (double trunk) on a Fagus of mine.

Very nice bonsai I see in this post! congrats to the owners.




Best regards
Viriato Oliveira

Viriato Oliveira wrote:Hello all,

I want to participated in this post with my project of a broom style (double trunk) on a Fagus of mine.

Very nice bonsai I see in this post! congrats to the owners.




Best regards
Viriato Oliveira

I love your broom Viriato, a lovely little image. Great colours.

Hi!

Mário, what You are argueing it is a "La Palisse" truth but it is not as simple as that!

You can allways says that a horse is not a horse, a chair is not a chair and so on, but this do not means You are correct and the big majority is Wrong!

I agree with Your concerning Walter skills and I think the big majority thinks the same, but You now what??? A great artist (like Walter is) only can "break" the rules when he knows them, unless the pseudo-artists that use to say it is their "vision" of the art. I'm sure that Walter knows everything about "classic" bonsai (tree in pot ) and even he has lot's of classic Bonsai!

There are some misunderstandig in Your vision and Your opinion about bonsai! First, bonsai have rules...that are no more then guide lines to nature behaviour for each style and/or species. Some of the rules are precisely reflexion of what nature is about, like proportion, balance, etc...

Second, You say that You never saw a tree in nature like You see the classical Bonsai, so "clean",it is because, maybe You never did a walk troughh the fields or the forest where the trees are exposed to the natural clima and weather conditions, because if You do that for sure you will find lots of natural "classic" bonsai.

And among others I can end the list with Bonsai is also a vision, a soul state etc.. WABI-SABI, the ugly beautifulness of bonsai

Walter naturalistic vision, (that I like) is not the same of let grow and have trees in pots, tires or whatever You may think that can be used to plant a tree. Naturalistic is sometimes much more difficult to achieve then the "normal" classic Bonsai.

Best regards,

Mário Eusébio

JimLewis wrote:Let's get back to brooms.

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:

Gary Swiech wrote:I'd still air-layer the bonsai.

This tree has such a beautiful top on it and if you notice in the picture that big root feeds the front of the trunk
and you can actually see a bulge it's creating. Not only does it need to be air-layered but after it's air-layered the 2 trunks of equal size
will be closer to the soil and well, I think that's just the way to go on this one.



I'd air-layer the bonsai.

Opinions, opinions.

I second that....Sorry Andre

Yvonne you just want to turn my Tree into a shohin, hey?

I'm going to put my Celtis into another tread so that we can discuss it furter. I think its unfare to do it in here..

But I can post another BROOM......

Something is wrong, I cant drag the photo onto the tread.. is anybody else having difficulty?

I have only one broom-in-progress, a small generic Japanese maple.

My Crape Myrtle ready for a bonsai pot next spring. The recent rain been knocking out the flowers.

That's a very nice start on a crepe myrtle! You may think about not letting it set seed. It will use a lot of energy that can be utilized on ramification. IMHO

Mitch

haha - classic IBC thread this one -

originally I thought it would take an hour or more to read but over half the space is wasted by people quoting and requoting big pictures - is this just my pet hate? its so easy to remove the image code from the quote isnt it?

I think there is a very simple way to decide what is and what isnt.......imagine a high end national bonsai show with prizes for each named style - would each owner of the posted trees enter the broom catagory or the informal upright ?

I've just popped out with the camera to the benches and I havent got a tree that i consider a broom there to show everyone - (I think quite a few of the pictures in the thread are from similar people), but there are a few absolute stunners here too, nice thread.

cheers marcus

marcus watts wrote: ... ...over half the space is wasted by people quoting and requoting big pictures - is this just my pet hate? its so easy to remove the image code from the quote isnt it?... ...

Much more than this, there is absolutely no need of quoting IF my post is exactly under the particular last post to which I am referring (in other words, there has been no other response in between)....

Much more than this, there is absolutely no need of quoting IF my post is exactly under the particular last post to which I am referring (in other words, there has been no other response in between)....

But that doesn't always happen. It is always better to quote at least SOME of the message you are answering.

You can highlight, then copy, paste, highlight, and click on the "quote" icon above (as I did here), or you can hit "quote" then cut the parts of the quoted post (INCLUDING the pictures), leaving the important parts.

Here's one of my favorite Brooms. Can't remember the source but it was tauted as "the 3rd best broom
Zelkova in Japan.". Would love to see 1st and 2nd!


Ryan
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/

Like Zelkova, Kiyohime maples in Japan are Often styled as brooms. Their growth habit makes it the natural style.




Ryan
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/

This is my U. parvifolia broom(ish) early this past spring, recovering from my having cut all branches back to stubs last year. It's quite juvenile looking in this photo, but it'll be presentable in a couple years.

Hi Andy,

Love your elm, just in naturalistic style.

Can't remember the source but it was tauted as "the 3rd best broom
Zelkova in Japan.". Would love to see 1st and 2nd!

Me too. That one looks like a lampshade.

Usually it will look terrible right away, like a man made massacre.

Walter,

You certainly have a way of telling the truth. You are the man!