LAST PICTURES OF MY MUGO PINE THE "SWAN".

Hi everybody,
a while back I wrote on my Bonsai blog about the lost off two of my best, almost show ready very old Mugo Pines ( When your art dies on you!). Well a week after I posted it, my blog and all the other AoB blogs disappeared for a long time into tin air, to reappear a week ago, but with out all my pictures and drawings. I just checked again and you know what, my blog is vanished again, so now I am not able to link you to that post! SIGH!!
Well any way, I have waited as long as possible, to avoid the dreaded task of removing the dead Pine named the "Swan" from her pot. But yesterday was planed to be the day to remove the two dead Pines from my small garden! Yesterday also was one of the first Sunny mornings this mount and when I approached the bench in the back of my garden on witch both trees stand, the soft morning Sun rays just reached the dead foliage of the "Swan" making it almost glow like dark amber! She was still so beautiful and I fell overwhelmed with the feeling that it is such a shame that she and I never had the change to show the world just how special she had become!
So I cleaned the pot and oiled it for her. Lifted her to the other side of my garden on to a table, should not have don that with my back problems, and waited and hoped that the sky's would still be clear when the sun would hit that only spot were I have room enough to take photo's. Well the light was just perfect for one final photo shoot of my beloved "Swan".
And they turned out just stunning! So that made me wanted to show them to you and share this sad side of being a Bonsai artist as well with my friends here on IBC!
I hope you enjoy these last shots of my "Swan"?!

















Bonsai is so much more than just Art to me. Bonsai is very very personal to me! It is not one off my better years. She will be missed!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

What a sad tale Hans. I feel for you. What a beautiful tree and still so in death. Admitting and showing our failures shows great strength.

hello hans,
i know how you feel exactly,but remember there is always a purpose behind everything,im sure it will be a better one,a more nicer one perharps! keep on enjoying GOD's creation
best wishes,
alex

Terrible loss, I can't imagine. The minor losses I have had this year don't even come close to this and it took me a bit t get over those. I think these beautiful photos are a great final moment. thanks for sharing them.

What wonderful pictures to remember such a beautiful tree. Thanks for posting.

Nice tree, too bad about its demise, but we all have had that experience.

This might sound crazy but how about spraying the tree with matte polyurethane and keeping it as a low maintenance permanent indoor bonsai. The polyurethane might help stick the needles to the branches. I preserved one of my favorite trees a Bald Cypress called "White Lightning" that died several years ago. Since it's dead I keep it indoors and get to enjoy its defoliated branch structure year round and it now requires only minimal maintenance (dusting once in a while). I also took a nice small dead azalea over rock and used bondo and wire and paper flowers to make an permanently indoor bonsai that my wife displays in an art niche. I did a how to on this on IBC several years ago.

Hans, I am sorry for your loss. She is beautiful. Have you considered to use her beautiful deadwood for a Tanuki project?
Todd

What a loss...sorry! I have lost a couple of favorite trees this past year or two as well.
(P.S. Maybe you could still sell it on eBay using a B&W pic!) Just kidding...

Sorry to hear that, Hans! I also lost a couple of well extablished promising trees this summer due to this crazy heat. I am with Todd about potential tanuki project with this material!

Hi,

What an incredibly sad view! I really wanted to thank you for posting these pictures, I'm sure it takes a lot of courage, but it also tremendously helps others who are not that long into bonsai to put their own lost trees into perspective ...

FWIW, your blog seems to be back online, but unfortunately still without the pictures; I hope that these will be recovered at some point by the admins:
http://blogs.knowledgeofbonsai.org/hans_van_meer/
I'm also very sorry to hear about your recurring back problems, please keep it up, your work and how you talk and write about it has always been a great inspiration!

Best regards,
Stefan

Hans

So so sad but yet so beautiful to capture the final moment of this truly fantastic tree. Thanks for showing us and look after that back

All the best

Andy

Hi Hans, as they say in Scotland what a scunner, stunning tree! I to
was going to suggest keeping it for a Tanuki the movement and deadwood [no pun intended ]
are awesome, on a lighter note a "red pine" in the true sense of the word eh!
is there any clue as to the reason it has gone to the giant bonsai place in the sky:?:

best regards Alex e

my sincere condolence to you Hans.
beautifully stunning even in her death.

how do plan to end this story Hans?...bury her six feet under and let her rejoined mother nature once again?
....or to cremate her...with barbecue on top? just kidding Hans, i just want to cheer you up. death is part of life any way. what a tragic loss.

regards,
jun

Hans, your passion for bonsai has never been in doubt, but your openess is to be commended.
I feel your loss.
Next time you are in the UK get TT to let me know. I have something for you.
In spirit!
Steve Tolley