Texas Ebony (Re)styling Question

One of my favorite trees is this Texas ebony.  Over the last ten years, it has suffered dieback of both its back branch and its second branch, leaving a very lopsided profile.  To restore balance in this tree, it seems like I have three options: (1) hope that the adventitious bud shown in the closeup photo has a growth spurt strong enough to become a realistic looking branch (2) graft a branch to this same area of the trunk or (3) do an air layer that will result in a shorter trunk.  I'm good at hoping and waiting, not very good at grafting and have never air layered a Texas ebony of this size (2.5" in diameter at the base). Can anyone give me any suggestions?  Thanks in advance!

Tim Ahlen
Dallas TX
Zone 8b
 





If I airlayer the trunk, shortening it by 1-1 1/2 inches, here are some virtuals of what it might look like.