ROCK PLANTING REPOTTED

I acquired the rock about 16 years ago, and the San Jose Juniper about 20 years ago. The juni was 5 gallon nursery stock, and has been attached to the base of the rock for about 15 years. The roots grow into the pot, and can be easily trimmed by lifting the rock from the pot.
Today I repotted tree and rock into this Sara Rayner pot. Height including pot is 24 inches.

Its beautiful. How do you keep the rock from falling over?

Libby

There is a broom stick that passes through the table, up through the pot and through the rock. Am I getting warm? Beautiful look!

Q

This is "transformer" not bonsai.

These are crude observation, but there is absolutely no balance in the entire composition. The rock overwhelms the entire composition, altough it should mesh with the tree, it overpowers it.

If you enjoy this composition, then that it all that matters.

"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them" David Hume

I see a fantastic precipice cliff (rock) that scales in well in texture with a tree that has done its best to grow under challenging circumstances but still manages some grace. Sarah would be proud to see this effort. Thanks for showing!

Q

Rick Moquin wrote:

Another waste of a beautiful Sarah Rayner IMO.

Hey Mike, Thanks for sharing...I always appreciate the level of detail in your work and your photography!!
John

Rick...I noticed that you left off the "H" from the end of your statement quoted above...but then again it appears to be missing from your implied intent as well???

Thanks all for your comments, pro and con.

Libby, to answer your question; The rock can stand on it's own, even out of the pot as it is fairly flat on the bottom. In this case, it's wired to the pot though the drain holes using #12 copper wire. It's very stable.

Mike

Mike...have you considered bringing in the foliage into more of a cascade image? Love the pot...

[quote="Rick Moquin"]This is "transformer" not bonsai. quote]

Rick, you don't like the rock planting, and that's ok. But one thing has been bugging me, so I must ask. What the hell is a "transformer"? As an old electrician I know the word as it applies to voltage, but understanding it's use in this case eludes me. Please explain. Thanks.

Mike

Hi Mike,
Your tree reminds me of this Nick Lenz creation Alien Gobble.

Do you have a photo without the rock? The tree has nice movement!
Regards,
Geof

Howzit Mike,
Very interesting composition. I would like to see more branches to may be a cascade but really liking the bonsai pot.

-Tim

Geof wrote:Hi Mike,
Do you have a photo without the rock? The tree has nice movement!
Regards,
Geof

Geoff, I don't have any "before" pictures of this tree. Before I acquired the rock. the juniper was in a training pot and had never been photographed.
Attached is a pic taken in 2004.

Mike, was there die-back on this tree between 2004 - current? I like the fuller tree "before" compared to the newer minimal (foliage pads) look. Or, did you try to make the tree look older by reducing the number of foliage pads? Or was there another reason? Where did you find that beautiful rock? The pot is perfect for the rock! Great composition. Regards, Todd

Hmm, for some reasons I agree with Rick. I personally feel that the composition is kind of weird. The "weight" of the rock seems like it is "crushing" on the tree itself, and my first impression/visual was that it doesnt seem right/natural. I just cant help feeling the "weight" itself feels weird. Maybe it's just me and Rick perhaps?

G'day Mike and all...

To me, this is the classic depiction of the fight for survival...and less foliage is better...it shouldn't look like it just came from the hairdresser. Furthermore, the rock SHOULD overwhelm the tree. And, the pot works very well...

Outstanding my friend...

IMAFMHO (InMyAncientFeebleMindedHumbleOpinion)…

Pat…mounted on my trusty stead, riding off wildly in all directions…

bonsaistud wrote:G'day Mike and all...

To me, this is the classic depiction of the fight for survival...and less foliage is better...it shouldn't look like it just came from the hairdresser. Furthermore, the rock SHOULD overwhelm the tree. And, the pot works very well...

Outstanding my friend...

IMAFMHO (InMyAncientFeebleMindedHumbleOpinion)…

Pat…mounted on my trusty stead, riding off wildly in all directions…

Thanks Pat. You have the correct view. The mountain is always large and the tree is small.
In this cass the viewer should imagine the rock as being much larger than it appears in the picture. Bonsai is about imagination. Following is a haiku I posted on another site. It may be appropriate here, with a minor change I made to line 3.

IMAGINATION
A JOURNEY WITHIN THE MIND
A TRUTH DISCOVERED

"Every picture tells a story" or so the song by Rod Steward goes. This tree and the rock to which it clings to tells of a story very common to the mountains. A story that is very similar to stories that inspired Zen Monks and Sumi-e Painters of ancient Japan. The story of persistence, survival amidst odds and grace under pressure.

The large overbearing rock, the feeble tree with its sparse foliage, clinging onto the rock for dear life, is almost a real life picture of what one often finds in the mountains.

A story very well told indeed and something very similar to Mike's own in the last couple of years.

Keep it up Mike...

Ravi Kiran wrote:"Every picture tells a story" or so the song by Rod Steward goes. This tree and the rock to which it clings to tells of a story very common to the mountains. A story that is very similar to stories that inspired Zen Monks and Sumi-e Painters of ancient Japan. The story of persistence, survival amidst odds and grace under pressure.

The large overbearing rock, the feeble tree with its sparse foliage, clinging onto the rock for dear life, is almost a real life picture of what one often finds in the mountains.

A story very well told indeed and something very similar to Mike's own in the last couple of years.

Keep it up Mike...

Thanks, Ravi. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Mike

I like the current trunk line along with the foliage from the 2004 photo.

Actually, I'd prefer the foliage silhouette from 2004 with the trunk line and smaller foliage density of the current tree. I'd reduce the current density, then wire the remaining foliage to resemble the older image.

But that's just me...

BTW Mike, are you coming to Bill V's 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition?

Mike Pollock wrote:.

BTW Mike, are you coming to Bill V's 2nd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition?

Mike
I haven't made up my mind yet, but probably not. Airfare from the West Coast to Rochester is big bucks. But, it's still in the "maybe" category.