Shimpaku Restyle

I received this shimpaku from my teacher, Nick Lenz, a couple months ago.



(ABOVE) The shimpaku as I received it (after just removing the downward-pointing foliage)

After cleaning up the bark a bit, adjusting the trunk angle (on the X and Y axes) and wiring, here is the restyled shimpaku:



Hope you enjoy.

Kind regards,
Andy

Like it!!!

Very nice tree. Like the twist in the dead wood as detail.

With what material did you clean up to get the reddish/brown bark become visible?

Thanks.
@Jonas - I used a bladed tool that my friend Howard Smith lent me for the loose bark and then used fine-grit sandpaper to find the red skin.

Kind regards,
Andy

@Jonas - I should note that preparing the bark of a juniper is mostly done for show preparation. In this case, I'm not preparing to show the tree, I just wanted to make sure that there was no fibrous or flaky bark on the tree to house overwintering pests. Borers can kill a nice juniper quickly and flaky bark is their best/first home on your bonsai.

very nice improvement Andy. looks "brand new".

regards,
jun

Ha, thanks, Jun. I showed Nick a photo and he sent me a pic of the initial styling he gave the tree back in 2006. It's eerily similar. What's old is new again.

Kind regards,
Andy

that's what makes vintage car more "valuable"...



regards,
jun

very nice Andy

Thanks all. Here is the tree as Nick styled it back in 2006.



It then had the same upright quality I've reintroduced, but somewhere along the line it lost that middle-left branch (which is not a bad thing).

Kind regards,
Andy

Very nice work on a beautiful tree!!!!!

Andrew

Thought the styling of the tree is unconventional - I mean it is neither a formal upright nor an informal upright in the classical sense, the beauty of the tree is striking and of a very high order. I really liked it very much. I have always seen the Halloween side of Nick Lenz's trees but this one is a very pleasant surprise. I also like the Halloween ones but this is so unlike the Nick Lenz that I thought I knew. Great work Nick & Andy...

Ravi

Thanks Ravi. Like anyone else, Nick works with what the material wants to do. This juniper is not well suited for extravagant or whimsical style, so he took it in a more conventional direction. He laid the nice foundation for my minor revision and that makes me very happy.

Kind regards,
Andy

Wonderful Nick tree.

It's sad to see so many of Nick's trees going to new homes.
Every time I visit he has fewer and fewer.

If possible I'd replace the vanity foilage that hid the cluncky base of the current second left hand branch.
My eye doesn't know where to go at that juncture, out the branch or up the tree.
Maybe it's just the photo.