Sometimes I work on nursery trees, sometimes I work on client’s trees……and sometimes if I’ve been really good I get to work on my own trees. Hopefully these regular visits will give you an insight into what goes on behind closed doors……….
Studio Stories – Spruce Styling
This tree was selected from our stock of raw material for sale. It was basically old garden centre stock. A tree with some age to it and probably in the same pot for many years.
It has a dense canopy with far too many branches but the foliage is compact with small shoots and fine needles making it ideal for bonsai.
Starting from around the base I worked my way up the tree removing any dead and weak branches. The trunk divides into two so clearly one trunk line will have to be selected and the other one reduced for the creation of deadwood.
Having decided on the trunk line which gives us good taper and movement it is then a case of working through the remaining tree and making a selection of branches that we should be able to use.
A small shari at the base of the jins is used to emphasize the line of the live vein, improve taper and movement, and enhance the contrast between the live vein and the deadwood.
The tree is now ready for wiring and then styling.
The tree was recently repotted into a ceramic bonsai pot and some extra trunk was uncovered. I think the extra height suits the tree and lightens the image.
It never ceases to amaze how you can remove 60/70% of the foliage and still finish up with a tree that’s almost as big as what you started with……….another one of life’s little mysteries!……….