A Bonsai Beginners Dream Come True

[Godschick]

Just getting into bonsai and new to the Fresno area, I signed up and started my Docent/tree tender work today at the Shinzen Japanese Garden, Clark Bonsai Collection. It is one of the largest bonsai collections in America, with over 100 trees! I find it a rare opportunity and I’m humbled to be able work side by side with some amazing bonsai masters and those who are so passionate about the art. I took quit a few pictures and thought I would share a couple. Some are over 100 years old with incredible historical journeys. Towards the end of my work today, my teacher looked at me and said, “these trees are part of your trees now.” Im a little more than excited!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I decided to get started in bonsai a little over a year ago after looking over some of the specimens at the Chicago Botanic Gardens exhibit. Here's a few pics I took there

 

[Godschick]

I decided to get started in bonsai a little over a year ago after looking over some of the specimens at the Chicago Botanic Gardens exhibit. Here's a few pics I took thereView attachment 434948View attachment 434949View attachment 434950

Incredible! I can stare at these all day. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Here's a few more

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I find it curious but understandable that extremely nice bonsai look so little like a tree in the wild.
Art takes some liberties in its expression.

 

[sorce]

I decided to get started in bonsai a little over a year ago after looking over some of the specimens at the Chicago Botanic Gardens exhibit. Here's a few pics I took thereView attachment 434948View attachment 434949View attachment 434950

If you think the regulars are nice, wait'll you peep the show!

Sorce

 

[rockm]

I find it curious but understandable that extremely nice bonsai look so little like a tree in the wild.
Art takes some liberties in its expression.

That's a common misconception. Bonsai ARE NOT made, and never have been made, to replicate trees in the wild. Like other artforms, bonsai is the product of human imagination and express human emotions and perceptions. Simply aiming to make a tree that replicates big trees misses the point.

 

[Godschick]

That's a common misconception. Bonsai ARE NOT made, and never have been made, to replicate trees in the wild. Like other artforms, bonsai is the product of human imagination and express human emotions and perceptions. Simply aiming to make a tree that replicates big trees misses the point.

And that is one of the reasons I have absolutely fallen in love with this art! The imagination, perceptions and emotions involved in the creation. Our heart and souls spill out into these little trees.

 

[penumbra]

That's a common misconception. Bonsai ARE NOT made, and never have been made, to replicate trees in the wild. Like other artforms, bonsai is the product of human imagination and express human emotions and perceptions. Simply aiming to make a tree that replicates big trees misses the point.

I agree with the premise, but I never say never. There are those who do endeavor to replicate natural wild trees. It may miss the point generally, but that is the point.

 

[Bnana]

I do think that many of the best bonsai (in my eye) do replicate real trees. Not by having the same shape and ratios but by giving the same impression.
An example is taper, bonsai have much more taper than normal trees but this does create a feeling of depth and size. So it strengthens the impression of a small "big tree".

This is not unlike Monet's waterlilies not looking like (a photo of) a pond with waterlilies but does replicate the impression and feeling of the waterlilies.

 

[Zerobear]

Just getting into bonsai and new to the Fresno area, I signed up and started my Docent/tree tender work today at the Shinzen Japanese Garden, Clark Bonsai Collection. It is one of the largest bonsai collections in America, with over 100 trees! I find it a rare opportunity and I’m humbled to be able work side by side with some amazing bonsai masters and those who are so passionate about the art. I took quit a few pictures and thought I would share a couple. Some are over 100 years old with incredible historical journeys. Towards the end of my work today, my teacher looked at me and said, “these trees are part of your trees now.” Im a little more than excited!

Great way to get free training!

 

[Zerobear]

I decided to get started in bonsai a little over a year ago after looking over some of the specimens at the Chicago Botanic Gardens exhibit. Here's a few pics I took thereView attachment 434948View attachment 434949View attachment 434950

Chicago botanical is a nice place, great visit when we go there.

 

[penumbra]

I do think that many of the best bonsai (in my eye) do replicate real trees. Not by having the same shape and ratios but by giving the same impression.
An example is taper, bonsai have much more taper than normal trees but this does create a feeling of depth and size. So it strengthens the impression of a small "big tree".

This is not unlike Monet's waterlilies not looking like (a photo of) a pond with waterlilies but does replicate the impression and feeling of the waterlilies.

Interesting note about Monet. Those waterlily paintings are his best known works, yet he was nearly blind when he painted them.

 

[rockm]

FWIW, you may think you're not injecting your perspective and artistic sense into a tree and you're only making a replica. None of that is really true. YOU certainly decide to remove 'extraneous' branches, adjust roots, etc. and make artistic adjustments according TO YOUR TASTE. You decide what shape to mold the tree into, or to represent (upright, windswept, etc). "Natural" features on trees in the wild are more often than not, mostly ugly, non-sensical or both. There are no perfectly arranged natural trees.

 

[yashu]

I think bonsai is the idealized form of the tree and like the way peoples ideals vary so do the trees.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

That's a common misconception. Bonsai ARE NOT made, and never have been made, to replicate trees in the wild. Like other artforms, bonsai is the product of human imagination and express human emotions and perceptions. Simply aiming to make a tree that replicates big trees misses the point.

That's why I put "understandable" in the OP.

 

[penumbra]

There are no perfectly arranged natural trees.

True. That also describes most of my bonsai. I'm good with that.

 

[Shogun610]

That's a common misconception. Bonsai ARE NOT made, and never have been made, to replicate trees in the wild. Like other artforms, bonsai is the product of human imagination and express human emotions and perceptions. Simply aiming to make a tree that replicates big trees misses the point.

True but there are trees who have had the help of being shaped and aged by the natural environment they come from if they’re collected, but yes we build the rest.

 

[Shogun610]

Congratulations on the opportunity, you will find that being able to work , learn and gain experience on how to care for those trees will end up exponentially improving your skill sets and creative approaches , and will be a catalyst for how much faster you’ll be able to translate that into your own collected

 

[rockm]

True but there are trees who have had the hell of being shaped and aged by the natural environment they come from if they’re collected, but yes we build the rest.

Yeah, even those tree require some human intervention (sometimes quite a bit of intervention). I have more collected trees than "regular" trees. The collected trees sometimes require MORE work and interpretation...