Choose your own Adeventure!

[MaverickLancer]

I'd be very interested to see how you're going to approach repotting of this next season, considering the difficult angle.

 

[A Random User]

I'd be very interested to see how you're going to approach repotting of this next season, considering the difficult angle.

I am thinking about building a grow box for it in the morning, and just slip potting it in with some bonsai soil around so as to not disturb the roots, but yet allow the tree to be grown and watered in this position. I will post up some pics when I do.

 

[A Random User]

This weeks project I picked up yesterday... Got all the major branching set today, as well as removed quite a bit of the original material that I started with as is evident with the pictures. First photo is tonight where I stopped at for tonight. Second photo is what the material looked like when I got it yesterday as a gift, for doing the Juniper Workshop that I did. Rest of the photos I included to show some of the process. Will post follow up picture, when all the fine wiring is done. Also, Juniper is a parsoni.

 

[A Random User]

Thought I should add the size of the tree, seeing that for some reason the photos seem deceiving... the trunk is actually 3 inches wide and the tree's height is right at 17 inches.

Will post up pics of fine wiring as soon as I am finished.

 

[djm4243]

Your work is simply stunning.

 

[A Random User]

Finished fine wiring for now.

Seeing that this is the first styling of the tree and that it has been reduced down by quite a bit from where I first got it... I don't want to remove much more of the foliage and the tree for health reasons. It obviously still needs quite a bit of cleaning up, and removing of unwanted foliage, as well as removal of branches in their entirety, to better suit the design and make it more comprehensible. In some areas the foliage still needs to grow in. The apex is to pointy for my taste, so eventually it will be allowed to grow a much wider and rounder crown. Also, the big white jin in the center obviously needs reducing down, by this I mean thinning.

First pic is front. Second is front from a side angle, and last to pics are the back of the tree.

 

[Arcto]

Sawgrass, you are very prolific. What's happening to all these trees you have been styling? You must have a very big back yard!

 

[A Random User]

Sawgrass, you are very prolific. What's happening to all these trees you have been styling? You must have a very big back yard!

Thanks, all about the practice and constantly doing! Practice makes perfection. The trees are just added to the benches.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I'd like for you to keep this tree and develop it, because I want to see it how great it'll look 5 or 10 years later. I imagine you would give it more dead wood by then too.

 

[A Random User]

I'd like for you to keep this tree and develop it, because I want to see it how great it'll look 5 or 10 years later. I imagine you would give it more dead wood by then too.

With the first styling you are just trying to set the tree on a path towards the end product. So, often when I am doing these trees, I am not concerning myself to much with negative space, sharis, or even jins really... I am just going through and taking a piece of raw stock and wiring out what might be useful in the eventual design and eliminating what I definitely know I will not need, which is usually just odd, weak, or heavier branching... At this stage is very important to leave more meat on the bones so to speak, for the health of the tree. One will have plenty of time down the road to further eliminate branching and foliage as the tree develops, and will need to do so, to further help the negative spacing within the tree. Besides, even though I have done the initial style... this does not mean the tree has to go in this actual direction... perhaps with future growth one might see an even better path forward, and could use something one might eliminate today.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Very good. Good experience to share for a person new on his journey. Thank you.

 

[A Random User]

Update to Juniper in post #53

Thought I probably should post this updated photo of this Juniper here as well. Was exposing more of the dead vein in the trunk tonight, from the area that I killed off earlier this year, in post #53. And started noticing a completely different path forward in the way of the design, that even with the drastic angle change of the trunk, would require very minimal adjustment of the branching... Seeing a much more cohesive path forward and a much better design, I decided to take advantage of it! Easy Peesy! Thought it was worthy of the post here, seeing that it only goes to reaffirm the endless possibilities one can go with a piece of material.

 

[A Random User]

Had a bad weekend... Had to put one of my cats to sleep today, to make it worse it is the second one in the last month, both were older cats and both ended up having tumors... Not quite sure if this is a new growing trend, or with the technology we have today we are just better at recognizing these type of illnesses???
Anyways... The best thing about Art is that it makes "life" disappear! And afterwards I needed life to disappear...

So, when I got home after the event, I got to work on juniper for a client. They handed me this questionable material, and told me to have at it... I looked at them and asked, what did you have in mind? They said... something cool! I told them I would do what I can, but that it might be hard styling something cool, out of something that really does not have an ounce of cool in it. They, agreed... and laughed, then told me I would figure out something.... which is what I have hopefully done??? Still need fine wiring done, so not obviously finished, but thought I would share regardless, so you could see the process.

First image is where I am at with the trunk and major Branching sorted.

Second image is where I started, and the following images show the process... Decided to go with a full cascade, seeing that the first half of the trunk has absolutely no movement what so ever and the majority of the material had very bad branching. Added jins and sharis... Because this tree had no deadwood or veins, still a rather young piece of material, I sealed the edges of the sharis I create with Putty cut paste, to help retain the tree's moisture and minimalism the damage. Wrapped raffia on the branches I wanted to do heavy bending on, wired them, then bent them, with the assist of guy wires.

Hope he thinks it is "cool"... will post finished image when, well finished! Thanks...

 

[A Random User]

Oh crap! It happened again...
No replies...
LOL!

 

[A Random User]

Just thought I would go ahead and post up the results of this tree with finial wiring done...
Sorry, pictures are not better... Had to go into photoshop and eliminate the distracting background as much as possible to see the design cohesively.
I often take my photos at night which does this for me... just finished wiring today.

As far as the tree... when I first do an initial design on a piece of material that has not been worked, I often will go through and wire out what I need to complete the overall shape of the tree I am looking for. This is a first styling so at this stage I am just looking to wire all the branches that work into the design. With the intent, that as the tree or piece of material develops, I will be eliminating a lot of these branches to open up the design more, to get rid of the helmet shape. I also will be allowing for some of the branching to grow and extend into areas, so the design I have presented in this picture would obviously not be a final look of the tree... only a starting off point, where one could further work the design. If I was to really go in and work the tree, seeing that I have already removed half or more from where I started, I would obviously be putting the tree's health in jeopardy. Also, this way, I allow for the tree to grow and tell me which branches would better be used in the construction of the end result. This tree has been styled using only 3 branches... a lot of the foliage and finer branching of these needs time to grow and become established.

As far as a pot for this tree? Obviously it is a cascade, so a cascade pot might work, or even a bowl or crescent pot.
Thanks!

 

[Geo]

Sorry to read about your cats, sawgrass. I lost my Blanche in June, due to the incompetence of a veterinarian. Wait awhile and get a kitten from a shelter or even the street. I got my new one, Bonnie, as she was walking away from a dumpster. There were four of them. All got homes.
By the way,I always read your posts. I don't have Junipers, but I read your posts with interest.

George.

 

[A Random User]

Sorry to read about your cats, sawgrass. I lost my Blanche in June, due to the incompetence of a veterinarian. Wait awhile and get a kitten from a shelter or even the street. I got my new one, Bonnie, as she was walking away from a dumpster. There were four of them. All got homes.
By the way,I always read your posts. I don't have Junipers, but I read your posts with interest.

George.

Thanks I appreciate the kind words!
I know people are ready and looking at the posts, in one of the other thread discussions, we were just making light of the lack of discussion, that's all. I appreciate you taking the time to post!

 

[herzausstahl]

Sawgrass, thanks for sharing! Any updates on any of these?