opinions wanted

[Alex DeRuiter]

How about you dont and just skim past my post from now on smoke. Know it all overly corrective is not an opinion. If you want to tear another down then look in the mirror. Good bye and do not respond to my posts thank you. If you have to weight respect then dont bother it is a lost cause your opinions will be hallow anyway. So May I strengthen the point i would like some artistic opinion about my work. So perhaps we can focus on the subject at hand rather than being snide. Thank you

Another respectfully respectful suggestion: take a few grammar classes, drop your arrogance and know-it-all-ness (and inherently hypocrisy, due to the fact that you said Smoke was a know-it-all), and learn how to be civilized on the internet.

Respectfully speaking, of course.

 

[Mojosan]

I would like to make a suggestion. Go to a Bonsai Nursery and spend $125 and come home with something like this piece of material to work on. After one or two days work you will have a bonsai tree and you won't have to wait 10 years. Your shimpaku will never look like this tree in ten years. This tree hasn't been touched yet, so just imagine what you can do with it. Just my respectful suggestion. You ask for opinions, well my opinion is this, if you can't afford $125 for something decent to work on, find another hobby, you're just wasting your time.

The above comments are my own and don't reflect the opinions of others on this board.

Keep it green,
Harry

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Hey Harry,


Send me the address of that nursery that has those trees like that for $125 - I'd like to buy a few dozen!

 

[greerhw]

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Hey Harry,


Send me the address of that nursery that has those trees like that for $125 - I'd like to buy a few dozen!

Brussels in Memphis, we bought 10 last year for a workshop, they ship by the way, you might ever get a price break If you buy a few dozen. Do you want me to place an order for three dozen for ya Slick.

Harry

 

[serpentsgarden]

...

to smoke... I think i was kind of hurt more because i admire your work I read your post religiously because you give good advice and your skilled at what you do. I suppose tone does not convey well with type either. I took a joke harshly. Washington is great for many things as far as trees... My dilema with the tree is this though. I am torn between going with a very formal japanese like appearence or allowing it to twist into a more natural shape somewhat belled out. One plan keep the branches long another will need shortening.. I plan to bench a line of this style when i can solve the issue because i am looking at buying several of basically the same condition and branch structure as this one started out. Though also trying to treat each specimen as individuals. I am an artist and I try to move pieces out of my hands and to others.

 

[Smoke]

to smoke... I think i was kind of hurt more because i admire your work I read your post religiously because you give good advice and your skilled at what you do. I suppose tone does not convey well with type either. I took a joke harshly. Washington is great for many things as far as trees... My dilema with the tree is this though. I am torn between going with a very formal japanese like appearence or allowing it to twist into a more natural shape somewhat belled out. One plan keep the branches long another will need shortening.. I plan to bench a line of this style when i can solve the issue because i am looking at buying several of basically the same condition and branch structure as this one started out. Though also trying to treat each specimen as individuals. I am an artist and I try to move pieces out of my hands and to others.

I am willing to call a truce if you are really interested in hearing some honest feedback as to the material, your work thus far and your future as an artist. If you follow my work and posts as closely as you say you do, I think you will understand what I have to say.

I can do it with respect also.

 

[Mojosan]

Brussels in Memphis, we bought 10 last year for a workshop, they ship by the way, you might ever get a price break If you buy a few dozen. Do you want me to place an order for three dozen for ya Slick.

Harry

Thanks for the link. But the trees they show are not quite the same quality as the one you posted. But I think I'll try a few anyway.
Thanks again.

 

[greerhw]

Thanks for the link. But the trees they show are not quite the same quality as the one you posted. But I think I'll try a few anyway.
Thanks again.

They are one of the largest bonsai nurseries in the US, they have thousands of trees. We are going to see if we can get some more junipers for a workshop this spring. Everyone enjoyed the workshop last year and they all walked away with a TREE! Howard and Sylvia Smith from Dallas (SOB's) drove up and conducted the workshop for us, both are very talented and we got two for the price of one. The one I have I bought from a friend that couldn't make it at the last minute. I have several specimen trees from them. You can spend 25 bucks or thousands !

keep it green,
Harry

 

[Attila Soos]

Tell me your thoughts on the material. BE RESPECTFUL

Hi Serpentsgarden,

Looking at the wiring and the shape of this tree, I wonder what is that attracted you to bonsai? What does his material offer, that appeals to you?

If it's the appearance of age, this material has none of that.
If it is the gracefulness of youth, there is none of that either.
Majestic, tall tree? I don't see any trace of it.
Harmony? The current image is disjointed and messy.
Any interesting feature? Nothing, as far as I can see it.
Unusual, odd? Nope.

But here is the worst part: is there any POTENTIAL in this material, that has the promise of a good tree in a decade or so? If there was any, the person who killed the lowest branches and made them into jins, completely ruined that potential.

This tree is totally useless as bonsai, and just as useless as bonsai material. I am very sorry about that, because I am a person who can find a silver lining in almost anything.

But this ugly, awkward little tree may have the greatest value, unbeknowns to all of us: Working with it, makes you happy. And that's all that matters. Just please, don't ask us, old bonsai folks, to give an opionion on it. It's very hard to give one, when there is nothing nice that one can say about it. But I tried my best.
Remember, that I don't know you, and probably never will, so there is nothing personal in this post. It could have come from Albert Einstein, or Pablo Picasso, and my response would have been the same. It's all about the tree you posted.

 

[greerhw]

Hi Serpentsgarden,

Looking at the wiring and the shape of this tree, I wonder what is that attracted you to bonsai? What does his material offer, that appeals to you?

If it's the appearance of age, this material has none of that.
If it is the gracefulness of youth, there is none of that either.
Majestic, tall tree? I don't see any trace of it.
Harmony? The current image is disjointed and messy.
Any interesting feature? Nothing, as far as I can see it.
Unusual, odd? Nope.

But here is the worst part: is there any POTENTIAL in this material, that has the promise of a good tree in a decade or so? If there was any, the person who killed the lowest branches and made them into jins, completely ruined that potential.

This tree is totally useless as bonsai, and just as useless as bonsai material. I am very sorry about that, because I am a person who can find a silver lining in almost anything.

But this ugly, awkward little tree may have the greatest value, unbeknowns to all of us: Working with it, makes you happy. And that's all that matters. Just please, don't ask us, old bonsai folks, to give an opionion on it. It's very hard to give one, when there is nothing nice that one can say about it. But I tried my best.
Remember, that I don't know you, and probably never will, so there is nothing personal in this post. It could have come from Albert Einstein, or Pablo Picasso, and my response would have been the same. It's all about the tree you posted.

Hey dude, you're in a good mood today..................

Harry

 

[Attila Soos]

Hey dude, you're in a good mood today..................

Harry

You are right, my son's team just won an ice-hockey tournament yesterday in San Francisco, so it's all rosy right now. Give me a broom handle, and I will tell you that it's great bonsai material .

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Do with it what you will. This material has a nice curve to it.

 

[HotAction]

Man I needed a chuckle. This was perfect.

Dave

 

[satsuki]

I was a beginner once, and so was everybody on here. We all had trees like this, and they helped us learn.

This is no quality bonsai or piece of material. However, use this piece of material to learn. Looks like you practiced wiring, everyone has to start somewhere. Test out some juniper techniques on this tree. Experiment with different fertilizers and insecticides.

You could throw this piece of bad material away, or you could use it to your advantage.

My suggestion, get Boon's DVD on wiring and rewire this tree. Your wiring job is sloppy and if you want to learn, you should redo it.

Here is the link to get the DVD:
http://www.bonsaiboon.com/pages/shopping.html

Good luck,
Andrew