Ry2Tree2 Bonsai Weblog: Haunted Hollows

          This week, I’m particularly glad to share that I’ve completed making use of to my Ph.D. applications! Now I can lastly return to my extra artistic pursuits and share them with you all once more. Fortunately, I’ve not too long ago been impressed to create some new, distinctive, and seasonal methods to show bonsai. My first-attempts at Halloween-themed bonsai shows are cataloged right here.

Sections:

1. A Pumpkin Portray
2. A Pumpkin Accent
3. A Pumpkin Pot

My mountain hemlock with a mountain jack-o’-lantern backdrop and my spooky flashlight face because the accent.

          As I returned dwelling from the pumpkin patch with a wheelbarrow stuffed with pumpkins, the primary concept I needed to carve on my pumpkin originated from Japanese three-point shows. Defined briefly, many conventional Japanese shows of bonsai timber embrace extra parts than simply the tree. A tree is picked to match with a stand, pot, and generally accent vegetation, collectible figurines, viewing stones (suiseki), or a scroll-style portray. The mixture of things goals to set a broader scene than the tree can by itself. With evergreen timber, for instance, the usage of sure imagery like snow within the scroll portray can point out winter (like this instance), whereas the usage of a flowering accent plant can point out spring. That is fascinating as a result of an evergreen tree by itself doesn’t inform a lot of a narrative about seasons, so these additional parts add to the story of the show. Likewise, the scroll or accent plant can depict sure environments equivalent to a mountain, grassland, or coastal space by what sort of portray or plant is used. Different outstanding bonsai artists equivalent to Jonas Duplich and Invoice Valvanis have already gone to some lengths in cataloging and describing these compositions in better depth – extra pictures and studying on conventional and trendy shows can be found right here, right here, and right here.

This composition from Aarin Packard is an efficient instance of a standard Japanese show mixed with trendy American Halloween aesthetic. Learn extra right here, and pay attention to the tootsie roll accents! He is a really artistic man that we’re fortunate to now have as curator of our native Pacific Bonsai Museum.

          With these concepts in thoughts, I made a decision this yr I’d carve my pumpkin within the stead of a standard Japanese scroll portray to depict Mount Rainier – probably the most iconic mountain right here in Washington state, and after we are fortunate sufficient to have clear days, it’s the most outstanding mountain within the Seattle skyline. My most developed tree – a mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) which I wired fully final winter – can be the topic of the composition. Now, I’ve by no means considered myself as notably good at artwork exterior of bonsai, however I pleasantly shocked myself with this one! I used a scalpel from the plant dissecting package I initially utilized in botany class to assist with a few of the closing particulars. I’m fairly proud of my work on this one haha. Sooner or later, I will give it one other go and see if I could make an much more elaborate pumpkin portray.

My moon is a bit screwy however that is okay 🙂 This pumpkin was THICC. I needed to carve about an inch and a half in on these cracks to let the sunshine by means of.

          You may acknowledge the tree I used from a earlier teaser image I posted on my social media. That is the primary time I am really returning to the subject of considered one of my teaser footage, however I am hoping to construct on that custom!

Trunk close-up of my yamadori (naturally-sourced) mountain hemlock bonsai (Tsuga mertensiana). Authentic collector unknown, however the earlier stylist together with the person that did this carving of the jin was my buddy Hansy, a fellow scholar of Dan Robinson.

The tree responded very properly to final yr’s wiring and pruning. I now have many tremendous branches to selected from for the longer term path, however I didn’t prune or re-wire right now as there are some wire scars to heal first.

I like the bonsai’s shadow. My fancy lighting used for this shoot was a pumpkin spice candle.

          I’ve another pumpkin backdrop concept
to carve that I didn’t get to finish this yr. I wrote it down so hopefully I can
revisit this and problem myself with one other pumpkin portray sooner or later.

One other considered one of my previous “Teaser Tuesday” social media posts coming again to hang-out you lastly!

This Japanese maple has fairly a little bit of deadwood. After I took this photograph, Dan not too long ago reworked it, eliminated rotting wooden, and lime sulfured what remained. There’s all the time new work to see at Elandan!

A larch in peak fall shade. I imagine that is additionally an japanese larch.

Discover the pumpkin!

3. A Pumpkin Pot

Hmmmmm… one thing’s not proper right here…

My zelkova/Japanese elm photoshopped right into a pumpkin pot for a belated Halloween celebration. Subsequent yr, with higher planning, I will give it one other go.

          Extra to return on the event of this Zelkova subsequent time. Pulling it out of hibernation for this photoshoot prompted me to do a little bit of wanted clean-up on it.

4. Different Artist Shows

          Lastly, get pleasure from a couple of other Halloween bonsai shows which different folks have made earlier than.

A jade bonsai with somewhat Halloween accent by “littlejadebonsai” on instagram.

Extra inspirational Halloween bonsai shows can be found beneath (together with many Nick Lenz compositions).