Two beautiful designs - I certainly couldn't choose one over the other, especially considering that the tree offered such different foliage the second time. Maeoka-san's style is so finessed, so elegant, graceful and airy; it seems to emphasize the flowing curves of the trunk. Bjorn's approach to the foliage is soft and natural, the jin adding some age and along with the shift in movement I focus more on the changes in direction of the trunk which seem to describe how the tree has survived in the environment. Two masters. Great video.
I like both! It's good to see how the same tree can have different designs over the years. Reminds you that it's a living, breathing thing, not just an 'ornament'
Thank you Bjorn for what you do. I look forward to each video you come out with and enjoy learning from you. I love both designs and enjoyed watching the evolution of the tree from one design to another and one artist to the next. They both have wonderful qualities to enjoy.
Prior design shape was very good. I like how you used what grew/changed and redesigned/styled it into a beauty. Love the, as is said, the feature of negative space. I always learn and am inspired by your bonsai videos. Thank you.
Very good restyling Bjorn 👌 I prefer this styling, it's more appropriate regarding the vertical mouvement of the trunk. I like your Sahi-eda and the head is very well placed 👍
A beautiful tree. Enhanced even more by this recent styling. A top end work of art. Thanks for bringing this to us. I will now go back and watch this again. Cheers
Amazing transformation. You take the first design in your mind with a lot of respect, for Naoki Maeoka. This tree needs to be reshape, for his health. But we all can see the the homage to the first designer, when the tree is finished ! (((never! ))) Thank you Bjorn , for spending time with us in France, for your advices, and patience, hope to see you soon !
I was given au unwanted Jack Pine last Autumn by a gardening friend. I am beginning to style it as a semi-cascade. Your styling commentary in this video was very helpful for that. Thanks.
Very impressive! Inspirational acutally. I didn't realize that a tree could be redesigned within such a short period of time. I always imagined many years before reworking one. This video was superb.
Thanks Bjorn, another excellent video and I will be looking forward to seeing it in 12 months. Additionally, great information concerning the overall design and getting away from the "perfect" triangle shape with irregular pads and negative space to give a more naturalistic product. Nanxi and you keep safe and post some more pictures of the dog so we cn also see him develop.
A very well done video! Of course your bonsai skills and artistry are well honed, but I have to say your teaching and production skills are much improved! This is a much better video than your previous restyling video. Please continue to teach and promote bonsai. I favor a more natural style. Both styles are well done, different styles. I always try to tell a story with my work.
Video muy interesante. La evolución desde el primer diseño hace que se hayan tenido que tomar decisiones nuevas..... El primer diseño, más compacto y minimalista se aleja bastante de este, más naturalista. Los dos son indiscutiblemente buenos. La calidad del video es impresionante. Gracias por compartir.
Great exercise in the importance of flexibility On initial reflection for me: 1st styling: came across as applied artisanship, beautiful design use of existing (foliage) material. I felt it brought “youthfulness/ youthful eternity” to an aged tree 2nd style: I think has more development to go yet, but I’m warming to it, I kinda looked initially like a traditional peasants’ stick-and-sack travelling kit, like a fishing rod with a “travel sack”, but I’m warming to it, I’m trying to find the “new story”
Hey Bjorn, I remember a Video wehre you and Naoki where on an Exhibition, dont know where it was, maybe the Kokufu in your time at kouka-en. You both had to set up some Trees and it was really early in the morning and you asked Naoki about his best Tree on the Exhibition. It was a really thin nice literati styled tree. It showed a lot about his way to see the beauty in trees and maybe it fits to his character, dont know him but for me it was a great example how different the feeling of esthetic can be. I liked the way he styled the juniper before, but maybe it had less brnaching in the backround. The new Styling is also really nice and i like your way to give trees more threedimensional flow in the branches and the variation with negative spaces. Its the way how the naturalistic habitus make sense for me and what you see in nature. You and Michael Hagedorn or David Benavente do it in a really nice way. Dont know if the Jin down on the right side could be removed, but maybe you sit down another evening with a Glass of Gin :) and think about it. But as always....really great work Bjorn!!! Its always lovely to watch your stuff. go on with it, stay tight...cheers from Germany!!!
You are such a great artist.I admire your style.The tree become pure perfection, so well balanced. The golden ratio can be found in each section of the whole design.
Nice job Bjorn. I like both stylings, but yours seems more suited to the species, where Naoki's works better for a fuller Japanese style Shimpaku. It looked great, but I think that the trend over the last few decades in Japan, perhaps led by Kokufu trees, of overly full 'helmet' top conifers doesn't suit American species that well. It looks like both you and Ryan Neil understand that pretty well, and this tree shows off a minimalist character of American yamadori.
Hej Björn, thank you very much for this video. I was wondering if you can make a video about how you handle your bonsai seedlings when they are three or four years old (which is the time I usually screw things up with my bonsais intended design). For example maybe a part three of your very good video of the Japanese maple seedlings?
Nicely executed design. Seems to me that you could eliminate most of that jin at the very top. While it frames the foliage well, it also pulls the eye away from the elliptical shape of the composition as a whole Kudos also on the quality of your videos and the comprehensive nature of your narrative Thank you
I think there is a visual conflict between the line of the Jin going back in toward the trunk and the cascading branch extending down to the left , but that it will resolve itself if the branch on the left grows and extends down further, so that the two lines are not so equally balanced.
Really nice video, both content and cinematic wise. Like the end result, fresh and elegant. Makes me wonder however. Is there some sort of etiquette between bonsai artists when they work on a tree after eachother. And if so, could you explain this and if there are regional differences to your knowledge?
Oh Bjorn, I love it when you use technical terms like crotch growth and finangle 😁. Seriously though I do like your new style. I like how the foliage is almost trying to reach back up to the light from the bottom. Ps. It's May now in Ireland, have I left it too late to try to air layer a juniper?
Bottom right deadwood of the foliage looks like root-growth reaching back towards the soil. Almost as if the old man is reaching back towards his youth along the trunk line for a rejuvenation. This variation has much more appeal to the viewer IMO.
Nice Work Bjorn. I like the other branch more into the main trunk so there be no space to take eyes away from trunk and green branches. But that why you make the big Bucks.lol Greg of Ohio
May I know, just for the sake of academic discussion as we often encounter this situation, this tree is designed applying the features of Literati, however this one does not fall into such style obviously because of the trunk... can we classify this as slanting style? Or do we have more specific classification for this? Thank you!