Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Beast, again

Posted on October 27, 2015 by

There it is. It’s been sitting there, waiting, for well nigh on two years.   It’s a collector of spines. It sits on its perch and licks the gristle and flesh left on the vertebrae it’s been hoarding and wears on … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, progression, rare finds, refine, updates, wiring, yamadori | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How about a native Florida ficus to challenge you? 

Posted on October 24, 2015 by

Stumbling, sweating, staggering  through the saw palmetto brush, trying to reach that oak hammock, shade, the shade just might save me, I trip in a patch of sugar sand, landing face first. Sweat and dust in my mouth, up my … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophical rant, refine, sculpture, updates, wiring, yamadori | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Just a’buildin’ some trees 

Posted on October 22, 2015 by

That’s a lot of bush.     Just by looking at it I’m getting tired.  I need a rest already. I’m getting too old to be able to handle a bush like that, really.    But, as the song says, … Continue reading →

Posted in branch placement, Horticulture and growing, maintenance, refine, wiring | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Up a creek without a paddle. I do have a raft though….

Posted on October 20, 2015 by

The raft style. Not so sure about it….it seems, I don’t know, almost like cheating or faking. Or, it’s what one does with inadequate material. Kinda like when you make a tree with branching only on one side into a … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophical rant, rare finds, refine, wiring | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is it really necessary to do that? 

Posted on October 14, 2015 by

Yes, it is.  Let me show you.     It’s a podocarpus.  It’s tall.  It’s full.  It’s boring. It was styled in a time when bonsai trees were taller. The vaunted 6:1 ratio that the bonsai elite quote as canon … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, redesign, wiring | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What kind of bonsai trouble can I get into with a scrap piece of wood…..?

Posted on October 7, 2015 by

More than ten years ago, my first bonsai teacher gave me some unfinished mahogany boards that had been used as shipping boxes from Central America. He said to me,  “Here ya’ go kid, I’m sure you’ll find a use for … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, carving | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

One years growth on an Orange Jasmine 

Posted on October 5, 2015 by

Whoops! They almost got me that time.     It seems that the wasps have been invading the nursery of late. I’ve been stung, Johnathan and my son Logan too. And they’re not those big, slow, calm ones (that my idiot … Continue reading →

Posted in branch placement, progression, updates, wiring | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments