gbhunter77
Senior Member
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:54 am
Location: Michigan

I think I get it

I'm not cut out for this. I tossed the plant hope he does not ask how its doing :lol:
But all in all I think I'm going to call it quits. I do not have "it" whatever that magic insight is I do not posses it. That's one reason why I never post pictures of my...err "bonsai" if they can even be called that ,more like kindling. I actually liked it better in the first image but by the end I hated it...contrary to what people here may think of me I do not consider my self stupid(English is not my native language). I freely admit that my dislike of the plant was entirely based on others input and not my own vision. I brought the inital image to an Asian bonsai store owner and asked him what he thought. His answer fell inline with everything you guys stated. He added that he has seen the trees like the original image but you don't want to imitate those. He said "in real tree like this there will be much death, branches can be long like you have. But wind will keep the ends straight not wire. Do you like it?" That is the second time I have been asked this by two different people....I should have lied but said no. When asked why I also should have lied but instead opted for the truth which was followed by me getting my ass chewed out in broken English. Foolishly a few months back I gave the man my photo site address. He was fond of the tiger. So he asked(knowing the story
since I told him before at a club meeting) "how long photo take to get?" my answer was 7 hours. "And the weather?" 8 inches of snow just fell and it was 5 degrees without windchill :roll: . "So you freeze ass to get picture, and I tell you its ugly you say?" I say why. "Yes but do you now think it ugly too" I sai I don't know. "Then the problem is not with tiger, bonsai,painting or anything else its with you. I give advice to make tree conform to eye pleasing rules I don't make tree uglier that happened in your head, yes there are trees like this one but there are also ugly photo animals. If this gives you stress or sadness then leave now. Ask for help but don't hate tree because others say so, you should feel the same and know more for future trees....oh and get me a 7x12 of the tiger"


Sorry about the rant but he was right I liked that guys tree, but after all was said and done I still destroyed it out of hate.


Ill have to think about it perhaps I want too much too soon.
Thanks far everything
Bye

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

If your problem is wanting "too much too soon" and "lack of vision", there's an easy solution to that. DON'T overwhelm yourself with multiple trees. Starts run $5-10 for 2-4" pots. Cheap 5 year trees run $20-40. Assume you wanted to dump money into 2-3 potted trees and a dozen starts. You're going to spend $100 minimum; probably closer to $200. Go to a GOOD bonsai dealer. Tell him how much you want to spend on a single tree, how you want to keep it (indoor/outdoor, conditions) and what style you prefer. Get that tree, work that tree, and take classes for help maintaining the style.

gbhunter77
Senior Member
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:54 am
Location: Michigan

I feel like I'm the butt end of some twisted joke. This weekend I went to a workshop might have been last weekend its not relavent anyway...I think the teacher was Rick Wagner....but I am terrible with names so I may have just read an article and the name is in my head. Anyway we worked on Jade...huge I have never seen Jade that big (2.5 feet) . I know to you guys has on the small side but the treesI have are much smaller. So he is going around making suggestions and asked me what I should do I say my opinion he agrees....OK then Peter on he tells me to cut a particular branch off. I protest stating my reasons he paused and said "that's some amazing forth sight there"..what gives..."amazing foresight" you have to be kidding me! Sooo Iconfronted him with what I thought was a bad remark on his behalf. His answer was simple "you picked the front I would,made the cuts I would, were not afraid to confront me with an alternate idea, I needed to spend very little time with you, not afraid to make huge cuts and it looked like you smiled...I must admit you look like an angry Russian gangster. Only thing I things I would work on is. a. Your wiring its rough around the edges. b. be patient c.when you show others pictures of your plant like this windswept try not to hate it so much...When you showed to me all I felt from you was absolute hatred...kind of scary when you can project that with your near presence. As soon as that picture Poped on
the screen its like I was surrounded by rage...I'm sorry but I have never felt that from a person"....that last coment floored me...I was told later that none of the women on even some of the men found me "dark"..until later in the session when one old lady asked me ever so softly if I think she should cut something on her tree, I gave my opinion and at the end of the class she confesses I was a "nice young man" but initialy she thought I was "bad". Any way I got derailed from my main story. The instructor told me the same stuff you guys said about the wind swept but.. stated I should keep working on it(sort ignored that advice I guess).

I think you are correct. I will limit myself to a few trees I really like and work those. I do have a small truly windswpt plant that was made by nature not me. Once I get it in the pot I want I may get brave enough to post here.


Thanks very much kdodds...I think you should bill me by the hour :lol:

Gbhphoto.com is my site but it 10 years old, I will update it ...at some point :?

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

LOL, good instructor. Sometimes we need a kick in the pants, you know? Here's the thing... You're very new to bonsai. Sometimes seeing the finished product in a starter tree is difficult or impossible. Sometimes you just have to let the tree guide you. And sometimes you don't see anything at all. It's when you don't see anything at all that you should just not work the tree. Move on to the next. You WILL make junk. I guarantee it. Even the best of us still make junk. Sometimes the tree doesn't agree with where we want to go and other times our visions don't pan out. Someone else might like it, though. Put it up on e-bay for a song. Guaranteed someone will like it enough to buy it at a bargain price.



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