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Sponsored by:
178 Forrest St. Ardeer, VIC 3022
Melway ref. 26 A12
Tel: (03) 8390 0942 Mob: 0425 795 352
Open: 9am – 5pm, 7 days
After hours please contact by phone
Established:1973 A-19332L
Sponsored by:
President: David Nassar
Phone: Barry 0422 619 641
Find us on Facebook.
Twitter: #BonsaiNorthwest
Next meeting at 7.30pm, Monday 2 May 2016.
OLOGY
Supplying specialist potting mix components for Bonsai growers.
Currently in stock. Mount Sylvia Diatomite, Zeolite, 5-7mm Pine nuggets, Pumice and Sphagnum moss.
Our aim is to save you time and money.
Ology.net.au Damian 0412 698 259
CLUB DETAILS
www.bonsainorthwest.com.au
PO Box 1091, Niddrie Victoria 3042
Meetings are held at The Aberfeldie
Community Club, Batman St Essendon,
7:30pm on the first Monday of the month
(no meeting in January)
Electronic Newsletter To receive your newsletter electronically email
‘Like us’ on Facebook If you have a Facebook account, go to our new Facebook site and
‘Like Us’. http://www.facebook.com/bonsainorthwest
Ology.net.au - Damian 0412 698 259
Club news and information
This month we’ll be having a multiple demonstration by our more experienced members. BNW members will be demonstrating on stage on similar stock, but with four different approaches. The intention is to highlight that everyone in bonsai has a different style, different vision and a different approach to working with bonsai. There is no right or wrong approach when it comes to bonsai. Hope to see you all there. The Library will be open from 7.00pm and will close at 8.00pm. The Sales table will be open.
Averil Stanley workshops – will be running 2-3 July 2016, both morning and afternoon session. There has been a huge response with most places filled. Please see Barry to book in for a remaining spot.
Beginners’ classes – Our May class is already full. Payment is required at the April meeting. Please see Barry. We have opened up bookings for a spring class as well. If interested please see Barry for more
information.
Bonsai Northwest Inc.
Sponsored by:
178 Forrest St. Ardeer, VIC 3022
Melway ref. 26 A12
Tel: (03) 8390 0942 Mob: 0425 795 352
Open: 9am – 5pm, 7 days
After hours please contact by phone
Library News Bonsai Today Masters’ Series – Junipers Growing & Styling Juniper Bonsai
Compiled and edited by Wayne Schoech and the Staff of Bonsai Today magazine. Stone Lantern Publishing, softcover, 184 pages.
Another how-to & care book from the Bonsai Today Masters’ Series, this volume brings together the wisdom and experience of many bonsai masters. It is the definitive book on junipers. Varieties featured include Shimpaku, Needle juniper, Procumbens juniper, California juniper and more. The techniques featured are applicable across the range of junipers. There is also a wonderful gallery of juniper bonsai. (Unfortunately, most of the junipers in the book are collected, rather than nursery, stock).
After reading this book, you will approach your juniper bonsai with a new understanding and increased confidence.
Newsletter May 2016
We have received some feedback on the recent newsletter articles about the use of the Golden Ratio in bonsai design. From Lee Wilson, NSW: Thanks to Ian for putting this article forward, to all the members. It is very important, and interesting, info for all levels of bonsai growers. I personally use these equations as much as possible. I hope all the people reading it, understand it, and will use it. Congrats to Ian, for finally someone has given it
to the masses. Thank Ian for me.
Last Meeting – Workshop night We definitely love our workshop nights and it’s great to see so many members bringing along their trees for
help with styling and general advice.
From Arthur Robinson, WA: How nice it is to read your article on the Golden Section Ian. I have talked about this quite often myself and most of it falls on deaf years. Your article is thorough and clear. In violin design and making it does appear but the Italians being who they are apply it a little loosely and to great effect. The basics of the GS appear on the side of the Cathedral in Cremona, the great violin making centre. I carved one scroll on the Section and it appeared a bit tight, but the normal scroll is very close to the Greek Ionian Column Capital Motif. This by the way was designed by the Hittites a few thousand years earlier and not by the Greeks – they just hi-jacked it! Altogether a fascinating and well put together article. Congratulations! If you would like to comment on an article or an issue raised, or submit an article of your own, please email
[email protected] or write to PO Box 1091, Niddrie, 3042.
Newsletter Feedback
Judging Bonsai by Ian Barnes
Let me say at the outset that here at Bonsai Northwest we do not go in for the judging of bonsai. Over the years, our
experience has been that judging brings out all the worst aspects of competition. Judging is always controversial and highly subjective. Points awarded are often quite different between bonsai artists according to their personal
concepts of the art. Poor evaluations can damage the pride of a bonsai owner if not done fairly and constructively.
(Besides, Quentin would win every competition!)
Bonsai is an art form. Art can only be exhibited, not contested. Awards should only be given as “appreciation”.
However, when viewing bonsai on display, a personal “formal” judging system may well make you look harder at each
tree, evaluate its quality and enjoy its beauty all the more.
There are two main characteristics essential to a bonsai; it must be “healthy” (ie, in good condition, free from any signs of disease and well established in its pot) and it must be “beautiful” (ie, it should have form and balance and be
pleasing to the eye).
In 1994, Yuji Yoshimura and Bill Valavanis created a scoring sheet for the evaluation of bonsai based on these two
characteristics, divided into horticultural aspects and aesthetic aspects:
Whatever criteria you use, the biggest challenge is to determine the relative importance of these criteria and to
combine them into a simple and practical system that is sensitive enough to cover all the important aspects of what
makes one bonsai better than the next. Such a system would also be a great educational tool, giving us valuable information about the various artistic and technical aspects of bonsai. It would help us to distinguish between aspects
that matter most, and those of lesser importance.
I use a judging system that separates the qualitative attributes of bonsai into two major groups: Subject and
Technique. When creating a bonsai, we will have some kind of image in our minds, and then we will use our technical knowledge to create that image. The Subject incorporates all the artistic aspects, as well as the character of
the material, and ultimately, the overall image. The Technique, on the other hand, includes the technical details, such as trunk taper, nebari, branch placement, branch refinement, pot selection, etc.
I give the Subject category twice as much weight as the Technique category, as I think it is more important. The Subject category can be further refined into two sub-categories: Character and Design. Character has to do with
the quality of the stock we are starting with. Consider an old collected yamadori - it will have a trunk that suggests great age; mature bark; and unique features, such as jagged curves, bumps, cavities, and deadwood. Compare this
with a young sapling from a nursery. The quality of the material is of major importance, thus it deserves its own category. Design is another defining factor. Design needs to bring the best out of the stock. It needs to fit the
material and not go against it. A good design is imaginative, consistent in every detail, and evocative.
Should we give equal weight to both character and design? I don't know. Sometimes material of great character
makes the design almost automatic, in which case character would be the driving force and design would be of secondary importance. Other times, the material has great character but poses some major difficulties to the bonsai
artist. (What we call “challenging” material!) This is where the talent of the artist can make all the difference - he
sees something that nobody else does, and innovative design becomes most important. So, I give both the character and design equal weight.
On the technical side, we could choose many sub-categories, such as trunk taper, nebari, branch development, etc.
I place the following relative importance on individual elements of the tree in a bonsai design:
Trunk base/surface roots 30%
Trunk 25% Branch placement 20%
Branch ramification 13% Silhouette 12%
The numbers indicate the order in which you view a tree.
The base of the tree is one of the first elements noticed when you view a bonsai. It is also probably the most important. Look at the position of the tree in the pot, the planting level of the tree, the surface root structure, the
rise of the trunk from the soil. Bonsai are generally styled to convey a sense of great age. The tree should have well-
developed nebari and exaggerated trunk girth.
Your eye should then ascend the line of the trunk. Shape and movement of the trunk defines the form, or style, of the bonsai. Look for rough and consistent bark, indicating age.
The branch order then carries the eye into and around the composition. There should be an open foliage structure
and a visible branch structure. There should be a logical flow. The design should invite you into the composition and
lead your eye through it. Poor branch order causes disinterest. There should be a sense of age, such as branches angled downwards on a conifer.
Look for signs of damage, such as jins and shari, suggesting a life story. Telling a story is an important part of bonsai
art.
Look at the overall silhouette of the tree. There should be a clearly defined outline. Two defining features of a tree
in nature are “many” leaves and a clearly defined outline. The leaves on a bonsai don’t have to be to scale, they just have to be small enough to define an outline and numerous enough to suggest “many”.
Ask yourself, does the bonsai have a consistent message? What do the various elements communicate? Do they all
communicate the same message? Are they consistent? Design integrity is achieved when all of the compositional
elements of a bonsai work toward communicating a consistent message. No feature should work against the image being portrayed or the message being communicated.
The art of bonsai also involves the bringing together of tree and pot in visual harmony. (You know, “tree in a pot”).
A well-chosen pot will enhance a bonsai and strengthen a design; a poorly chosen or unsuitable pot can actually
lessen the impact of the tree. So, when you look at a bonsai display, look at the pot the bonsai is displayed in. Ask yourself: “Is the pot appropriate?” “Is it the right size and shape, the right colour and texture?” “Is there harmony
between the tree and the pot?” “Is the composition balanced?” Also, “does the pot help to indicate environment?”
Bonsai are usually displayed on a stand. The role of the stand is to be an extension of the pot and elevate the tree
into a more formal and dignified position. It adds dignity and prominence. The stand enhances the appearance of the bonsai; sets it up as a thing to be admired and appreciated. However, the stand should not dominate the display.
The bonsai is the main feature and the stand should harmonise with it. A stand that is too elaborate will detract from the tree. The stand should be chosen to complement the pot and tree together rather than just the tree. So, when
you look at a bonsai on display, ask yourself: “Is the stand appropriate?” If the bonsai is styled formally, the stand
should be of formal design. The gender or aesthetic feel of the tree should be reflected in the stand as well as in the pot. The blade (top of the stand) should be large enough to adequately hold the entire pot in its centre board. The
height of the stand should be proportionate with the tree and pot together. The legs should look strong enough to support the tree. The stand should not be the same colour as the pot, but should harmonise. The pot should be
placed in the centre of the stand.
Are there any accessories? An accent item can be almost anything that evokes a thought of either a location or a
season. It may be a small plant in a pot, a viewing stone, a bronze figurine, a carving or some other ornament. Scale is not vital, as long as the accent does not overpower the scene. The accent item will have “movement”, as
does a bonsai. It should counter-balance the movement of the tree.
Looking at the above sub-categories in the Technique section, I weight the tree elements as mentioned earlier.
Should we give different weights to the pot, stand and accent? I don't really see any reason why. They look equally important to me.
Here, then, is my judging system:
Subject
(x2) Technique (x1)
Character Design Trunk Base Trunk Branches Silhouette Pot Stand Accessories
quality of stock
imaginative girth taper placement outline in harmony with tree (M/F)
gender accent
suggestion of age
consistent nebari shape ramification leaf size optical weight formality
unique features
fits material
movement thickness, taper size and shape style
bark proportion with trunk
colour and texture legs
placement on stand
colour
Conclusion I feel that this judging system is simple, but sensitive enough to tell you a lot about the strong and the weak points of
a bonsai. It gives consideration to both the technical details and the overall artistic impression, but it gives more weight to the latter. By doing so, it tells us that the technical details are there to serve the overall artistic vision.
I have deliberately avoided putting point scores in each sub-category. I use this system purely to analyse and evaluate a bonsai; to enjoy the work of art!
However, if you are into numbers, perhaps you could score each sub-category on a scale of 1 to 10, giving 5 to what
you consider average quality and going up or down the scale, depending on whether the element under review is
considered above or below average. As an alternative approach, you could start with 10 and then make deductions for any obvious fault that could be improved upon. Remember, to get the Total, the Subject is multiplied by 2, while
the Technique has the multiple of 1.
I hope that this approach will be useful when next you view bonsai on display, whether at an exhibition or even at our club meeting display table.
