Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Bonsai Pot and Tree Unite

Hmmm.........I wonder.

I always wonder when a bonsai pot is packed up and sent away, where it will end up and what tree will sit in it.......

Sometimes I will politely ask if they can email me a pic when the pot is planted up.  But due to repotting times etc, I think that most people just forget, or more than likely just don't have my email address any more.

So its always nice when I do receive a pic or two.

I'd made a couple of pots for a local chap who had some older pines that needed a new home.  The one below was 30cm dia x 9cm high.
 It was a little darker than I had originally thought it would turn out, but it worked in the trees favour.
Here is a pic of it planted up with one of his beautiful old pines.

The second pot was of a similar style, size a bit different though.
This was the Scots Pine that went into this one.
And with a little basic wiring a bit later.
I like how the pot has picked up the colouring and the roughness in the pine bark and they compliment each other.

Too often I see tree/pot combinations where its the pot that jumps up first and gets your attention. Whether it be the bright unnatural colour, or the weird "clonky" feet, if its the pot your eye keeps getting drawn to first, then perhaps the match is not so good. 

The pot/tree is an even partnership. One shouldn't overpower the other, well if the tree does I think that's acceptable, but if the pot does, then that's not so good.

However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder......so if you're happy with it , that's all that matters!

One of my pet dislikes is the shape/form of some of the feet on bonsai pots.  While a foot that is quite high can make a pot look "lighter", it can also draw your eye to it, sometimes in a bad way.  I much prefer to have very subdued quiet feet, you know they are there....they are doing their job of making space for air to circulate and water to drain away, but they aren't so obvious, they don't jump up and poke you in the eye at first glance.

Some of you will agree, some wont.

Keep those pics rolling in, they help my bonsai pot making greatly.....I'm still learning just like everyone else.....hopefully until I'm much older and much more wrinkly!