Photos: Juan M Cancino

 

While doing research for this paper, I was dismayed to fine, again and again, the Paint-By-Numbers mentality which seems so prevalent in bonsai. I will be the first to agree that there is an excellent reason behind every one of the things which the Japanese do when displaying bonsai. However, just because I agree with the principles, that does not mean that I agree with the implementations of these principles. The purpose of this paper is to explain some of the principles which need to be considered in the display of a work of art. The interplay of these principles will determine the degree of impact which your bonsai display has upon the viewer. Innovation, when implementing these principles, is to be encouraged. Simply reproducing a display which you have seen in a book, magazine or bonsai show is impossible, unless you are reproducing a reproduction. The display should be thought out to the same degree as the styling of the bonsai itself, and is no less important.

One of the first elements to be considered in the design of a bonsai display is the mood of the tree. The bonsai artist must examine his or her own feelings which are evoked by the tree. The tree will make its personality known by the way it grows and changes throughout the seasons. The trees mood must be reflected and enhanced by the manner in which it is displayed.

The background to be used in the display is composed of three elements. Color, contrast and texture. All three of these elements are closely interconnected. If you should get one, or even two of these elements correct and fail to do so with the third, the background and the foreground will compete with each other.

All bonsai, regardless of size, should be displayed on some sort of stand, even if the stand is no more than a reed mat. The stand is as important to the bonsai as a frame is to a painting. The purpose of the stand primarily is to raise the bonsai to a proper viewing height and to give the bonsai a feeling of importance. According to tradition, the stand is made of wood, unless the bonsai is to be displayed on slab of rock. If the bonsai is styled formally, then the stand should be one of a formal design. If the bonsai is informal, then the stand should be informal in design, and so on. The stand should never be smaller or of the same size as the pot. Bamboo or reed mats should be used only with smaller and medium sized, delicate bonsai or accents and never with powerful, primary trees. The apex of the bonsai should be above the center of the stand.

Once the major components have been decided upon, the task of properly accenting the bonsai must be addressed. This can be a complicated task and is of no less importance than any other item composing the display. These accents can be plants, driftwood, carvings, viewing stones or items meant to relate to the bonsai subject. The accent should blend in with, or gently contrast, the mood of the bonsai. The purpose of the accent is subtle and should not be a literal restatement or mirror the mood of the bonsai. Sometimes you might want to utilize a viewing stone so that an impression of the trees distant surrounding are hinted at. Remember the mood of the tree as this will help you to determining the correct type of stone. If you are a beginner or intermediate bonsaiist, do not be afraid to show a tree which is not yet finished. No tree is ever finished, unless it is ready for the fireplace.

If your tree is not finished , then it is always at some stage of training or the other. I do not mean that you should show a tree which was in a nursery container yesterday, but if your tree has been in training six months, a year or two years, then by all means show it! You can pick out flaws in every tree. My opinion is that not enough trees-in-training are available for the public to view at these shows. Lets bring it down to earth and show what these bonsai look like at every stage of development.

Text: Cliff Chappell