The past and present lives of dancing mountains and forests

I love bonsai, in order to send feelings in the trees and stones, looking for the innocence of nature, feeling the colorful life. With the growth of trees, experience the tenacity of life and the beauty of the seasons. "Dancing Mountain Forest" is one of my favorite works. It has been with me for ten years, and people know each other well. Looking back on his two creative processes, I feel a lot. I am writing this picture as a souvenir, and I am especially grateful to Mr. Wu Laishun, who gave me the best talent. It is his sincerity and trust that made this work possible.

Ingenious use of form to give meaning

Ten years ago, this triangle maple was already a work, called "Mountain Pastoral"(Photo 1). Wu Laishun, a good friend, has been trained for many years and won the gold medal in the 3rd Anhui Province Bonsai Exhibition. It is a tree-stone work, triangular maple is a tree, the lower part of the trunk is empty, the author skillfully uses stones to make up, at the same time, the group of stones to create scenery, showing the effect of "root holding spirit stone", shaping the wild mountain scenery, it can be said to be ingenious.

Fig. 1 Mountain forest pastoral song triangle maple, limestone basin length 150 cm Wu Laishun Zuo Photographed in the third Anhui Province Bonsai Exhibition in 2005

This pile was extremely rare and could be said to be a natural talent. A book born, high and low scattered, primary and secondary clear. More than 10 auxiliary trunks crisscross, tend to have potential, interweave changeable, each have posture, qi pulse is connected, trend converges, coordinate echo, dynamic strong. From left to right, down the trend, like charging soldiers, forward one after another, forward; like rivers pouring, surging surging, surging... bring unlimited reverie.

So I decided to use the "potential" to play, with the tree as the main body to change. Work hard on the word "Lin" and make an issue of the word "movement" to deepen its physical charm. First, I changed the 120 cm long deep basin for further cultivation (Figure 2), striving to give consideration to landscape and pile cultivation, and removed most of the stones, leaving only the main stone and a few small stones, the purpose is to use the "Jian" character formula in the painting, to make full use of advantages and avoid disadvantages, and to expose all the connected branches of trees with strong flow potential, which has shown its beauty.

Fig. 2 tree phase during computer restoration and replanting. Clutter branches will be trimmed, short red lines for the cutting of branches. The purpose is to break the flat and monotonous block surface and contour line from the macro point of view, and keep the fluctuation of the air vein of the tree body smooth

paragraph division separate path culture

There are more than 10 original piles, which are connected in a row from top to bottom, staggered and mixed, and unclear. The first step is to comb the skeleton. According to the relationship between primary and secondary, master-slave, from top to tail, from top to bottom, retreat for advance. First of all, break the flat and monotonous block surface and contour line from the macro view, sort out the clue in the chaos, find out the object branch crown that echoes with the main body, and keep the smooth air vein of the tree body as the premise when cutting. Big branches that affect the overall macro pattern, no matter how good the line changes, will not be tolerated and resolutely cut off. After this treatment, the crown becomes uneven and dense. Next, place your feet on the roots and branches, comb them microscopically, remove the redundant interlaced branches, and achieve smooth unification (Figure 2 - 3).

Fig. 3. After pruning, the branches become orderly and powerful. The three roots floating on the stone at the bottom left are very thin, but very important and precious. They are to carry on the tree qi and obtain stable guarantee. Their existence is related to the quality of the work. Next, we should focus on cultivation. The floating root on the right side is long and stiff, temporarily reserved as a sacrificial root, in order to support the cultivation of top branches. After the tree body is perfected, the original trunk top is thin and needs to be reshaped. In order to ensure the supply of nutrients, the floating roots on the right side are temporarily retained and removed after the tree body is perfected (in the cultivation period of bonsai, the cultivation of roots and stems and the sealing of "horse eyes" are often achieved by the growth of "sacrificial branches" and "sacrificial roots").

Acer triangularis has strong tree potential and fast growth. In different creative stages, different modeling techniques and maintenance methods are adopted. Generally speaking, the early stage is mainly tied up, and the later stage is mainly cut and controlled.

In the first 3 years, the main purpose is to rejuvenate the tree body and cultivate the transitional branches. Maintenance on the water fertilizer, so that branches quickly thickened. For erect branches, use metal wire to fix them when they are semi-lignified, so as to achieve the purpose of modeling.

After the skeleton is positioned, the contradiction is transformed and no longer aims at the proliferation of individual branches. At this time, the enrichment of the whole branch should be considered, with balance control as the main method, and more bud thinning, core picking, leaf picking and pruning methods should be adopted.

Bonsai creation can not be eager to achieve success, contrary to the laws of nature, can only comply with the principles of nature, skillfully borrow the meaning of heaven, according to the situation, step by step. After six years of cultivation, the work gradually emerged in 2011 (Figure 4). The focus of shaping in 2012 is on the cultivation of tail branches. After three times of topping, leaf picking and pruning, the tree matures day by day (Figure 5~7). In winter, it is full of makeup and luster (Figure 8). After defoliation, it is firm and flexible (Figure 9).

Fig. 4. Crown structure is complete, ready for branchlets filling. Taken March 30, 2011

Fig. 5. The lower floating root (sacrificial root) is removed, and the root veins appear more coherent. Except for the weak tip, the other branches are more substantial. Taken March 21, 2012

Fig. 6. The new leaves are in full bloom. Taken March 28, 2012

Fig. 7 Autumn leaves, small and neat, ready for future make-up, after full leaf picking and pruning in late August. Taken October 25, 2012

Fig. 8 frost stained maple trees drunk. In the winter light, the mountain forest is colorful and intoxicating. Taken November 30, 2012

Fig. 9 tree phase after winter pruning. Branches and veins clear and smooth, the overall tree potential due to branches and movement, movement and rhyme, movement and "sound","sound" in the trees, such as surging waves, but also such as galloping horses, vigorous and spectacular. In November 2014, his work won the Silver Award of "The First China Cup Bonsai Competition". However, the dignified basin caused the terrain not to be obvious, which affected the wild interest of the mountain forest

The environment is created by the heart easy basin brightening

In November 2014, Dancing Mountain Forest participated in the "First China Cup Bonsai Competition" and won the Silver Award (Figure 10). Although the award, but the basin has always let me feel regret, its heavy feeling restricted the performance of the painting. After the exhibition, I will contact Mr. Zhu Shuiming to order new pots. The new basin is tailored according to the change of pile materials and the needs of habitat: first, the basin should be shallow,"there is a basin but not a prominent basin", in order to contrast the topographical changes of the mountain forest; second, the external lines of the shape should fluctuate and flow, not regular; third, the color should be simple and elegant, simple and generous, not gorgeous.

Fig. 10 The shallow landscape is large, and the wild interest is prominent. A photo of the tree when it won the gold medal at the "2015 International Bonsai Congress and Asia-Pacific Bonsai Stone Appreciation Conference". Taken on September 18, 2015

After 5 months, replace the new pot, the work looks completely new. Because the volume and area of the new basin is much smaller than that of the original basin, the tall atmosphere of the mountain forest appears immediately.

The jargon says "a scene two pots three several frames." Scene, basin complete, still need a few appropriate frames to foil. A traditional table is too delicate, and it will be self-defeating to match this rough work. I specially ask Li Huanchu and Liao Shixiang, root artists in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, to help me find dry piles with different shapes and cut them into frames. Relying on its natural appearance and true colors, so that "King, basin, frame" trinity, harmonious multi-fun.

In September of the same year, at the 2015 International Bonsai Conference and Asia-Pacific Bonsai Stone Appreciation Conference held in Guangzhou, Dancing Mountain Forest won the gold medal (Figure 11). In addition to the mature tree modeling, the changed basin frame also played a great role in the contrast of artistic conception.

Fig. 11. Red leaves bloom a few days later. This is the tree before it is withdrawn. Taken on September 24, 2015

Triangle maple can be called the aristocrat of miscellaneous trees, different seasons show the charm of each season, before the leaves are red and beautiful, delicate and moving. Appreciating the colorful tree posture, feeling the dancing soul, ten years of hard work, disappearing, leaving only the spiritual perception and emotional sublimation in the heart, this is the greatest harvest of the bonsai creator.

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