| Ericoides False Cypress Penjing |
| front view |
| front view 2009 |
| back view 2009 |
| Kifu water and land style |
In June of 2009 at the Minnesota Bonsai Society general meeting I gave a two-hour
presentation on the art of penjing and saikei. This was followed with a live
demonstration on how to create a water and land penjing. I'm seen working on
newspaper which just happened to be opened to the obituary page. Happily I'm still
busy making these miniature lanscapes.
As part of the live demo I asked the audience to come forward and help me with
suggestions on how to do the work, like how to arrange the seven trees. The crowd
was very creative with their advice and we ended up with a 7-tree forest planting in a
windswept style. A base layer of shohin soil was placed in the pot, followed with a
mound of wet muck provided by the bonsai society. The seedling trees were trained
for a year in a shallow plastic pot in shohin soil before planting them in the muck.
Finally the muck was covered with tree moss and ground moss; small figurines of
people and a hut were placed in the scene, and the water area was filled with blue
aquarium gravel to imitate water. The final scene represents a rocky shoreline along
Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
presentation on the art of penjing and saikei. This was followed with a live
demonstration on how to create a water and land penjing. I'm seen working on
newspaper which just happened to be opened to the obituary page. Happily I'm still
busy making these miniature lanscapes.
As part of the live demo I asked the audience to come forward and help me with
suggestions on how to do the work, like how to arrange the seven trees. The crowd
was very creative with their advice and we ended up with a 7-tree forest planting in a
windswept style. A base layer of shohin soil was placed in the pot, followed with a
mound of wet muck provided by the bonsai society. The seedling trees were trained
for a year in a shallow plastic pot in shohin soil before planting them in the muck.
Finally the muck was covered with tree moss and ground moss; small figurines of
people and a hut were placed in the scene, and the water area was filled with blue
aquarium gravel to imitate water. The final scene represents a rocky shoreline along
Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
The 1st stage of the penjing involves
selecting an appropriate, shallow pot
or tray and gluing rocks to the bottom.
The glue was clear, silicone rubber
cement. The rocks here are basalt
collected along the north shore of
Minnesota on the Willard Munger trail.
selecting an appropriate, shallow pot
or tray and gluing rocks to the bottom.
The glue was clear, silicone rubber
cement. The rocks here are basalt
collected along the north shore of
Minnesota on the Willard Munger trail.
The end result of the live demo,
which took about 1 hour to
complete. Note the windswept
style. Usually the wind blows off
the lake, so the trees are
leaning the wrong way, but
leaning forward is aesthecically
more pleasing. The smaller hut
is placed in the back to lend
depth of scale to the scene. The
trees are too bushy and need
some pruning and styling.
which took about 1 hour to
complete. Note the windswept
style. Usually the wind blows off
the lake, so the trees are
leaning the wrong way, but
leaning forward is aesthecically
more pleasing. The smaller hut
is placed in the back to lend
depth of scale to the scene. The
trees are too bushy and need
some pruning and styling.
I decided to replace the water with
green aquarium gravel instead of
blue. And one of the trees passed
away, so we're down to 6 trees.
After pruning the foliage, and
wiring a couple of trunks, the work
is initially done. Now the trees
need to grow before further styling.
These trees are 'chamaecyparis
thyoides ericoides' aka atlantic
white cedar seedlings about 2-4
years old.
green aquarium gravel instead of
blue. And one of the trees passed
away, so we're down to 6 trees.
After pruning the foliage, and
wiring a couple of trunks, the work
is initially done. Now the trees
need to grow before further styling.
These trees are 'chamaecyparis
thyoides ericoides' aka atlantic
white cedar seedlings about 2-4
years old.
| Click on images to enlarge |
| 2010 |
| 2011 |
This water and land penjing was
gifted to the Minnesota Bonsai
Society for the annual spring
auction.
The ericoides false cypress trees
are now about 5 years old.
gifted to the Minnesota Bonsai
Society for the annual spring
auction.
The ericoides false cypress trees
are now about 5 years old.