The world we live in is full of fads, phases and fleeting moments. To put forth the dedication for results that may come after decades of work has been lost in this time of fast food and key strokes. Impatience has been equated to drive and ambition in a world of get it done to get ahead. But speed doesn't always give us the quality of life or the substance we require to cultivate lasting relationships with the people and places around us.
I don't want to admit it but my fascination of bonsai could be traced back to the first time I watched the 'Karate Kid'. Mr Miyagi's whole mantra of hard work and persistence as training for life and the ring, rang true to me then and even more so now.
It is said that an unmaintained tree will ultimately out grow it's ability to support itself. Even trees in our own yards can out grow their potential and become hazards to themselves and others. Canopy maintenance and branch selection can be just as important in a large scale tree as it is in the miniaturization of trees. Bonsai allows these miniaturized trees to have the ability to live on indefinitely, giving these trees the opportunity to out live their full sized counterparts. That is if someone is willing to tend to these living artworks over the course of centuries.
I currently limit myself to three bonsai trees. One indoor plant that resides in my kitchen, it is an Hedera helix; English Ivy. This is actually a vine that grows outside in more mild climates but can be used as a house plant as well. I've trained this vine into a dwarf tree with a fairly informal structure, been working with this tree for over 33 months now.
The other two are both Holmstrup Arborvitaes, both evergreens I've been maintaining over the last two years. One of which is in a heads up competition against my brother's bonsai. We started them from the same shrub and challenged each other to a ten year bet. Whoever has the best looking bonsai of the two after ten years wins. (10 bucks... a dollar a year) It may be as simple as who ever can keep theirs alive for ten years. The first few years are just structural laying the ground work, building girth and taper on our trees of small stature. We'll see how they evolve over the coming decade...
An article I was reading about bonsai talked about a curator of a bonsai society who claims to have a bonsai collection with over 70 specimens. Of those 70 trees, he would be willing to show ten of them, leaving the other sixty works in progress. Are there museums for unfinished Rembrandts? I don't know.
Bonsai is the greatest example of Art mimicking Life. The artist can recreate the forms seen in nature and reproduce them in a much smaller scale, utilizing life itself as it's canvas. Making a beautiful circle of life and art.
