Photo by Paul Berish

Bonsai, like any art form requires inspiration. We see trees everyday, most we do not stop to look at but some we do, these provide inspiration for our creative outlets and allow us to push our art further. Without these sources of inspiration a tree will be dull and uninteresting to the viewer.

A stunning tree is not just a visual; someone has put their heart and soul into this tree. Inspiration plays a great part in this process. Trees in nature are great sources of inspiration because they are what we try to emulate, or exaggerate, depending on the artist and mood of the stock. For example, the tree below could not have been created without the soul of the artist, but also without the artist taking inspiration from nature.

Photo by Matt Chroust ©bonsaiTALK

Do you pass a tree on your way to work which inspires you? This tree could be a long slender bunjin style pine, styled harshly by the elements but still maintaining a beauty that is difficult to match in bonsai.

Perhaps this tree is a stunning, masculine formal upright styled Giant Redwood, tall and powerful, again difficult to emulate in Bonsai.
Is this not what we, as artists, strive to do? Do we not strive to emulate, not copy, those trees that we find inspirational from nature?

There are many set styles that we as artists attempt to recreate when creating a Bonsai. These styles are important for without structure and guidance, at least to begin with, one cannot push one’s boundaries to their limits, thereby creating stale art with little interest. However the function of this natural inspiration is to enable us, as artists, to push our boundaries and allow us to create Bonsai that are realistic, and that do not just stick to the guidelines set out before us, again, this would be a mistake.

Giant Redwood Forest © Philip Colla, Oceanlight.com

The creator of trees is nature, in our work we have to consider nature, without respect for nature we cannot succeed in our endeavours. Unlike a painting where an artist can create an abstract version of an image, we cannot do this. Nature does not set out rules but does show guidelines, and it is important that if we wish to be successful in design of Bonsai, we must follow these guidelines, but push the boundaries that nature appears to give, and create Bonsai that do not look wholly natural, but are in a naturalistic style.

Natural inspiration plays a very big part in our work as Bonsai Artists, and it is important that we respect this and do not try to insult or damage nature in a way which prevents our bonsai going to the next level.