Bonsai tree: Juniper for Kokufu show

This was the second tree I wired for the Kokufu show, shortly before the end of my stay in mid-January 2011. The challenge with working on juniper is to not overwork them so that they look controlled and rigid, but to retain that soft billowing feeling in the foliage masses. And yet… get the foliage masses where you want them. Tricky.

Before wiring. Apologies for the backgrounds in these photos... sometimes you don't have time to move things around for a better shot.

After wiring. The changes were slight; tightening up some areas, lowering the bulging foliage mass on the right, removing dangling foliage. As ever, the trick is knowing what to adjust and move, and what is fine where it is.

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