Only here though. I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been working on a few things. I’ll be happy to show them to you soon enough, or you can chat and scroll down. Do you, buddybear.

“What have you been working on?” you ask? In short some mixed media pieces,. They’re posted on my instagram as of earlier today, and will appear below. I swear. They’re a new format for me – squares. To be specific, 16″ squares. and some 12″ squares in the works. I’ve stuck with the bonsai motif because I really like them. I’ve always had a fascination with them at least as far back as I can remember, possibly longer. Ask me what I had for breakfast. I dare you. But, I digress. They’re really interesting to me for a number of reasons. The history is the least interesting part. The fast that they could and most likely did start growing above the tree-line in the mountains and then got removed and potted in something pretty intriguing. What I like the most about them I that there are some that are hundreds of years old, have changed hands countless times, and are still alive and beautiful. Even the younger trees that are just a few years old, babies by any standard, really get my brain working on what they could become. The whole waiting until the moment is right to style the branches and trunk would probably kill me. I want to try anyway.

I’ve heard that mums are a good way to ease yourself into bonsai because they can be styled like a tree but grow faster and are way cheaper. I really need to do more reading on the subject. If anyone reading this knows of the best book for beginners, please let me know. I’ve completely gotten lost in the pictures and some of the ideas found online without really getting a firm grasp of the technical how-to aspect of them. I’ve watched hours and hours of styling videos on instagram and YouTube and TikTok etc. But have not managed to watch really any the explain why what’s being done is being done. I’m completely in the dark as for reasons.

The patience it takes to grow a tree and style it to be something like what bonsai are is unimaginable to me. Personally, I don’t know if i could ever be that patient. But I want to try.

The images I’ve created recently are different and the same. The first is wild and chaotic, the second is subdued and more like what a bonsai is. here are the much rumored images I’ve promised, each with a little description below. Please enjoy:

This is the psychedelic bonsai. The materials are simple, the effect is less so. The tree and pot are drawn in pen and ink, colored with watercolors. The red and blue circle background is screen-printed on paper. It is then cut and pasted onto some granulated watercolors on watercolor paper and salted to create the extreme granulation of the colors and the galaxy-like effect. The bottom left portion is unsalted watercolors on watercolor paper. Everything is held together with some Artist-tac. The screen-printed area has also been given some watercolor treatment for dramatic effect.

Above is the subdued concept. Note that there are two screen-prints here: One a vibrant orange ray pattern, and another orange-gray-green concentric circle pattern. Again, cut and pasted with Artist-tac. However here the “shadow” is created using spray-paint (both black and blue). As before, the tree is drawn in pen and ink as well as colored with watercolor.

I feel that this is going to be method I can live with for some time. Both methods above as well as adding some secret ingredients I have in the works. I don’t want to say too much about it here because if it fails then I wont feel so bad about letting everyone down with a half-baked idea. But I assure you, if it works it’ll be fantastic.

Here’s a work in progress for some good measure:

This drawing here is far from finished. In the end it will also be a square, probably 12″. Currently it is a 9″x12″ rectangle. Only pen and ink, but more than just the black ink I’ve been using. This drawing includes some light pearlescent green and a darker plain green as well as the black. I’ll keep myself working on this one and will post again when I have more to report.

Until then!