On my many hiking adventures of the beautiful mountains and canyons of the Okanagan Valley I always return with a root or branch.”This`ll make a great staff!”. Other times I find bonsai starters or just take photos of the images that abound everywhere.
Like a prospector I look for bonsai prospects & dead standing Western Juniper trees up to 40` tall and weighing in at 200 lbs +. This involves a 2 hour hike up & down steep slopes , over rocky bluffs & thru gullies. Collecting sometimes 2 or 3 rootballs or just one big one. These locations (see Fir Bonsai photo below) are rocky outcroppings on the exposed slopes of the mountains of the Okanagan Valley and are getting more precarious every year or else I`m getting older. These magnificent creations are hundreds of years old, their growth stunted & contorted by the extremes of their locale, climate, soil( if any ), hot sun (40C), freezing temperatures(-30C) & limited rainfall
I try to envision what fits into the natural shape of the material using as much wood as possible. Often, if there is more than one and I try to create a totem using both hand and power tools I remove everything that doesn`t fit. Then after many hours (some carvings involve 100s of hours) removing what does`nt belong By utilizing as many elements of composition as I can I add details, smooth lines and define images where they show themselves. I constantly refine the subject with smaller and smaller tools, finer & finer sandpaper for many “enjoyable?” hours. Then comes the final and usually the most rewarding part - finishing , especially on juniper, such as tung oil , Danish or Linseed ,etc. Oils bring out some amazing colors upon application , soon fading to a rich & earthy color. Most carvings require few but regular re-oiling or waxing. The end result, if successful is a work of art worthy of a place in any home.
I also use found pieces of Mastadon Ivory, (from a northern BC gold miner friend) stumps, driftwood, branches or lumberyard 3”x6” yellow cedar, Cherry and walnut. Check out my gallery
Another pastime is Bonsai. The Living Art Again Mother Nature works & I play . With the end product hopefully pleasing & delighting both the eye and the soul.
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Like people, the older the carving gets the more character it acquires. But unlike people, as it ages it requires very little maintenance. All that is needed is a yearly coating of wood sealer.
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