Welcome back to the fantastic lands of @creativetruth, a place where I often cultivate my own style of creativity into the patient practice of bonsai development.
Re-Opening and Reunion
For those of you exploring my pages for the first time, I implore you to explore and enjoy like a child sensing new and exciting things for the first time. Ask questions or share your impressions below. For those I have not interacted with in a while, it is nice to have you back, Neighbors.
What is Broken can be Renewed
Last summer in 2023, I knew that the three-year-old saikei landscape needed some extra TLC (tender loving care).
The mud walls have disintegrated mostly in the rain, and with regular watering of the trees. Only a few seedlings, with roots well buried seem to be thriving.
To restore this I would need to recreate the walled areas.
Scratching Away the Irredeemable
The old, flakey clay wall had to be completely chipped away. Using an old toothbrush, I swept the outside surface until only smooth slate remained. Underneath, unearthed is the wire screening that formed the structure of the original wall.
Terra Alchemy
With a mixture of cement I sifted through a quarter inch screen, it created a fine power with smaller rock pebbles. For safety, I wore goggles, a dust mask, and rubber kitchen gloves. Then I began mixing it with sand, water, and acrilic paint (dark grey and black), to form a sticky dough.
Using this goop of stones and cement, new mountain ranges were formed to encompass the landscape. At least an inch thick, and two to three inches tall should hold enough strength to withstand the various calamities to be expected from Mother Nature.
Altering the Artificial into a Natural Surface
In studying the rough edges of the wall I had formed thus far, I noticed areas that already evoked certain unintentional geometric forms:
- A bulbous boulder resting on a cliff edge
- A hairline crack from years of quakes
- A slide where the snowmelt spills into a summer waterfall
- A landslide where the rocks packed into a drainage wall
Here is where the magic begins. By following the slight deviations and imperfections, I carved out deeper grooves and filled in any hollows to finish these lines to their natural ends.
Ironically, the plastic palette knife I was using, from a dental tool kit, was the perfect implement to recreate the mouthful of molars previously missing from Gaia's smile.
Surface Details
With the pebbly mix, the edges were very rough and crumbly, and it was nearly impossible to have any smooth surfaces.
The solution was to make a cement and sand mixture to spread over the surface. This mixture is looser, and less strong, yet easier to mold over the uneven surfaces below. It was also drying quicker, and had to be applied in smaller batches.
Some final details which I nearly missed until it was too late...
Underneath these cement stone walls, I needed to carve out some holes, for the water drain out to the sides. Half inch wide holes would be sufficient.
In the end, they resembled beach caves where a legendary beast might be lurking in the dark.
Final Results
After a day of drying, the walls had hardened off under the warmth of the glowing rays of sunlight. The dappled shade ensured slower and even drying to prevent cracks.
The land could thrive once again.
In the following days, I attempted to make some additional sculptures from the remaining cement. Various rough pots and trays to display larger bonsai creations.
By October, new trees I tucked in were fully grown for the season. Leaves were started to take on pangs of yellow before falling.
The glory of the natural forest has been restored.
Thank you for joining me on this creative excursion through time, back to 2023. Just as this saikei landscape has undergone a major upgrade, I too have been adapting to my new life. We've had a new fence and deck installed. I have been focusing on new opportunities with my jobs, which diverts a lot of my time, energy, and emotions away from my little cove here on ecency.
Know that I am not gone, and I will continue to post future updates when I can to show off my garden, bonsai, and other creative projects.
Special Challenge: Please upvote the first response in the comments who remembers the type of trees pictured above.🌴🌲 I will confirm the correct response with tree emojis 🌴🌲 in the comments below, to reward intelligent interaction.
#howto #bonsai #saikei #cement #concrete #sculpture #art #trees #nature #repair #project #backyard #doityourself #patience #potential
Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth, unless stated otherwise.
