Megan

Johnny

Chris

   Jesse's sketch  was voted by the class as "Best Future Vision Sketch"

 

     Jesse with her sketch and

                Keiki Bonsai

        Photos by Angela Tillman and Silk Hope School principal Rob Tharp. Under school policy, the photos appear with permission of the students but with only first names.

           By carefully studying   the plants at the beginning of each class, we got clues of how well they were developing into the desired shapes. The "Future Vision" sketch was again made with water soluble graphite pencil and intended to illustrate the form of our future bonsai. 

            I asked the students, "Do you want a taller form with a thick canopy?  Are you visualizing a compact, bushy tree?  Or do you see a tree with one or two main branches which diagonally lean to one side?" 

            All students knew that from day to day the plants could drastically vary from their "plan".    Sometimes changes or mistakes are "fortunate accidents" that are better than our initial plans. 

            In preparing a "future vision" sketch,  as time passes, we can compare technique and thought processes (on paper) to the actual plant and learn what does or does not work. We also have beautiful art to hang in our homes!