Jeremy M. Praay wrote:
> "Jim Charter" <jrc### [at] msncom> wrote in message 
> news:4613d09a$1@news.povray.org...
> 
>>Beautiful picture, Jeremy.  The command of texture is remarkable. Its 
>>understated use here compliments a greater sense of beauty through 
>>simplicity. Conceptually the picture is a sophisticated play on miniature, 
>>fantasy, and depiction itself.  The introduction of the ivy on the bonsai 
>>has me puzzled, but that aside, I see a wealth of possibilities here.
> 
> 
> Thank you!  :-)  For me, it simply represents a lot of 
> fantasy/feelings/interests that I have.  If I tap into my own emotions, I 
> just have to hope that it works for someone else as well.  What is the girl 
> looking at?  It's a simple answer, but it means a lot of work for me.  I 
> hope I can pull it off.  No, I'm not telling what it is.  ;-)

Yes, that is what I meant by "depiction itself", to elaborate, I was 
refering to the question of how to "depict" inner life: emotion, 
feelings, thoughts, attention.  There is something reflective, 
contemplative, and possibly *introspective* about miniatures. In 
addition, the implied scope of the miniature's "world" provides a 
theatrical "stage".

> 
> Ivy...  Hmmm...  What do you do when you have a part of your picture that 
> you want to cover up?  :-)  Like I said in another post, the tree-bark was 
> causing me grief.  I finally got it to look pretty good, but I still had 
> this large trunk that just seemed too bare.  For real bonsai, I think that's 
> often the look that they strive for (bare trunks), but they have real bark, 
> and real trees, not TomTree's.  I tried various tree rotations, ways of 
> lighting, etc.  Regardless, I decided I liked the ivy, because, at least in 
> my mind, it adds a touch of age-old gothic mystery to the tree*, as well as 
> adding some shadows to otherwise bland places.  But I have considered 
> re-growing it with different parameters, as it really gets bunched-up in the 
> middle of the tree.

It goes against my principles to say too much, but that I am tempted too 
shows how interesting I find the picture.  The ivy does come off  as 
just that, some sort of muddying of the waters.  Perhaps to cover up not 
quite realized details, or perhaps as an element that once made sense 
but now just confuses.  By climbing up the tree the ivy intermediates 
between the two levels of scale, the real world scale of the miniature 
tree, and the fantasy miniature scale of the figures relative to whom 
the tree is "real scale" not miniature.  The leaves of the ivy seem 
caught in between, just as the ivy is rooted in the miniature grass but 
climbing up the real world tree.  The scale of the leaves is plausible, 
as some sort of grape-type creeper, but not the scale of garden ivy we 
are more familiar with.  Further, there is a sense of "interference" 
with the leaves of the tree.  It does grieve me to expose you to such 
close critique, but then close observation and mincing conception are 
invited by the whole precept of the picture. It is deceptively casual, 
and really quite ambitious.  Please see my critique as enthusiasm.



> 
> I'm still considering it a WIP, but I'm also planning to move on to the next 
> in the series.  I've often thought of doing a series, but I never had a 
> decent concept.  But now, I have at least 3 other images in mind already. 

Yes, move on.



> Wish me luck.

Luck.

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