Monday, September 8, 2008

Saved for Posterity

Just in case you were wondering where the post went from "America's Funniest Bonsai Blog," I managed to save the wonderful thoughts from the mind of Mr. Will Heath to go down in history. Here they are, all 5,564 words, letter for letter as they were before he deleted them:

THE LATEST KEPPLER "EDITORIAL"

Filed under: In Response — July 13, 2008 @ 10:44 am

The Latest Keppler “Editorial”

Al Keppler recently decided to once again twist words and color the truth in yet another long-winded and content starved “editorial” over at BT ( http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f59/keppler-editorial-x-29677.html )

This latest compost pile of meaningless words is obviously just another addition to a long line of unsuccessful attempts to make himself look better in the eyes of those not experienced enough to see through the smoke and mirrors. He seems to have some deeply seated need to try to discredit me at every opportunity, to the point to where is not only predictable and laughable, but also quite boorish. Maybe only by trying to undermine me can he feel good about himself, or maybe I am the only thorn that threatens his thin bubble of self-importance?

Not surprisingly, he once again used the forum at BT to post his latest manure fest, no doubt because he thought that because I am not able to respond to his drivel there, his grossly inaccurate and highly exaggerated spew of words would go without challenge.

He was wrong.

Many people would say that such actions (attacking a person where they can not respond) are cowardly, I cannot disagree, but personally, I have grown accustomed to Al and a few others resorting to such tactics on the forums and have come to expect no less from them. Al and these few others have a reputation for arguing from ignorance (Argumentum ad ignorantiam) as well as a solid history of directing an argument against an opponent’s character rather than the subject at hand (Argumentum ad hominem). A man can only take so much until he must expose the truth and just say that the emperor is butt ass naked, even if the emperor is a fraud to begin with.

Put some clothes on Al.

Let us go to the beginning, where this all started and see what Al is actually trying to accomplish….

Wrong From the Get-Go

Al started out his “editorial”…oh by the way Al, the definition of an editorial is “opinion piece: an article in a newspaper or magazine that expresses the opinion of its editor or publisher.” While there is no doubt that your rant at BT is an opinion, it is not an editorial, as you are not now, nor ever have been, a editor or publisher of BT or any other bonsai forum. After ten such opinion pieces, all of which can be summed up with the words I, I, I, Me, Me, Me, you would think you would at least know what it was you were writing.

So anyhow, now that that piece of misinformation has been exposed, Al started out his “editorial” at BT with the following quote of my words from a thread over at Bnut ( http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1357 ):

“I do real bonsai as a bonus, haven’t gotten around to buying them yet though (that’s what we have you for ” )

What he purposely left out was his words to me before, which my words were a direct response to. His words were “I still have no idea how the interent works, since I am too busy making quality bonsai to worry about such things, (thats what we have you for )” This obvious slam and attempt to suggest that I do not do bonsai came after he was shown up pretty badly for trying to attack posted numbers on the activity at AoB. It was a typical Al Keppler response; attack what you cannot discuss intelligently.

Al decided to try and slide in a slight toward me, dropping a barley veiled comment meant to suggest that I somehow do not make quality bonsai since I “worry” about other things, such as providing quality content on two different forums. When I responded in kind, he proved to the world again that he can dish it out, but he cannot take it. He got his feelings hurt and went running off to type out yet another “editorial” full of lies, misconceptions, and exaggerations where he knew I was unable to defend myself. To make his case, he left out the root of the discussion, why what was said was said, and then, as we will see shortly, twisted the words and meanings to bring up an old debate. Since the truth would not work, he twisted it, as usual.

Now that we have seen that his whole “editorial” premise was based on a fallacy, a partial comment without basis, twisted and skipped over words, it is easy to imagine that the rest of his spew will follow in the same manner, and it does.

Reviving an Old Debate

Sometime ago a debate raged on the forums where I challenged the often-parroted concept that good stock can only be found in the wild or at a bonsai nursery. I challenged the notion that the more money a person spent, the better stock the person would get. Al Keppler supported the concept that only by spending a get deal of money at a bonsai nursery or collecting from the wild was one able to get good stock. I have no wish to dive into this debate again; those of you who wish to see it can look here ( http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1009 )

This debate ended after repeating the obvious fact that neither price nor location purchased determines the quality of a piece of stock, only the quality of the stock matters. Of course posting a gallery at AoB of excellent bonsai created from traditional nursery (garden center) stock helped tremendously. ( http://www.artofbonsai.org/galleries/nursery_stock.php )

While it is highly likely that good stock can be found at high prices in bonsai nurseries, it is also very likely that a fair share of crap can be found as well. The reverse can be said about garden centers. In short, good stock is found where you find it; there is no location or price however, that will guarantee quality.

In his “editorial” Al quickly reverted to this old debate, turning my response to his slight, into far more than what was said or even implied. He seems determined to revisit a debate that was clearly resolved in the past, like the drunk that keeps getting back on the barstool, only to fall off again. In fact, look at his “editorial” and you will see the whole discussion is now on this old subject and not on what was actually said at all.

Buying Bonsai – The Nitty Gritty

“I still have no idea how the interent works, since I am too busy making quality bonsai to worry about such things, (thats what we have you for )” – Al Keppler

“I do real bonsai as a bonus, haven’t gotten around to buying them yet though (that’s what we have you for )” – Will Heath in response to Al Keppler’s words above.

After the exchange above, Al quickly ran over to BT and wrote his “editorial” and based it on his assumption that I somehow was against buying quality stock, nothing could be further from the truth. I did not say it. I did not imply it. What I did imply is exactly what I said; I have not gotten around to (as Al has) buying bonsai. Not stock, not material, but bonsai, as in plants that have already been artistically styled by another person. Of course buying any stock by definition, assures that another person has worked on it, in example, the grower pruning it, potting it, and caring for it. In the case of bonsai nurseries, some root work and pruning for trunk and branch development most likely would have been done as well. Nevertheless, this is very different from someone actually beginning to or completely styling the tree and this is the distinction Al skips over in his desperate attempt to justify his own practices.

“Maybe I am so discriminate about the material I buy that in some peoples eyes “my material” seems almost finished” – Al Keppler (LINK)

Before more assumptions are made, I think there is nothing wrong at all with buying bonsai that were created by someone else, a belief I spelled out quite clearly in this article. (ARTICLE LINK) I believe that having collectors is vital to the art form and that the practices of our Japanese friends in this area should be studied and duplicated in order to build the community, boost the economics, and also to build a much needed bonsai service industry in America, which, in turn, would create more collectors. Eventually, I would like to add a couple bonsai from world-class masters to my collection, however, I certainly wouldn’t take credit for the art, nor use them to validate my own talent in any way.

Buying finished bonsai is one thing, buying them to validate one’s own inflated master complex is another. Those who try to pass themselves off as talented on the backs of those who are actually talented do not impress me. This is a problem today on the web, people whose only talent lays in trying to cut down or belittle others efforts rushing out to buy bonsai that they do not have the talent to create themselves in order to use such to support their personal claims of experience. If that was not bad enough, they then proclaim, in a sick effort to validate they own actions, that this is the way everyone should practice bonsai.

The problem may well with a few people who have the need to be looked upon as talented but who have not the talent or the patience to create their own work. In the mad rush to justify their own beliefs about themselves, or to impress others, instead of creating, they break out the checkbook and buy. The word Checkbooksai is not new, just very fitting.

Studying Under a Master

Al quotes more of my words from Bnut and, as to be expected, twists them to suit his own warped beliefs. What I said was “Bonsai that I am creating from scratch and which were not styled by visiting masters, just my own humble attempts.”

Al, in his “editorial” states after quoting these words, “Now this quote is one which is very hard for me to understand. Not that I am not capable of understanding it, just surprised that someone would actually say it. I have thought it, I know others have too. We have seen the very good trees that win awards and we know that they were not done by those that entered them. It hurts to be passed over by someone that has the money and means to study with the best.”

“It hurts to be passed over by someone that has the money and means to study with the best” ??? WTF??? This is typical Al Keppler hyperbole, he invents his compost as he goes along, not thinking or caring about the fact that anyone with the IQ of a cockroach can see right through it. No one mentioned, referred to, or implied that it was somehow wrong for people to study with the best, no one made mention of money or means. I certainly did not, in any way, imply that studying under a master is wrong, unethical, or that those who do should not reap the rewards of doing so.

What I said was that I create my bonsai from scratch, meaning raw material, a blank canvas, a freshly quarried piece of stone, and not from material that has been previously styled into a shape by someone else. I have purchased and used pre-bonsai, meaning material that has had some root work done, has been pruned back, but not wired or styled for me, I am quite cable of finding a tree within myself and leading it there. I personally refuse to let another person style my bonsai for me, be it hands on or just by telling me what to do. The work I show is mine alone, I take full credit and full responsibility for it.

If Al, or Chris, or anyone else wants to buy bonsai that simply needs some polishing or maintaining and take full credit for the work, or use such to try and prove their own level of experience, so be it, it is not for me. I am a purist; I believe that only the work of the artist can show the talent of the artist, for better or for worse. What I do have a problem with is when these people use checkbooksai to try to validate their own claims of experience or talent to the ignorant. Trust me, only the ignorant are fooled. Make all the excuses and justifications you will, buying pre-styled bonsai only proves that you can write a check, hell, with the ability to write checks or lay-away as the only qualification, my girl must be a frigging world-class master herself. ;)

The same can be said for those who visit workshops and or take lessons from a teacher who styles the tree either directly or by telling the student which branch to remove, where to position the foliage, etc. This is not teaching, this is giving directions, the resulting tree has little if any of the owners talent in it, instead it carries only the teachers talent, as he brought his vision out and only directed hands other than his own. However, there are those teachers who let the student have the vision and then help them free it, without impressing their own onto them. Techniques and skills can be taught, the talent cannot. Teach the student how to bring out their own vision, do not restrict them, do not force yours upon them, let them be creative.

When a teacher does the work or directs the work, the work is not the students. Cut here, bend this, move this, wire this, trim this, is directing, not teaching and the resulting work is not the students. Imagine if I bought a piece of stock, hell let’s make it one of Robert Stevens trees and then took it to his class where I followed his step by step instructions on how to polish it, would it be my work? Would it validate my experience, my talent? Would it be ethical for me to them enter it in, let us say the Gingko Awards? Would it mean a damn thing if I won?

Sorry, succeed or fail, my work will always be mine and mine alone. Not my teachers, not some visiting masters, but my own humble attempts.

So, is studying under a master wrong? Not at all, every person should do so, if they choose, even if they can only attend workshops. The information that can be gleaned from such experience is priceless and the prices charged are a real bargain, considering what you get in return. Pick a master who has created his own bonsai, pick a person who has created bonsai that you are impressed with, choose a top artist who has proved beyond a doubt that they are capable of actually creating great, artistic bonsai and you won’t be disappointed. However, don’t expect to gain talent, it can not be taught, expect to gain skills and knowledge, this is all that can be offered.

Buying Trees and Showing Them

Yes, I know, in Japan, this is a common practice; people purchase trees to enter exhibitions with. Pay attention here, this is important, take notes, memorize it because it may well change your life….This is NOT Japan. We do not have the same economic, social, or artistic community yet in bonsai. In Japan bonsai artists reach the level of celebrities, buying and showing bonsai from these masters is an honor and it would be a great dishonor to attempt to pass off someone else’s work as your own. Besides, in that environment, most people know who styled the trees being shown anyhow, such egotistical falsehoods would be quickly exposed and rarely, if ever pose a problem.

In Japan, there is a successful service industry where a collector can hire a person to board their purchased bonsai or to care for them at their home. Because of this service industry, it is possible for collectors to seek out and buy the best bonsai to show, similar to art collectors here in the States, or racing horse owners, or yacht owners, etc. If we has such a service industry here, there would be many more collectors and the economics of bonsai would greatly improve, as more bonsai would be brought, increasing the demand for quality bonsai and taxing the already shallow pool of talent here.

It seems everyone wants to be an artist, never mind if they have talent or not because if they do not they will just go out and buy a tree and then show it. Many people, like Al And Chris will try and justify this by saying that it takes a different type of talent to maintain a high level tree, so what? If I bought Michelangelo’s “David” would I be justified by posting it as my work because it takes a different talent to clean it, dust it, or maintain it? Of course not and their argument sounds just as silly. They also try and justify such actions by saying that they change the tree, I will not even ask why the hell you’d buy a finished tree only to change it, but this makes as little sense as if I chipped the nose off “David” and then claimed since I changed it, it is now my work.

The fact is that it takes time, talent, and determination to create a bonsai. Some people try and shortcut one or more of these steps by buying a near finished tree. As I said earlier, everyone should, but when you use such to justify your own over-inflated sense of worth, it is wrong.

Take a recent Joshua Roth New Talent competition where a participant was seen only talking to a master during a break…the participants was quickly disqualified for getting advice on styling. Now this is bonsai! Real bonsai, where even the slightest suspicion of outside influence is grounds for instant disqualification. Still think it doesn’t matter if it is your own work or not?

I have managed the most successful bonsai contests on the web and they all had one rule in common, if the work is not your own, you must list the artist’s name, period. Considering that these contests have set the record for entries and participation, it would seem that good old fashioned honesty is not a deterrent at all.

You see the true artist, the one who creates great bonsai art, deserves the praise for the work. It is perfectly fine for people to purchase such works, but the line should be drawn at those few who purchase bonsai only to pretend to be artists. There is no excuse, if you have the talent, all it takes is good material and time, you don’t have the talent, so what, you can still enjoy the art without having to convince the newbies that you are an artist. There are over a million painters in the world and only a few thousand, maybe, that could be classified as excellent artists. Do you think the rest of them run around buying paintings and use them to show how talented they are? Sounds stupid doesn’t it? Yet, a few bonsaists do the same thing and expect us to accept it.

Let’s Break it Down

Let me make this clearer, every bonsaists I have ever seen can be broken down into one or more of the following categories:

Grower
Aspiring Artist
Artist
Cheat
Collector

Most of us fall into more than one of these categories, as is to be expected in this art form.

The Grower – Almost every single bonsaist falls into this category. We all have trees in growing beds or growing boxes, seedlings, cuttings, or air-layers around the gardens. Maybe it is just a tree you picked up for layers or cuttings, maybe it is a bunch of Shimpaku cuttings you just couldn’t toss out, whatever it is, we are attracted to growing material for bonsai.

The person in this category has bonsai in many different stages of development, from rough stock right up to some trees in bonsai pots, some more developed than others. They may have a few show ready trees, but still have plans for future development for them as well. This person may never want to become an aspiring artist and can be quite content in this category.

The Aspiring Artist – The grower who has advanced to the point to where they recognize great artistic bonsai and aspire to create bonsai at that level.

The Artist – This person is rare no matter what country you are in. This person has consistently produced bonsai that are artistic and which are recognized as great bonsai all over the world, they are indeed world-class. This person usually has a distinctive style that carries over into the bonsai they create and usually will have received awards and recognition at some of the largest exhibitions in the world.

The Cheat – This person is an inspiring artist who wants to take all the shortcuts, they buy bonsai, but unlike a collector, they try to pass the work off as their own, giving no credit to the actual artist. Many may not make the actual claim of creation, but will show the tree in a manner that suggests it is the product of their own talent. They may never create a quality bonsai themselves, but are not put aside by this fact, as they are quite happy buying new bonsai every few years when the old ones die from improper care. Sadly, many cheats take up teaching as a means to further their own self-delusions of grandeur.

The Collector – This person purchases great bonsai because they appreciate the beauty of such and revere the artist as much as the art. These people are the backbone of bonsai, without them, the art can never progress. The highly successful economics of bonsai in Japan can be attributed directly to the collectors. If we think of the great art collectors of the world, the museum curators, the patrons of the high art world, we can see how much the collector means to the bonsai art community.

Personally, I am a grower/aspiring artist.

Lastly, Al’s Excuses and Meaningless Justifications

Al goes in many directions and back again when making excuses for his beliefs; all while trying desperately to hold on to the bonsai web forum master personality he vainly projects. Let us take a look at these attempts at justification he posted in his “editorial” and dissect them, study them, and finally expose them for what they are, the compost of the bonsai internet forums.

A couple people, Al included, seem to justify purchased bonsai with the statement that it takes talent to maintain a bonsai someone else has styled and the only way to get this advanced knowledge is by buying a tree that is finished.

It takes no talent to maintain a bonsai; it takes skills, learnable skills, the actual talent lies in creating a bonsai that deserves to be maintained. Artists create, growers maintain, collectors collect. A person can be one or all of these, and they well should be, however, when you pretend to have talent, based on what you purchased, you are wrong. The sad thing is that such people fool only themselves and beginners, the experienced artists see right through them. Fortunately, the beginners will eventually also see through the facade, but there will always be a new crop of beginners to bamboozle. Buy all the finished bonsai you want, this is commendable, however, do not try and pass this practice off as advanced bonsai, it is not. Bring a tree to that level yourself and then you have something to brag about.

Al tried to use Walter pall as an example to justify his purchase of bonsai in his “editorial” at BT with the following words, “In the recent styling contest on AofB last year Walter Pall restyled a tree that in most peoples mind needed nothing done to have a very good bonsai. Everyone else was going out of their way to find the best piece of virgin materal possible to show what they were made of. Not Walter, he started with something that was well on its way to masterpiece bonsai and with some Walter finishing touches helped it on it’s way. What a genius!….

First off, the contest Al was referring to was the “Progressive Styling Contest” at KoB, not AoB. Considering that Al himself said that this was the best contest on the web, I find it hard to believe his misidentification of the forum was an accident. Second, Walter has a long history of creating artistic bonsai from raw material, collected material, nursery material, and just about any other material one could conceive of. He took a piece that most people would call finished and changed it into a new tree, this is far beyond Al’s current talent level, so far in fact that trying to justify his own actions by comparing himself to Walter, is laughable. He did get one thing right, Walter is a genius.

Al, in his “editorial, goes on to say, “There has been much said about the whole buying someone elses work and changing it a little and then calling it your own. This is such a non issue and actually has no place in bonsai as far as I’m concerned. All my material that has been previously worked on has been done by total strangers and would mean nothing to anyone anyway…”

So buying someone else’s work, changing it a little and calling it your own is a non-issue to Al? Of course it is, this is why he defends the practice. Stranger or not Al, it is not your work, passing it off as if it was is wrong, unethical, and is considering fraud, cheating, and worse by most people. It not only has a place in bonsai, people get disqualified from contests, lose respect, and damage their reputations by doing so.

To continue his mad rush at justification, Al goes on, ”And what about people that buy more finished bonsai. Does Candy Shirey have less ability than anyone else simply because she has the means to buy an expensive bonsai creation from a noted artist? Does she still have to care for it, prune it, pinch it, and water and fertilize it. Are these not techniques that are very important to a collector of finished bonsai.”

Candy does not take credit for others work, Candy does not use her collection to support a misguided master complex. Caring for a bonsai, or maintaining it is not the same as creating it. By the way, Candy is also an artist.

Al again tries to justify his actions, ”We are not talking about Japanese collectors that purchase a bonsai for $65,000.00 and then hire Shinji Suzuki to care for it. We are talking about people that do bonsai, but from time to time buy more finished material in an effort to speed up a learning curve that frankly I see slipping away with each passing year.”

The dollar amount is not relevant, one dollar, a million dollars, it’s still wrong. I am sorry to hear your learning curve is slipping away and I am sorry to hear the steps you must take to get finished material.

Lastly on the subject, Al states, ”My take on this whole issue, I will continue to buy absolutely anything I can find and or afford that gives me the opportunity to work on something I may never get to work on in my lifetime. Why would anyone pass up the opportunity of a lifetime in the name of virgin material? To each their own I say. Leaves better opportunities for me.”

Again, no one said buying such material is wrong, passing it off as your own or using it t justify your claims of superior experience and talent is.

As we seen, Al tends to twist words and attack things that never existed in a, seemingly never ending, quest to justify his own imagined greatness.

I do hope that I set the record straight here ans showed once again the mightly Al’s true colors, now maybe I can get back to doing bonsai and actually contributing to the bonsai community.

UPDATE 07/15/08

Al continues his shallowness on his “editorial” with the words “Though my personal attack was actually a fact. That is what what we have Will for, to moderate a forum.” Well, at least he now admits he did attack me, but still slips past the truth. I am the co-founder and am an active editor on KoB and AoB, I have never been a moderator, Al should really read up on what I have accomplished in the community, maybe he can start here on this page, look at the top of the right column Al. ;)

He continues his personal attack with the statement, “Contrary to your popular belief, not many people like Mr. Will.” Which is too stupid to even respond to.

He goes on to say, “As for Mr. Heath, until he can recognize the potential in some better material or the usefulness of what a real bonsai artist/educator can do for him, he will continue on this dead end road he thinks is bonsai.” This coming from a guy who can only create ill will and buys his bonsai? Wow, his opinion carries about as much weight as a homeless person’s investment advice. No thanks.

The real kicker though is Al’s final attempt to twist the truth and this time he twists it beyond believability. “I pretty much stay to this small forum at BT because I can post without being hounded by Will on everything I post.” Al must really think everyone is stupid or blind. I’ll directly challenge him right here to produce one single instance where I hounded him on any forum. To quote your own words Al, put up or shut up.

Fortunately, Hans Van Meer came into Al’s latest Will bashing thread and posted some sanity. Those who know Hans, know his talent and his reputation for shooting straight and also his love for bonsai. I highly recommend taking a look there and (wading through Al’s stupidity) read what Hans had to say. His posts are most likely the most intelligent posts I have read in awhile.

UPDATE 07/19/08

Four days after my challenge to Al, he has yet to post one single instance where I “hounded him.” No surprise here.

Chris Johnston, did me the favor of posting a link to this “response” over in Al’s “editorial” thread at BT. The usual 5 or 6 people who can be found in any thread about me, especially those attempting to bash me, have all chimed in, defending Al’s right to call his opinion piece an editorial. Amazing, all I put forth debunking Al’s crap, and they focus on claiming it has a right to be called an editorial because at one time, in the past, he was an editor, or suggesting that maybe he can be made an honorary editor, and they question why I say that there is little of educational value there.

What is really funny is the mad rush of justifications for buying finished bonsai and the misquotes and misunderstandings of what was said here. Such as those below:

Attila Soos said “So far so good, nobody ever touched my trees, but now I am a little worried: what if I ventured to seek out some expert opinions (just out of curiosity), and then I will end up being called a lowly “collector” or worse, a “cheat”.” Sorry Attila, I never said such or implied that in the manner you suggest. You of all people should know better, I suggest you reread what I did say instead of buying into the crap that others said I meant. I do however look forward to seeing any tree at all that you have, to my knowledge you have never shown a single one.

John Vonsgardens said “It takes a plagerist to call someone who buys a styled tree, works on it for a while (changes it) and then claims it as their own a cheat. I wonder if he has seen any of Kimura’s transformations of old masterpieces into something new…. “ I covered completely changing a tree also, in which case it is treated as stock and transformed by the artist. Maybe you should spend more time reading as well, and less time assuming. But then again, you can be found on any Will bash thread, so the truth most likely doesn’t concern you anyhow.

One thing can be said about BT, look to the top five threads for views and replies on any forum there, and you will find my name or ideas being discussed.

Thanks for all the attention. ;)

Also, coming soon, a new article that takes a serious look at bonsai on the Internet. See the top right of this page for a listing of my other articles in print and on-line.