First post... new to bonsai. So, first, thank you for the incredible resource the community has been. Thus far I haven't killed any trees... but there's one I'm watching carefully.

Location: Colorado (...with half of my collection out in Missouri)

It's April 2021 (if it matters)...winter has been a vicious b**** this year - with late winter storms not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES already.

Attached are a couple photos of a curious little juniper I found. (Nursery stock...) haven't done much to it... doesn't need much frankly (IMO).

I chose it for what I could feel of the nibari...and during initial cleanup found some pretty interesting movement in the branches...they had developed on their own in a wave-like formation.

As I examined I 'saw' a resemblance to "The Great Wave off KANAGAWA" (Kanagawa-Oki Nami Ura) ... the famous art work by HOKUSAI.

So, with minor shifts via structural wiring and a couple of pads, and just a bit of pruning...I pursued that emulation.

(YES. I'm aware my wiring sucks and I'm working on building that skill... I'm only a month into this.)

(YES. I'm aware pruning junipers in 'early "spring"' may not be ideal.... but it's new stock so I decided some lite pruning to almost within profile would be a good thing to do on the initial cleanup... didn't want to hit it too hard because I'll be repotting as well...)

(Basically, please don't yell at me and scold me for my inadequacies... I'm very new to this. I'll accept any constructive feedback, however, offered in good faith.)

Question: Is this a common practice in bonsai? (Emulating a specific art or scene...) Is it desireable?

Question 2: Is it possible to train something so precisely over the long haul?

I'll see what it does through the growing season and what it tells me with what it does...I may have to abandon the plan... but for now it's at least a pretty cool find to my eye. If it sticks I'll keep the progression going.

Your tree is outside, right?

What I do and tell everyone to do as well is to let a new tree get used to my environment and care for a full growing season. No pruning, repotting, styling or wiering. Just take good care of it and study it to find out what you can do with it in the future. If it is in good health after a full season I proceed to one of the tasks, repotting or styling. Then another growing season, if healthy i do the other task year two.

I second that. Thé most important thing is the health and vigour of the tree, only accomplished if it’s outside ( inside it will die).

It is my intent to put it there. Yes! I used brought it in to clean up (allowing it to acclimate before I touched it with anything but a watering pitcher...) but, in the interceding time the weather turned sharply and dramatically (20 - 40 degree drop in median temp...in, like, 12 hrs) so I'll be transitioning it back to outdoors once the weather lightens up a bit. Not trying to 'pamper' it... it's a juniper afterall... but didn't want to give it such a sudden shock. Like I said in OP the weather has been sharply turning here these past several weeks. Transitioning without a proper space to do so is tricky. (Apartment bonsai.... it's a thing I guess... I'm figuring it out and working with what I've got. )

I've got some professional-grade grow lights I'm trying to keep it under for the moment to mitigate. However, I do not have any South facing sun... and very little (if any) direct sunlight available to me until I move this summer (hence why half my collection is in Missouri right now 'visiting family'.)

But yeah... it's an outdoor plant. It needs to be outside.

Thank you for the well informed advice!

ARIGATO

The tree looks healty, which is a sign that it has been growing outside and are used to the conditions outside. A few days inside might not kill it but have no benefit to the tree. You think you are protecting it from outdoor conditions, but what you really should do is protect it from indoor conditions that will kill it or make it weaker.

I second and third what everyone else said.

Now to your questions:
I do see a resemblance to Hokusai's wave. By all means, follow your inspiration. How precisely you can train the tree to resemble a famous piece of art depends on the tree. After all, we can only train a tree, but the trees grow the way they grow.

Thank you for confirming I'm not nuts! Haha. I wad amazed that the tree had attained the specific movement it had without any deliberate intervention.

I appreciate your response. And, yes, (to ALL) ...duly noted that the tree needs those wide open spaces. That was always - and remains - the intent. I did a LOT of reading about the nasty habit junipers have of dying when kept indoors.

Appreciate everyone's concern and, rest assured, I'll be getting it back outside.

Good work on getting it the UV lighting. A second note is to make sure you water it with room temperature water. Maybe also as a boost try add come small amount of compost half an inch under the soil (do not disturb the roots)..

Thanks luc....yes. I researched the variety as soon as I acquired one...and... yeah... well aware of the importance of getting this guy outside. As I mentioned, brought it in to work on it...and made sure to let it acclimate before I started cleaning it up. It went from 70 and sunny to 3-4 inches of snow and sub freezing temps in the span of about 18 hours.... hence why I haven't put it out yet. I have it right next to my patio door which bleeds climate like crazy... I'll try to get it back outside after the snow and ice melt (later this afternoon hopefully).


I appreci

Good advice! Hadn't thought about the water. Thank you for the great tip!

Don't have any compost....but do have some marine-based organic fertilizer... wasn't planning on adding any of that just yet (figured it'd be still a little early to fertilize, especially when this supposed "spring" has been so insane!)

Would you suggest going ahead with that?

What am I expecting the compost to do for the tree?