Before and after by Robert Steven. The tree is a Casuarina that originally belonged to Ismail Saleh and now belongs to Robert. Here's part of what Robert wrote about this transformation... "I changed the viewing angle, squeezed the dead part close to the living part then reset the foliage pads. Sooner or later the dead part will rot, then I should redesign the composition again"

Here’s a little history from Robert about this famous tree… “The Legend ! This is one of the oldest Casuarina bonsai in Indonesia which has been going through a long path of transformation and survival, yet still keeps changing due to physical conditions, especially the bark which is rotting out”

It belonged to the late Ismail Saleh, the Father of Indonesia Bonsai, the Founder of ASPAC and ABFF, who gave to me to be taken care before he passed away. Bonsai is truly a never ending art !”  Scroll all the way down for a much earlier shot of this amazing tree. 

After, a closer look

An older photo of the same tree. I don't know if this shot was taken before or after it came to Robert. Nor do I know how many years passed between this shot and the photos above. You can visit Robert's on fb for more