Every time I open Bonsai Today issue 106 and lay my eyes on this wickedly powerful old English yew, my mind does a little double take. Like many stylized bonsai that we've seen over the last 30 years or so, it doesn't look exactly like anything you'll see in nature, but it certainly jumps off the page. It's by Kevin Willson, bonsai artist and deadwood carver extraordinaire. Photo by Simon Carr.
Today, I set out to put together a post on Harry Harrington, but got distracted by the Kevin Willson tree above. There’s a method to this madness; Harry has mentioned Kevin and I believe they have worked together. Anyway, most of this post is borrowed from our archives (May 2011).
Stay posted for Harry Harrington tomorrow. Meanwhile, you might want to delve into Harry’s unique instructive approach to the how-tos of bonsai in The Foundations of Bonsai (on special at Stone Lantern).
Continued below…
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BeforeYew wood is very hard. Harder than almost any other type of wood. In this light, take a look at the photo below and then at the photo above. Now imagine all that carving with only hand tools…. Okay, I’m kidding. Kevin used power tools. But still, it’s a labor of love (and considerable skill).
These three photos of Kevin Willson’s yew just scratch the surface. The sequence of steps is covered in great detail in Bonsai Today issue 106. Thirteen pages of photos (38 in all) and informative text.
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When it comes to carving... Harry Harrington has some chops of his own This photo is from Harry's The Foundations of Bonsai Now on special for 19.95
Getting startedHow about yew? OKay. I know this pun is a little lame…. but if you are interested in deadwood carving (and why not?) we suggest you start with hand tools. Once you get the hang of it (there’s more than meets the eye) you can graduate to power tools.
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