Bonsai Art… As Art

Bonsai Art Magazine living up to it’s name… Not many words today. We’ll just show you some covers of Bonsai Art (and some of our sales, of course). As far as the aesthetics of bonsai goes, it’s my favorite magazine. Continued below… As long as we’re on the topic of quality bonsai magazines… Bonsai Today Sale Ends Tomorrow 40% to 50% off Bonsai Today Back Issues Each issue is rich in step-by-step how-to articles by the old masters 40% off 1-9 Bonsai Today back issues 50% off 10 or more back issues This may be your last chance for certain … Continue reading Bonsai Art… As Art

Bonsai Art & the Art of Bonsai

The day has barely started and I’m already running out of superlatives. I guess spectacular will do in this case. It’s a Korean hornbeam (Carpinus turczaninowii) by Ian Stewartson. The photo is from Bonsai Art’s website. After three straight new posts it’s time to delve into our archives . This one originally appeared March 2013. Bonsai Art magazine is very well named. As bonsai magazines go, it is as well-done, beautiful and professional as they come. The problem, for most of us at least, is that it’s in German. But really, the photos and overall presentation are so good that … Continue reading Bonsai Art & the Art of Bonsai

Bonsai Ramification and a Leap of Convoluted Logic

This Japanese hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora) is from Bonsai Art’s facebook photos (from issue 129 of their magazine). I’ll let you provide your own superlatives. No artist’s name is provided on facebook or in the magazine for either of the trees shown here, but I’d bet they’re Japanese. Last week we did a post on ramification which states the following: “the thing that most separates Japanese bonsai from much of the bonsai in the West is refinement. With deciduous trees this is most obvious when you look at ramification (branch structure and particularly fine branch structure).” Based on the source (Bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Ramification and a Leap of Convoluted Logic

Bonsai Art: Running Out of Superlatives

The day has barely started and I’m already running out of superlatives. I guess ‘spectacular’ will do in this case. It’s a Korean hornbeam (Carpinus turczaninowii) by Ian Stewartson. The photo is from Bonsai Art’s website. Getting ready for another cross country hop (west to east this time), so to save time we’ll pull something out of our archival hat once again. This one originally appeared March 2013. Bonsai Art magazine is very well named. As bonsai magazines go, it is as well-done, beautiful and professional as they come (taking nothing away from International Bonsai Magazine and several other good … Continue reading Bonsai Art: Running Out of Superlatives

Bonsai Art

The day has barely started and I’m already running out of superlatives. I guess ‘spectacular’ will do in this case. It’s a Korean hornbeam (Carpinus turczaninowii) by Ian Stewartson. The photo is from Bonsai Art’s website. Bonsai Art magazine is very well named. As bonsai magazines go, it is as well-done, beautiful and professional as they come (taking nothing nothing away from International Bonsai Magazine and several other good ones). The problem, for most of us at least, is that it’s in German. But really, the photos and overall presentation are so good that maybe the language isn’t as important … Continue reading Bonsai Art

Bunjin! For Love of Bonsai, A Little Counter Point, Yankee Bonsai Artists & What Is It About the Eel River?

Remember this? A little counter point to the searing heat many of us have been experiencing. Photo is from Rosemarie Voelker’s facebook photos. The caption reads: Vincente Rodriguez Lopez, Spain February 2012 snow. FREE Green Dream bonsai fertilizer while our warehouse is closed for vacation. Our warehouse will be closed for six more days. Orders received this week will be shipped on a first-come, first-served basis starting next Monday the 20th. As a reward for your patience, all orders received by noon Sunday (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) the 19th will receive one FREE 8oz bag of Green Dream bonsai … Continue reading Bunjin! For Love of Bonsai, A Little Counter Point, Yankee Bonsai Artists & What Is It About the Eel River?

Kannst du bonsai auf Deutsch sagen?

Bonsai and half-man. Udo Fischer‘s Trident maple was the winner of the 2009 Noelander’s Trophy. I prefer bonsai photos without posed people; there are other shots of this tree without Udo, but this was only one I could find that captured the beauty of the tree. So, apologies to Udo’s left-out left side. One thing just led to another I didn’t set out to create a post about German (and Austrian) bonsai. In fact, the first photo I put up was a photo from a Bill Valavanis’ Japan tour (stay posted). From there, somehow we got to German speaking bonsai … Continue reading Kannst du bonsai auf Deutsch sagen?

Weekly Wire 7: The Old School Way

Displaying bonsai the old school way. It’s always great to see a world-class bonsai displayed in a well-put-together Tokonoma. It’s from Kunio Kobayashi’s website. Just in case you haven’t heart of Mr. Koybayahsi, he’s considered by many to one of the world’s most prominent bonsai masters. Speaking of Bonsai Masters: We almost never use the term here on Bonsai Bark or at Stone Lantern. In fact, I think we’ve used it only for Masahiko Kimura and Kunio Kobayashi. This is not to say there aren’t others in their league, it just that it’s such a tricky term that’s so often … Continue reading Weekly Wire 7: The Old School Way

Companions for Lonely Bonsai

I borrowed this intriguing display from Bonsai Art magazine’s website (I guess you can tell). I like the tree a lot, but it’s the companion that really caught my eye. Companions, accents, shitakusa, kusamono… whatever you call them One thing I like about companion plants is that good ones can have dual functions: you can team them with bonsai to create dynamic displays, or, if they are good enough, they can be displayed alone. This mystery plant from our mystery book easily stands alone. One companion plant keeps three bonsai and a suiseki company in this circular shohin display. … Continue reading Companions for Lonely Bonsai

The Great ‘Is Bonsai Art?’ Debate

The May-June (Mai/Juni) cover of Bonsai Art magazine. Europe’s (and maybe the world’s) most beautiful bonsai mag (German language only). Is bonsai art? You’ll often see the term ‘bonsai artist’ in this blog (and elsewhere). You’ll also often see the term ‘the art of bonsai.’ Clearly, there’s no problem with putting the words bonsai and art (or artist) together. And why not? High quality bonsai pretty much fits the definition of art (see below) and most people would agree that good bonsai requires artistry. A better question Perhaps a better question than ‘is bonsai an art,’ would be; ‘when is … Continue reading The Great ‘Is Bonsai Art?’ Debate