Four Bonsai Masterpieces & Free Critiques

Another Robert Steven bonsai masterpiece. He doesn’t say what kind of tree it is but it looks a lot like a Pemphis. Jammed up this morning so we’ll dip into our archives once again. This one is from last March. We just featured a Robert Steven critique, so this seems like a good time to show a few of Robert’s bonsai. Robert will critique your bonsai for free. All he needs is at least one good photo. Plain background and shot from a good angle and height. If you don’t know what a good angle and height is, just check … Continue reading Four Bonsai Masterpieces & Free Critiques

Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree

Robert Steven’s digitally enhanced version of a Trident maple by Carl Morrow (the photo Carl submitted is below). This is one of our earlier (September, 2010) Robert Steven critiques. And one of my favorites. The tree is great and Robert’s lesson is simple. Reign in the spread of the crown and the pot, and suddenly the already powerful trunk and nebari jump out. Not that they didn’t already claim some demand on your attention, but with the distracting horizon horizontal energy reduced, that demand is more clearly focused and exactly where it should be. There’s more, but we’ll let Robert … Continue reading Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree

Robert’s Bonsai & Our Disclaimer

Premna is all Robert Steven says about this remarkable tree, but maybe that’s enough; it can tell its own story of a wild life with more than its fair share of abuse (like some people we might know). As you may have noticed, we feature Robert Steven’s bonsai more than any other artist, so maybe it’s time to issue a disclaimer. But before we do that, we’ll note that Robert is one of the most prolific and talented bonsai artists we know. Beyond that, he teaches bonsai to a depth seldom seen and he expresses boundless energy and enthusiasm in … Continue reading Robert’s Bonsai & Our Disclaimer

Bonsai from Nothing

Robert Steven’s simulation of a tree that was submitted by David Royinsyah (below). The following is from two years ago today (the first time I rehashed this post): “Even though I promised I wouldn’t do any rehashed posts for a while, my day is already full and it just happens to be my birthday, so I’m going to cut myself a little slack. Anyway, what better to rehash than a Robert Steven critique? This one originally appeared almost three years ago.” After featuring a couple dozen of Robert’s critiques over the years, I’m still impressed. This one is quite unusual … Continue reading Bonsai from Nothing

Tireless Bonsai Warrior

There’s so much that could be said about this wildly expressive tree, but I’ll leave that to Robert Steven. Here’s what Robert wrote: “Premna microphylla (small leaves) grafted on Premna serratifolia stump to obtain better foliage proportion and ramification structure… Combining different line characters into one integrated design in bonsai is a big challenge to obtain good harmony….If there is anything “disturbing” you, mean I succeed to evoke you… LOL smile emoticon.” It has been a while since we featured Robert Steven’s bonsai. If you are new to bonsai, you may not know Robert. In addition to being one of … Continue reading Tireless Bonsai Warrior

Surrealistic Bonsai

Robert Steven’s simulation of a photo submitted by Wayan (see below). Yesterday’s post was about art and the art of bonsai and today we’re down in Williamstown Mass catching Van Gogh at the Clark before he’s gone (how’s that for bonfides?). The upshot is, no time to put together a new post, so we dug up this Robert Steven critique from 2011. We renamed it Surrealistic Bonsai, an accidental allusion to art (post Van Gogh of course). What a difference a pot makes Though Robert doesn’t mention it in his critique (below), introducing a shallow pot, rather than the tree’s … Continue reading Surrealistic Bonsai

Going Rafting on Sinuous Roots

This amazingly rugged sinuous root raft style planting is by our friend, Robert Steven. I don’t know the variety, but my guess is that Robert, who seemingly keeps track of the entire bonsai universe, will let us know. Rounding out our discussion of forest bonsai, it’s time to take a look at raft style bonsai. I don’t need to say much (Peter Adams has it covered below) except that all the rafts shown here are sinuous root style (netsunagari in Japanese) as opposed to rafts with straight line trunks (stay posted). The section just below by Peter Adams originally appeared … Continue reading Going Rafting on Sinuous Roots

Robert Steven Critiques a Black Pine and Offers Some Insights into the Five Schools of Penjing

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Japanese black pine that was submitted by Mike Liu (Mike’s original is below). I’m on a vacation of sorts, so we’ll dip back into our archives. This one is from 2010. I picked it for a couple reasons: first, Robert Steven is one of those bonsai artists that bothers to explain how he gets from point A to point B and why he takes the path he does. The second reason I chose to re-post this one has to do with Penjing and its place in the world of bonsai. Much of what we do … Continue reading Robert Steven Critiques a Black Pine and Offers Some Insights into the Five Schools of Penjing

Useful Tips for Those of Us Stuck in Beginner Level Bonsai Skills

Robert’s digital simulation of a Ficus nerifolia that was submitted by Tom Kreugl. Busy traveling so we’ll dig up another post from our vast archival past. This one is from September, 2010. It’s one of numerous Robert Steven critiques that provide simple lessons in bonsai design, with several useful tips. I think it’s particularly good for beginners and those of us who have been stuck with beginner level skills for too long (all of Robert’s critiques are good for beginners and for more advanced enthusiasts too). While we’re talking about Robert Steven, this might a good place to mention … Continue reading Useful Tips for Those of Us Stuck in Beginner Level Bonsai Skills

Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

The first thing that caught my eye in this photo is the tree’s overall graceful fluid movement. Next is the swirling gnarl that, for lack of a better word, we’ll call the trunk (see below). This photo and the others shown here are from a recent facebook post by Robert Steven. Robert Steven is, without a doubt, the artist most featured here on Bonsai Bark. You can chalk that up to him being one of the most accomplished and innovative bonsai artists in the world. Prolific too. But there’s more. We don’t usually do lists here nor do we usually … Continue reading Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment