Great Pots Deserve Great Trees

Barbados cherry (Malpigia glabra) by Hsieh, Cheng-Hua These three magnificent trees with their equally magnificent pots are from the 2008 Taiwan Bonsai Creators Exhibition booklet which appears on Bonsai Shari Si-Diao, Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s website. All three photo originally appeared her in April, 2011 20% OFF SITE WIDE SALE at STONE LANTERN SEE BELOW – Ficus microcarpa by Huang,Ching-Chi. Variety unlisted. By Tung, Wen Chi 20% OFF SITE WIDE SALE OUR 20% OFF SITE WIDE SALE MEANS DOUBLE DISCOUNTS ON ITEMS THAT ARE ALREADY ON SALE AND 20% OFF ON EVERYTHING ELSE 20% off will show up when you check out – FREE Shipping Still Applies … Continue reading Great Pots Deserve Great Trees

Movement, Power & Artistic Freedom

Abstract bonsai art. I think there’s a temptation to judge trees with elaborately carved deadwood. But maybe it’s best to just appreciate the skill involved and not worry about too much deadwood or whether the result look like our sense of what’s natural or not. Not to downplay the importance of bonsai the look like trees in nature, rather to appreciate the vast variety of approaches and results in our wonderful world of bonsai Yesterday we featured Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s colorful side. Today we’ll touch upon his famous Sidao carving method and some results. Hopefully this will peak your interest. If … Continue reading Movement, Power & Artistic Freedom

Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

It takes a strong tree to handle a pot like this. This Pistacio (Pistacia chinensis Bunge) has at least two features that qualify: its muscular trunk which works well with the depth of the pot (deep pots with thin trunks just don’t work) and its lushly hued full crown which contrasts with the pot’s brilliance. Today is the first day of a short summer vacation. We’ll try to keep Bark going by employing some favorites from our archives. This one is from January, 2016 (with a couple revisions today) The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a … Continue reading Not All Bonsai Need Deadwood

Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh

One of three magnificent Junipers (Juniperus chinensis) that you can find on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots website. Or, you can go straight to the source, Bonsai Sidiao master, Cheng Cheng Kung’s site. Yesterday, Ryan Bell offered a friendly heads up on a boneheaded mistake by yours truly. After wiping the egg off and correcting the mistake, I decided to visit Ryan’s Japanese Bonsai Pots to see what he’s been up to lately. As always, it was a click worth making. Especially for someone who enjoys brilliant ceramic art and equally brilliant bonsai. Continued below… Here’s something you might like … Continue reading Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh

No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Cheng, Cheng Kung starts with this view, so we’ll call it the front (south). It has been a while since we featured a 360 degree Bonsai. The Juniper bonsai shown here is from Cheng, Cheng Kung’s Si-Daio website . If you visit Cheng’s Si-Daio you can watch the tree spin a full 360° circle. This 360° bonsai brings to mind an old discussion whether a quality bonsai should be attractive when viewed from any angle. No hidden flaws or ugly spots, no matter where you stand in relation to the tree. I’ve taken screen shots from 8 different points of … Continue reading No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

The other day we featured a bonsai hedge by Joe Selworthy (Dan Barton’s talented twin) and now here’s another one with this caption: “Picture of my first Cotoneaster hedge with Deshojo maple which I sold several years ago.” Though you can’t tell from here, there’s some impressive detail on and around the little fence under the maple (see below). Recognize this tree? It’s a Cheng, Cheng-Kung Shimpaku juniper that we featured last week. Here’s part of our caption: …there’s something very unusual going on here. Not that I expect you to read my mind, but still, the first person … Continue reading Hedge Bonsai #2 and Some Loose Ends

Abstract Bonsai Art & Carving Deadwood, Sidiao Style

Abstract bonsai art. I think there’s a temptation to judge trees with elaborately carved deadwood (like this one). But maybe it’s best to just appreciate the the skill involved and not worry about too much deadwood or whether the result looks natural or not. Yesterday we featured Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s colorful side. Today we’ll touch upon his famous Sidao carving method and some results. Hopefully this will peak your interest. If it does, you can visit his website for more. Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Sidiao method in a nutshell. There’s a lot more where this came from. Just another Shimpaku with … Continue reading Abstract Bonsai Art & Carving Deadwood, Sidiao Style

Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

It takes a strong tree to handle a pot like this. This Pistacio (Pistacia chinensis Bunge) has at least two features that qualify: its muscular trunk which works well with the depth of the pot (deep pots with thin trunks just don’t work) and its lush, full, colorful crown (subtle, but still colorful) which contrasts with, and is not overpowered by, the pot’s brilliance. The trees shown here are all Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s creations. Cheng is famous for his Sidiao method (a technique for creating and enhancing deadwood – more on this tomorrow), but today, in keeping with yesterday’s theme, we’ll show his more colorful side. We’ve featured Cheng, … Continue reading Cheng, Cheng-Kung’s Colorful Side

360° Bonsai, No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Cheng, Cheng Kung starts with this view, so we’ll call it the front (south). I has been a while since we featured a 360 degree Bonsai. The tree shown here is from Cheng, Cheng Kung’s Si-Daio website (it’s been a long time since we featured Mr Cheng as well). If you visit Cheng’s Si-Daio you can watch the tree spin a full 360° circle. This 360° bonsai brings to mind an old discussion whether a quality bonsai should be attractive when viewed from any angle. No hidden flaws or ugly spots, no matter where you stand in relation to the … Continue reading 360° Bonsai, No Hidden Flaws or Ugly Spots

Can’t Really Pick a Favorite, But…

Suthin has a way with Hinoki cypress. And a way with bonsai altogether. The more I look at this tree, the more I like it. If I were to go back through our nine hundred or so posts so far and pick my favorites, this one would surely make the grade. This photo and the others in this post are from Suthin’s facebook timeline. It would be very difficult if we had pick a favorite bonsai or a favorite bonsai artist. There are simply too many good ones, with so many different types of trees and styles. However, if I … Continue reading Can’t Really Pick a Favorite, But…