Warming Up for the 2020 International Bonsai ArtFest

This elegant composition is a small piece of a mixed media show that Robert Steven put together (with a little help from his friends) at the Pasar Seni Art Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. If you are near Jakarta, there’s still time to catch it before it closes (March 7th is the last day) I originally found this mixed media bonsai event on Robert Steven’s fb timeline. Most of the text is in Malay and rather than rely on machine translation, I ask Robert if he could write something for this post. Here it is, in his own words… “This was … Continue reading Warming Up for the 2020 International Bonsai ArtFest

Hanging Loose

Good full cascade bonsai aren’t all that common. Especially ones with such a relaxed feel (maybe it’s the way the foliage hangs so loose). It’s a Pemphis acidula. A common plant in Indonesia Continuing with Gede Merta from yesterday. This one is from our archives (April, 2015), with some changes today. All the trees shown here are from Gede Merta’s Bonsai Bali timeline THREE SPECIALS 25% – 30% OFF all BOOKS 20% OFF BONSAI CLOTHING 30% TO 40% OFF BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOLS Specials include items already discounted   Another extraordinary Pemphis acidula – And yet another. Gede Merta’s caption says … Continue reading Hanging Loose

Naturally Dramatic Bonsai

A particularly dramatic and complex Pemphis acidula. Not that Pemphis don’t tend to be dramatic anyway, but this one is almost unrivaled. It was collected and styled by Gedemerta. Height 82cm (32″). Continuing from yesterday with more bonsai by Gedemerta, we’ll borrow a few photos from our archives (June, 2015).  All but one of the trees here are Pemphis acidula which has to be one of the most naturally dramatic trees in the world. It’s a safe bet that they were all collected from the wild. In fact, it might not be too far fetched to assume that Pemphis bonsai only originate in the wild, … Continue reading Naturally Dramatic Bonsai

Dance, People, Bird & Other Innovative Bonsai

Selecting a lead tree isn’t always easy. Especially with so many good bonsai to choose from. I settled on this one partly because it’s a full cascade and good full cascade bonsai aren’t that common, and partly because of the tree’s overall relaxed feel; the unusual way the foliage seems draped across the top and just how loose all the foliage hangs. Not to say that its wild shape and extraordinary deadwood aren’t enough to make this tree worthy. But then most of Gede Merte’s bonsai show wild shapes and extraordinary deadwood. The tree is Pemphis acidula. A common plant … Continue reading Dance, People, Bird & Other Innovative Bonsai

Creative, Daring, Fascinating & Maybe…

I like the tree’s powerful dynamic movement, but it’s the pot that floors me. It’s creative, daring, fascinating and maybe just a little overcooked. We’ll leave it with both an exclamation point and a question mark. I found both of these trees on facebook. They were posted by Bonsai Hegar Cipariuk from Indonesia. I can’t read the text, but I can see the trees and especially the pots. As mentioned in the caption, I’m not sure what to make of the pot above, though it gets very high marks for being completely unique and over-the-top creative. The pot below however, is … Continue reading Creative, Daring, Fascinating & Maybe…

Year Round Bonsai

Dien Dàn Cây Canh Viet Nam is what the caption says. Both the tree and the language are Vietnamese, even though the photo and the other two in this post are from Indonesian Bonsai. It’s the tree above that caught my attention while scrolling through reams of facebook photos (part of the advantage of having several thousand facebook friends – there are disadvantages too, as you might imagine). Aside from the fact that it’s a dynamic tree with its powerful well-tapered trunk full of texture and movement, three staggered crowns and all the rest, there’s that thought that keeps popping … Continue reading Year Round Bonsai

Bonsai Paradise

I think this magnificent convoluted beast belongs to Yusuf Sirait; at least it appears on his facebook page. It’s a Pemphis acidula (Santigi). Yet another mid-summer vacation resurrection (from January 2012). The original was a little wordy so I’ve chopped it down just a bit. Bonsai paradise I wonder just how common naturally contorted wild bonsai stock are on the islands of Indonesia. Based on what you see online and elsewhere, it’s easy to get the impression that they are quite abundant and easily accessible, though, I doubt that’s really the case. In fact, photos from Robert Steven’s Mission of … Continue reading Bonsai Paradise

Bonsai Paradise

I think this wonderfully convoluted beast belongs to Yusuf Sirait; at least it appears on his facebook page. It’s a Pemphis acidula (Santigi). Bonsai paradise I wonder just how common naturally contorted wild bonsai stock are on the islands of Indonesia. Based on what I’ve seen online and elsewhere, it’s easy to get the impression that they are so abundant that all you have to do is walk out your door, bend over and pick a few. Somehow though, I doubt that’s the case. If fact, I seem to remember photos from Robert Steven’s Mission of Transformation, that show Robert … Continue reading Bonsai Paradise

Bonsai Indonesia & Sherlock Holmes

Graceful simplicity contrasted with a wild shape and texture make for a striking bonsai. I lifted this photo off of a facebook page titled ‘Bonsai Indonesia‘ by Silky Jemiran. The owner is listed as Zhylonk Kiakiz Alfarizhy. I did not commit the sin of chopping off the pot, though I did adjust the image to take out background noise. Sherlock Holmes Sometimes tracking down the real owner of a bonsai that appears on facebook requires the imagination and determination of a Sherlock Holmes. Even then, you can’t always be sure you’ve got it right. Problem solved? When I first saw … Continue reading Bonsai Indonesia & Sherlock Holmes