…You Don’t See Bonsai Everyday, Yamadori or Othewise…

This wide-body old yamadori is the feature tree on Kevin Willson’s website. It looks like an English yew. That’s just a guess, though an educated(?) one, based on this and some other fading memories. You almost never see domestically grown bonsai that begin to approach the power and beauty of the best yamadori (trees collected in the wild). Carrying this a step further, you don’t see bonsai everyday, yamadori or otherwise, with the power and beauty of the trees shown here. The artist is Kevin Willson (we’ve featured him here on Bark and in Bonsai Today). Kevin’s website consists of … Continue reading …You Don’t See Bonsai Everyday, Yamadori or Othewise…

Bonsai Bark’s Weekly Wire #5

Loud and clear. This magnificent Fukien tea and it’s perfect pot speak for themselves, so I won’t say anything. Except that it’s from Taiwan Bonsai World (facebook), the botanical name is Carmona microphylla and the artist is HUANG, Qing-Quan. Post your upcoming events here (in the comments below) and we’ll feature them in our next Weekly Wire. Most calendars on bonsai sites only run through this year, and don’t have much in the way of events this time of year anyway. It would be good if people would start putting up next year’s events (a few have begun, but … Continue reading Bonsai Bark’s Weekly Wire #5

How About Yew (Carving Deadwood)?

Every time I open Bonsai Today issue 106 and lay my eyes on this wickedly powerful, dynamic old English yew, my mind does a little double take. It may not 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. A labor of love Yew 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 … Continue reading How About Yew (Carving Deadwood)?