A Second Look

Fluidity and power. If you’re not into the highly styled look, then you’re probably not crazy about this tree. But it might be possible to take a second look with some effort to relax any notion of what a bonsai should look like. When I do this I see an impressive work of art (in this case at least), though admittedly you’d never see a tree in nature that looks quite like this one. It’s was posted on facebook by Minoru Akiyama, one of Japan’s many outstanding bonsai artists. No species is given, but Shimpaku juniper is probably a safe … Continue reading A Second Look

Monster Demo Bonsai on a Monster Hydraulic Turntable

That’s famous bonsai master, Kunio Kobayashi on the right, getting ready to tackle his monster demo tree. And yes, that’s a Green T Professional Hydraulic Lift Bonsai Turntable gamely holding the behemoth up. The after shot is below It’s Saturday, a good day to catch up mowing, weeding and trimming outside. Not bonsai (who mows bonsai?) but just our landscape gardens. Anyway, to save time, we’ll resurrect this post from a couple months ago. It’s a bit of an infomercial for our popular Green T Professional Hydraulic Lift Turntables, but the photos are still very good. Time to pay another visit to the recent … Continue reading Monster Demo Bonsai on a Monster Hydraulic Turntable

An Outrageous Explosion

This perfect curlycue has to be among the all time greats when it comes to distinctive deadwood. The tree belongs to the very talented Minoru Akiyama. The photo appears just the way I found it, with the apex and most of the pot missing. The art of carving bonsai deadwood was popularized by Masahiko Kimura and his custom power tools back in the 80s and 90s. Now a couple decades later amazing deadwood (and not so amazing deadwood) is everywhere with more and more outrageously wild examples popping up. Though this explosion of jin and shari is not everyone’s cup … Continue reading An Outrageous Explosion

Hustling to Keep Up

I don’t think you’ll see plantings quite this distinctively unusual very often. Not that all good bonsai aren’t unique, just that this one is very unique (and no doubt very heavy too). It’s by Colin Lewis, who happens to be one of the featured artists at the LSBF 2013 convention (below). Bonsai Calendar. We seem to be featuring bonsai events almost weekly now. It’s never was our intention to turn Bark into a bonsai calendar, but still, reminding you of events (and maybe even encouraging you to take the leap and attend one or two) seems like a good thing … Continue reading Hustling to Keep Up

A Solution to a Nonexistent Problem

If you pitch your tent in the Naturalistic Bonsai camp, then it’s probably too late to suggest you avert your eyes. So… as long as you are looking at this remarkable tree, I’ll just comment on how the static perfectly groomed crown seems to contrast with the swirling movement in the perfectly groomed deadwood. Something like that. The artist is Minoru Akiyama, who is one of the headliners at this year’s Mid Atlantic (scroll down a little for more info). It’s that time of year. You can tell because every other post these days features a few big bonsai events … Continue reading A Solution to a Nonexistent Problem

Not Crazy, Dug from the Garden, Abette Rosso, Vampire Suiseki & Small Bonsai Lovers

Fluidity, power and so well groomed. If you’re in that “I don’t like that highly styled look” group, then you’re probably not crazy about this tree. For me, beauty isn’t restricted to a style or concept, so no problem (though you’d never see a tree in nature that looks like this). It’s was posted on facebook by Minoru Akiyama, one of Japan’s many outstanding bonsai artists. Now for the guessing part: Shimpaku juniper (too easy). This is what can happen when good stock ends up in talented hands. Mario Komsta has an excellent series of photos on facebook that … Continue reading Not Crazy, Dug from the Garden, Abette Rosso, Vampire Suiseki & Small Bonsai Lovers