Bonsai, Culture & a Meeting Place for Friends & Bonsai Lovers (What happens in Belgium…)

This highly unusual and remarkably powerful tree is from the cover of the 10th Noelanders Trophy book. I couldn’t find any information on the variety (looks like a Japanese white pine), the artist or the photographer. The 18th Noelanders Trophy is coming soon. February 4-5. It’s a long standing favorite in Europe. But not just Europe; bonsai artists and enthusiasts from around the world have long considered it a favorite destination for bonsai, culture and a meeting place for old friends and bonsai lovers (what happens in Belgium…). Continued below… It’s a New Year… Time to upgrade your Tools 25% … Continue reading Bonsai, Culture & a Meeting Place for Friends & Bonsai Lovers (What happens in Belgium…)

A Full Grown Man Sitting in a Bonsai Tree

It’s not that often you see a full grown man sitting in a bonsai tree (why doesn’t the tree fall over?). The caption and the photo are from BCI magazine. Marc Noelanders is an accomplished bonsai artist, though he’s probably best know for his annual Noelanders Trophy Bonsai Exhibition. We’ve featured trees from the Exhibition numerous times over the years, though I can’t find any of Marc’s that we’ve shown. I’d like to redress the situation, but too much to do today, so we’ll settle for the mind stopping photos above. Some other time we’ll do the research and show you … Continue reading A Full Grown Man Sitting in a Bonsai Tree

Surayama – Shimpaku, Spruce & Several Others

It’s a little surprising that there are so few good shots of bonsai in creative settings. Not that they don’t exist, just that they don’t exist in larger numbers. This one was borrowed from Peter Warren’s Surayama, as were all the photos in this post. We’re merging two themes from recent posts: Rosemary bonsai and Peter Warren’s bonsai. Only one Rosemary actually, but all the bonsai shown here are Peter’s. This is not the first time we’ve featured Peter Warren’s bonsai and, as we are fond of saying, won’t be the last. Peter is an accomplish bonsai artist and teacher … Continue reading Surayama – Shimpaku, Spruce & Several Others

A Happy Accident

The original caption from Milan Karpíšek reads “Sabina of my friend ready for a show.” He doesn’t say who the friend is. We might assume that the tree belongs to a friend and was styled by Milan, but we know about assumptions. Maybe someone can clue us in. The three trees shown here are from Milan Karpíšek’s facebook photos (Milan is from the Czech Republic). Like many of the bonsai featured here, these were discovered by accident (aka stumbled upon). A very happy accident indeed. I decided to show all three photos just the way Milan presents them on facebook … Continue reading A Happy Accident

Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding

This Itoigawa Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis ‘itoigawa’) by Dougie Smith qualifies as opulent for sure. Outrageous? Well there is that huge rock jutting up from the skinny little (but very handsome) pot. As for outstanding; that goes without saying. Note: I don’t know what the smaller trees down low are. Maybe azaleas? Myrtle? This photo and the others in this post are by Philippe Massard, though I cropped them all to bring the trees closer. All the photos in this post are from the Noelanders Trophy XV which was recently held in Belgium. The photos are all borrowed from Philippe Massard … Continue reading Opulent, Outrageous & Outstanding

It’s Free!

Maybe someone can help identify the owner of this most excellent swirling cascade juniper. It’s from the Noelander’s Trophy, 2013. You can see more photos from the show on Crataegus bonsai (and various other places). Speaking of the Noelanders’ Trophy, Marc Noelanders will be one of the featured artists at Brussel’s Rendezvous (see below). Why isn’t your event featured here? In March Bonsai Bark was visited 56,000 times (19,000 of those were unique). This being the case, Bark is probably a pretty good place to advertise your upcoming bonsai event. Especially considering it’s free. The best way to do this … Continue reading It’s Free!

Big Show, Small Trees

This pine by Mark and Rita Cooper was part of their second place Shohin display at the Noelanders Trophy. Mark and Rita also won the first place Shohin display (see below). All the trees in this post belong to Mark and Rita. All the photos are borrowed from Bonsai Eejit. In our last post we showed a small Chinese elm (see below) by Mark and Rita Cooper that was part of their first place Shohin display at the 2013 Noelanders Trophy. It was unattributed because I didn’t know who it belonged to. Now, thanks to Bonsai Eejit we know, and, … Continue reading Big Show, Small Trees

Lost & Found

Shadow dance. Here’s one that we didn’t show on our now vanished post (see below). The tree was on display at the Noelanders Trophy Exhibition and the image is courtesy Crataegus Bonsai, as are all the images in this post. I don’t know who the artist is. One more time. A week or so ago I accidentally deleted a post on the Noelander Trophy Exhibit. I had borrowed the images from Crataegus Bonsai, so I thought I’d go through and post some again, including one that was posted before. Speaking of Crataegus Bonsai, I just finished studying wiring with Mr. … Continue reading Lost & Found

Chief Seattle, Dragon Pot, Asleep at the Switch & Some Bonsai Events

I’m not so sure this planting would attract much attention when contrasted with the higher caste bonsai that you see in top exhibitions, but there’s something uncontrived and natural about it that seems almost wholesome (is that the right word?), especially its lush green canopy. It’s from Bonsai Do. Unfortunately unattributed and unidentified. There is however, this accompanying quote by Chief Seattle that is attributed: “Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clear and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience … Continue reading Chief Seattle, Dragon Pot, Asleep at the Switch & Some Bonsai Events

Small Is Still Beautiful

Kishu shimpaku juniper by John Brocklehurst. Mark Cooper took the photo at the 2012 Noelanders Trophy. I like the natural, fragile looking deadwood twigs and a whole lot more about this tree. Shohin again. We’ve been featuring shohin bonsai (small bonsai) a lot lately. Maybe it has to do with fact that we’re all aging and, as we age, smaller bonsai have larger appeal (easier to handle, take less space on our condo’s balconies and are a little less taxing on our social security budgets). Or maybe it’s just that we like them so much. All the photos in this … Continue reading Small Is Still Beautiful