Muscular Bonsai, Muscular Turntable

Old European olives are often full of character as well as muscle, and this one is no exception. I found it on flickr and then, as one thing led to another, I came to the conclusion that this tree belongs to Luis Vallejo (though I couldn’t find evidence on his website). Taking off on a long trip today, so we’ll fall back on our archives again. Actually, this will be the third time for this one, but after yesterday’s post it seems like a good idea to show you one of my favorite olives. There’s something compelling about bonsai with … Continue reading Muscular Bonsai, Muscular Turntable

Olive Bonsai – Massive Trunks, Wild Trees

This European olive is a very substantial tree. But then, substantial European olives are quite common… though olives as substantial and developed as this one aren’t quite so common. Another foray into our archives. This one originally appeared December, 2013. It was titled ‘Wild Trees & Massive Trunks.’ All of the trees in this post are European olives. The photos are from José Gómez del Río on facebook. Another rugged olive with a great trunk and a good pot choice too. This wild unrefined look is typical of olives. As long as we’re on the subject of pots, you … Continue reading Olive Bonsai – Massive Trunks, Wild Trees

Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story

After. Robert Steven’s simulation of an Olive that was submitted by Gary Howes. There’s a lot to like about this simulation, including just how natural and untamed it looks (even the pot has an untamed quality). This wild, untamed quality tells a story of a something that has managed to stay alive and even thrive under some of the harshest conditions that Nature can dish out. This is our third consecutive post featuring Robert Steven. If you haven’t seen his bonsai or his critiques of other people’s bonsai, take a look. His critiques are full of useful insights and his … Continue reading Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story

Prove Us Wrong & Win a $50 Gift Certificate

This is the one that caused the most trouble (see D below). Our Bonsai Detective contest (from three weeks ago) turned out to be the most difficult one to judge yet. Remind me next time to be sure we have an ironclad grip on all the answers before we start. Not only were there lots of entries, but most were very good with only one or two misses. But what really made it difficult is conflicting, vague and otherwise unreliable information on the internet (surprise!). Especially on facebook (another surprise no doubt). The upshot is that after spending hours pouring … Continue reading Prove Us Wrong & Win a $50 Gift Certificate

Still Searching (Every Which a Way)

At a glance you might think this is just a stump with some foliage tacked on, but then as you look closer you notice the taper at the base and the way the texture of the wood creates movement and a feeling of age. Then there’s that little cave that enhances the story of time and place and natural forces that came together to help create this Dogwood by Franco Berti. From a post titled Reportage Vi Trofeo Bonsai e Suiseki Città di Poppi by Bonsai Romano. Taking off for the other coast today, so I’m sure you’ll excuse me … Continue reading Still Searching (Every Which a Way)

Wild Trees & Massive Trunks

Substantial, to say the least. You’d expect a heavy pot with such a massive trunk, still, to my eye this particular pot seems to dominate the tree just a bit. From José Gómez del Río’s facebook photos. All of the photos in this post are from José Gómez del Río on facebook, and I assume all of the trees are his. Even though I like his wild and wonderful olive bonsai, I seem to be just a bit nit picky this morning. We’ll chalk it up to mild case of pre-Holiday stress. BTW: the original images were a little dark … Continue reading Wild Trees & Massive Trunks

Invisible (& Visible) Bonsai

Aside from the fact that this is a remarkable bonsai, there’s the play of light and shadow on the wall. Though I didn’t set out to chose photos with shadows, because there are so many great trees to chose from, it seems like a good way to narrow it down a bit. The photo is from Segundo Congreso y Concurso de Bonsai via Bonsai Fachforum. The remarkable bonsai you see here turned up on Bonsai Fachforum, a German language site that is overflowing with photos of great trees. The Spanish language poster (see below) says Segundo Congreso y Concurso de … Continue reading Invisible (& Visible) Bonsai

Bonsai Muscle

European olives are often resplendent with character as well as muscle and this one is certainly no exception. I found it on flickr and then, one thing led to another and to the conclusion that this tree belongs to Luis Vallejo (though I couldn’t find evidence on his very attractive site). Fair warning I mentioned this last time, but just in case you missed it: I’m out of town and busy with things too numerous to mention, so we’ll dig into our archives once again. This digging should last about two weeks and then we’ll get back to fresh posts. … Continue reading Bonsai Muscle

Ramify!

Robert Steven’s simulation of an Olive that was submitted by Gary Howes (it’s Gary’s second time, here’s the first). Ramification. In the almost two and one half years since we ran our first critique by Robert Steven, he has repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing branching (ramification), particularly fine branching (secondary, tertiary and so forth). Especially if you want to create the feel of maturity on a young tree (or any tree for that matter). And though you can’t grow new branches overnight, it doesn’t take that long to get a good start. How long depends on a number of … Continue reading Ramify!

Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story by Robert Steven

After. Robert Steven’s simulation of an Olive that was submitted by Gary Howes. There’s a lot to like about this simulation, including just how natural and untamed it looks (even the pot has an untamed quality); untamed in the sense of something that has managed to stay alive and even thrive under some of the harshest conditions that Nature can dish out. Living on the cutting edge. It has been a while since we’ve featured a critique by Robert Steven. If you are new to Bonsai Bark, Robert is one of the world’s best known bonsai artists, whose renown has … Continue reading Natural Transformation: A Tree’s Life Story by Robert Steven