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

Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Before and after by Robert Steven. The before is a photo that was submitted to Robert by David Royinsyah. The after is a digital simulation by Robert. The tree is a Tamarindus indica, a type of tropical legume. The photos are from the Black Scissors Community. It has been a while since we posted one of Robert Steven’s simulated before and after photos. In addition to being one of the foremost bonsai artists in the world, Robert is a bonsai teacher, so his before and afters are always information rich, with comments about style, technique, horticultural considerations and even bonsai history. Continued below… Brand … Continue reading Tropical Bonsai Before & After by Robert Steven

Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

Is this really one tree in two pots? Or is it a just a bit of tricky photography? This might be settled by more photographs taken from different angles, but this one is all we have and there’s no written explanation. Anyway, I’m inclined to believe that it is what it appears to be… but then we’ve been fooled before. It was posted by Trang Jira. His only caption is the word Diospyios* We don’t usually feature novelty bonsai (with the possible exception of halloween specials- see below). Still, and though one tree in two pots is a novelty, it is a decent … Continue reading Is This Really One Tree in Two Pots?

“One Quick Glance at this Tree Brought Me to a State of Nirvana”

A close up of a rather spectacular root-over-rock bonsai by Robert Steven (the entire planting is just below). Here’s our original caption (from May, 2016)… Robert Steven has done it again. This time it’s a perfect root-over-rock bonsai. Here’s what Charles Bevan has to say about it: “This is unbelievably perfect. One quick glance at this tree brought me to a state of nirvana.” The three trees shown here are from Robert Steven’s timeline. No varieties given, and though we would rather know what they are, we can still enjoy simple bonsai beauty, with or without a name. We just … Continue reading “One Quick Glance at this Tree Brought Me to a State of Nirvana”

The Tao of Bonsai

This famous three-tiered tree, is a good example of how a bonsai can express both movement and stillness. All three tiers, bottom, top and middle move to the right, yet the overall effect is one of balance and stillness. Our friend and associate Robert Steven is the artist. This post originally appeared in February, 2011. It’s one of dozens of Bark posts on the bonsai of Robert Steven, a long time leader in promoting and advancing the art of bonsai. The trees shown here are from Robert’s facebook photos. Bonsai Wire Special 500 gram rolls Only 9.50 each A simple … Continue reading The Tao of Bonsai

A Bonsai Symphony in Three Movements

This super-sized three part penjing is by Robert Steven; renowned bonsai artist, teacher, author and tool designer (his New RS Shears are below), and frequent contributor to this blog. We’ve shown this one before, but we’re busy with the seasonal rush, so we’ll take the easy way out and save some time. In Robert Steven’s own words… “This is a super large penjing I did two weeks ago. The total length is three meters (about 10 feet). I combined three large special-order white marble trays in the arrangement in order to give a unique presentation in perspective and composition. The … Continue reading A Bonsai Symphony in Three Movements

More Broken Chains

Just in case you missed our last two posts, here’s another photo on the theme breaking through the chains that limit creativity. Here’s our third and final post (for now at least) on the recent 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition. Photos courtesy of Robert Steven. NEW Site Wide Sale Everything at Stone Lantern now 20% to 25% off* time to get a jump on December madness World’s longest cascade What’s he doing? More broken chains… Continued below… NEW Site Wide Sale Everything at Stone Lantern now 20% to 25% off* 20% off all orders from … Continue reading More Broken Chains

Dramatic Bonsai & Mixed Media Presentations from Lithuania

Though there are ample shots of unusual bonsai and mixed media presentations from the recent 2016 Lithuania – International Black Scissors Bonsai Convention, this wonderfully eccentric bonsai jumped out at me. I cropped the photo to bring us in a little closer. The original photo is below. The photos shown here are from the recent 2016 Lithuania – International Black Scissors Bonsai Convention that was held in Alytus, Lithuania September 2-4. It was presented in collaboration with the 5th Japanese Culture Festival. Thanks to our old friend and business associate, Robert Steven for providing the link and encouragement to visit … Continue reading Dramatic Bonsai & Mixed Media Presentations from Lithuania

Another Outstanding Bonsai Critique by Robert Steven

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Pemphis acidula that was submitted by Nurul Fajri (the original photo is below). Would you like Robert Steven, renowned bonsai artist, teacher and author to critique one of your bonsai? For free? Just email me a photo and we’ll take it from there. We first featured the critique shown here back in November, 2013. The tree is so exceptional that it’s worth another look. When I opened my email from Robert Steven and glanced at the before photo (below), I thought it was the after photo. But only for a moment. It’s the pot that … Continue reading Another Outstanding Bonsai Critique by Robert Steven

Monsters

Halloween? The show was in October (last year). At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands clutching (persenting?) the sculpted wooden pot. This photo and the one just below are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale. Apropos of nothing… When I moved east from the left coast I was surprised to see what a big deal Halloween is out here. Almost like the Christmas, Hanukkah & other shortest-days-of-the-year-Holidays, only different with garden witches, ghosts and the rest. A full month or more before the actual day. Strange… … Continue reading Monsters