A High Degree of Bonsai Skill, Artistic Vision & No Lack of Deadwood at the Recent European Bonsai-San Show

Close up of the intricate deadwood on a Sabina juniper (Juniperus sabina) that belongs to Xavier Massanet. You can see the whole tree below Finally, some good photos from the recent European Bonsai-San Show! Salvatore Liporace was kind enough to post them on his timeline under the heading European Bonsai Show Saulieu Awards 2018!!!. No mention is made of which tree won which award, but Salvatore did bother to put up the names of the owners and the names of the trees, a real plus in our sometimes sketchy online universe, where these valuable pieces of information are often overlooked By the way, Salatore Liporace is one of Europe’s most … Continue reading A High Degree of Bonsai Skill, Artistic Vision & No Lack of Deadwood at the Recent European Bonsai-San Show

Rising to the Challenge – Another Before & After Bonsai

This radical before and after Sargent’s Juniper (Juniperus sargenti, aka Shimpaku) required technical and artistic skills you don’t see everyday. The artist is Salatore Liporace Staying with our before & after theme. This one is from our archives (August, 2014). It was titled Technical Skills, Great Vision & An Unsolved Mystery. The artist is Salvatore Liporace. My assumption at the time about the type tree was mistaken, so to avoid confusion, I’ve eliminated much of the text from the original post. This is an excellent example of a before and after bonsai. The before is full of challenges and promise (good stock is half the battle) … Continue reading Rising to the Challenge – Another Before & After Bonsai

Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Brilliant Bougainvillea from a post titled Welcome Summer! by Salvatore Liporace. I cropped it for a closer look. The original is below. Not only are Bougainvilleas brilliant when flowering, but they are easy to grow. That is if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate. Here in the North, wintering is a challenge, which isn’t that much different than with many other tropical or subtropical bonsai. When it comes to care, two things stand out. Bougs are sun lovers and they don’t like to stay wet for too long. In order for Bougainvilleas to flourish and most importantly to flower, … Continue reading Late Summer Bonsai Brilliance

Finding Fault Doesn’t Make You a Hater

Luigi Maggione’s wildly expressive, unusual bonsai with Itoigawa shimpaku foliage that has been grafted onto a Sabina juniper (Juniperus sabina). There’s a lot to like about this bonsai (I found it while perusing Salatore Liporace facebook feed) including just how strikingly unique it is and that way it jumps off the page and demands your attention. There are also some issues that might be called faults. Which begs the question of what constitutes a fault and also why bother to find faults at all (answer; finding faults doesn’t make you a hater* if you use them as learning tools – we … Continue reading Finding Fault Doesn’t Make You a Hater

Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

Bougainvilleas can be a little ostentatious, even gaudy at times, and this one just might qualify. Still, ostentatious, gaudy, whatever, this lush combination of flowers, aged character and power is magnificent. The photo is from the Club de Bonsaistas (facebook). Bougs! That gorgeously gaudy semi-tropical wonder plant that seems to grace half the walls of the southern regions of our world. Turns out they make great bonsai too. The power of the trunk rivals the brilliance of the flowers on this one. And then there’s that pot (anybody know anything about it?). I found this on Salvatore Liporace’s facebook … Continue reading Boug Bonsai, That Gorgeously Gaudy Wonder Plant

Technical Skills, Great Vision & An Unsolved Mystery

After. By Salatore Liporace. It’s not in a bonsai pot yet, but in this case, who cares? There are at least five things that struck me almost immediately about this tree. First, it’s a great example of a before and after bonsai. The before is full of challenges and promise (good stock is half the battle) and when you look at the after, it’s obvious that the artist (Salvatore Liporace) has done a masterful job of rising to the challenge. Second, there’s the exceptionally strong and vividly colored living vein and the way it wraps around and contrasts so well … Continue reading Technical Skills, Great Vision & An Unsolved Mystery

A Wild Weather Beaten Story

After styling. This wild looking tree is a Phoenician juniper. The artist is Salvatore Liporace. All three images in this post are from Salvatore’s facebook photos. Several things caught my attention when I first saw this tree. First, it’s a Phoenician juniper, a tree you don’t see very often, especially here in North America (we’ve only featured one in all our years of posting). Second, it’s a compelling bonsai styled by an accomplished bonsai artist (Salvatore Liporace). Third, there’s the almost scary deadwood. Like a tree you might see at a haunted house in a spooky movie. One thing that … Continue reading A Wild Weather Beaten Story

A Quick Study in Deadwood

It’s all about the deadwood (and the crown). Deadwood is sometimes overplayed, especially on Shimpaku. But even though the deadwood is dominant on this tree, the powerful and well constructed crown offers a good sense of balance. All three photos in this post are from Marco Invernizzi’s website. I’m still on vacation, so we’ll make no pretense of in-depth analysis of deadwood this morning (not that we ever do much in-depth analysis of anything). Just three photos of Shimpaku from Marco Invernizzi’s website with a few quick comments and a little word from our sponsor. Marco Invernizzi studied extensively with … Continue reading A Quick Study in Deadwood