Salvatore Liporace

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

Spanish Chainsaw Massacre

If you haven’t seen the Magician wielding a chainsaw, check this out. It’s from a 2007 bonsai convention at Mistral Bonsai in the Spanish province of Tarragona (I was there, but that’s another story). Kimura’s assistant is Salvatore Liporace, a well know Italian bonsai artist and author of several Bonsai Today articles. When Masahiko Kimura introduced his custom made chainsaw into the bonsai world, it created a buzz that was heard first in the Japanese bonsai community and then throughout the world (well, world bonsai community).