One of our most accomplished
I have long been a fan of Suthin Sukosolvisit’s bonsai, and though I try not to get into the personality end of things on this blog, I must admit that I find Suthin, in addition to being one of our most accomplished bonsai artists, a thoroughly decent human being. I miss my occasional visits with Suthin and Dara (another thoroughly decent human being) at Royal Bonsai since I moved away from the Boston area; so it’s nice to see Suthin and his bonsai pop up on the internet from time to time.

Much more than just shohin
Though Suthin is known for his shohin bonsai, his talents aren’t restricted to just the small end of the spectrum. Mid-sized and even large bonsai are also part of his highly skilled repertoire.

A very small complaint
I’ve never seen any real high quality photos of Suthin’s bonsai. I’m hoping they exist somewhere, though I suspect they don’t. Maybe someone out there will make it happen.

These before photos of a Communis juniper are from Suthin’s Royal Bonsai website. Though the photos are small, the quality isn’t bad. The after photo below, however…

Azalea. Also from Suthin’s Royal Bonsai website (as are the two photos below).

This Japanese maple is an example of Suthin’s skills with a larger-than-shohin sized bonsai.  It’s a pretty good photo, though it was so small that I had to enlarge it. Thus the slightly fuzzy quality.

Great tree. Great pot.

BIB then BABA
I should have posted BIB before BABA (see last post). Confused? Okay, here’s how it goes: There are two (at least) very notable Bonsai Clubs in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. One is the Bay Area Bonsai Associates (BABA) and the other is Bay Island Bonsai (BIB). Last post we featured BABA’s 30th Anniversary Exhibit at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland. This post we are featuring BIB’s 13th annual exhibit, also at the Lake Merritt Garden Center, even though the BIB exhibit was actually before the BABA exhibit (Still confused? Don’t worry, you can always just enjoy the great photos).

The same trusty camera and excellent eye
The photos in this post and our previous post (as well as a couple dozen older posts) are by Jonas Dupuich of Bonsai Tonight.

Round and round and round. Round pot, round mounded trunk and rounded crown. Old too. It’s a Japanese white pine. The pot is by Michael Hagedorn. BTW: speaking of Japanese black and white pines, did you know we have an excellent book on just that topic?

Have you ever seen such a stumpy Japanese maple? I’ve seen ones with heavier trunks, but don’t think I’ve seen many this compact and heavy. It’s a shohin (you can tell by the stand, among other things).

This delicate Catlin elm (Ulmus parviflora, Catlin) shows some pretty good ramification (see our previous post for more on the topic). I’ve always had a soft spot for Catlins; they make for sweet little bonsai with their small leaves and lovely lines.

A little antidote
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. A time of almost insane hyperbole and wild passions run amuck. A time when big, loud and violent is the norm and our connections with our more refined sensibilities are put aside in favor of baser impulses. On such a strange and bewildering day, I thought it might be helpful for those of us who are susceptible to such unrestrained and even dangerous impulses (Go Pats!), to take a deep breath and enjoy a little shohin bonsai elegance.

A sweet, stumpy little Honeysuckle. Artist unlisted.

This little Shimpaku displays a near perfect mix of wild and refined. Artist unlisted.

It’s hard to say without contrasting perspective, but at a glance this Boxwood (Buxus harlandii Chubin) appears on the big side to be called a shohin. Still, shohin it must be, and no matter, it’s still a powerful little tree. And BTW, have you ever seen a boxwood with such a profusion of flowers? Artist unlisted.

Better late…
Don’t know how this happened, but we almost missed this one. The California Shohin Society is holding its famous biennial seminar in Santa Nella this weekend. I know it’s late, but it’s a great event and if you’re in the area, here’s what you need to know.

Santa Nella

Speaking of famous Shohin, have you seen our book by Morten Albek: Shohin Bonsai, Majesty in Miniature?

You don’t have to live in the tropics…
… to grow tropical bonsai (but it helps). At this moment, we might as well be in the tropics here in northern Vermont. Last night it rained so hard that torrentially is an understatement, and today it’s nasty hot and muggy. Still, it’s nothing like the tropics, where tropical bonsai really grow, rather than just survive eight months indoors.

Summer Sales
Bonsai Today magazines: 60% off the price that shows on our website
Stainless Japanese bonsai shears and other stainless cutting tools have all been deeply discounted
Embroidered Bonsai T-shirts: an additional 10% off the price that shows on our website
Netsuke Japanese figurines: new astoundingly low prices
Kenzans (flower frogs): 25% off the price that shows on our website
100 gram Bonsai Aesthetics wire now 1.90 per roll
Hundreds of other items, almost all discounted

Also from Pedro’s facebook photos. All it says is: Display Ganador (winning display) VIVA PUERTO RICO!!!!!

This cascade is from Pedro’s website. My apologies for cutting off the base of the stand (it’s a long story).

Tropical style tokonoma. Also from Pedro’s wall photos. Tokonoma is a Japanese word that means ‘display alcove.’

Tomohiro Masumi, Morten Albek & Shohin bonsai
Rather than bore you with my take on things, I’ll just post a few photos I think you might appreciate. If you want more (photos and information), you can visit Morten’s facebook post on Tomohiro Masumi’s visit to Denmark, or you can go directly to Morten’s website. If you’d like to dig deeper, you can also visit Tomohiro’s website. And then there’s always Morten’s famous Shohin book.

Though I couldn’t find this on Morten’s site, I’m guessing it’s his, given that it has his look and there’s other circumstantial evidence. I’m also guessing that it’s a barberry.

A close up of the sweet little companion that appears above. We did a whole post on companions a few days ago.

The whole display. When it comes to showtime, shohin bonsai is all about display. If you’d like to dig into the topic in depth, check out Morten’s book.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2079586075264&set=a.2079582755181.2128961.1413408458&type=1&theater

Morten Albek’s Photos – Tomohiro Masumi Shohin-bonsai demo in Denmark

Mis Arboles by Andres Alvarez Iglesias
The first three photos in this post are part of a photo album by Andres Alvarez Iglesias that appears on facebook. The title of the photo album is ‘Mis Arboles’ (my trees). The forth photo appears on Andres’ website.

All too fleeting
It’s flower time here in northern Vermont. Azaleas, Rhodies, Lilacs, tulips, early lillies, crabapples, you name it, it’s either busy flowering, getting ready to flower, or just finished flowering. It’s a blissful time, but touched with sadness…. here today, gone tomorrow and before you know it, snow. And then there’s the real big picture…

Another azalea showing off. It’s hard to tell the exact size of the tree, but judging by the flowers, I’d say it’s a shohin bonsai.

The fleeting flowers are gone. With a little luck (and diligence) the birds will spare the fruit. Looks like shohin crabapple.

Here’s the same tree that’s at the top of the post. A little earlier in the season, before the flowers completely take over. This one is from Andres’ website.

Have you seen our Satsuki Azalea book?

Novelty?
Usually, when something is billed as the world’s smallest (see below) or largest, or..?,  it moves into that surreal novelty realm. Would you say these tiny bonsai qualify? I’m not so sure. There’s an art to doing this and to keeping the tiny trees healthy. Still…..

A place to stay
The photos in this post are from Bonsai Guest House in Osaka. I know almost nothing about the place, but you might want to check it out on your next Japan junket.

$1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest idea
You could do this for our $1,000 Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Think small and win (well, no guarantees). Small bonsai (Shohin Bonsai) is a pretty good idea if you are at a loss for what to do.

With flowers no less. It’s from the same facebook posting by Bonsai Guest House.

From this, it looks like Mr Mitsuo was trying to create the ‘world’s smallest bonsai.’ Definitely the novelty approach.

Why you can win
No one has entered yet. We’ve had a couple threats, but no one has sent us any photos of the raw stock yet. The contest is wide open.

One suggestion
Do what Morten Albek did. He took a relatively large nursery plant and cut it way down to make a small bonsai. That’s just one idea, but it’s a good one.

Another suggestion
Do whatever you want. But do it! You’ve nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

Rules etc are here
Good Luck!

Speaking of Bonsai Today…
…. all back issues of Bonsai Today are now 50% off (that’s half price for the math challenged).

Could it really be?
Today we are experiencing our first real taste of spring here in northern Vermont, though we’re still a ways from leaves and flowers (unlike in Denmark, where this little maple lives, and where it never gets real cold).

A sweet little tree
I don’t know what the variety is, but it’s obvious that this very sweet little bonsai is a Japanese maple. Even though the tree is very small, the nebari is quite strong and lends a feeling of both age and stability. The two almost equal trunks are little unusual; bonsai and art conventions seem to prefer the more dynamic effect that unequal elements provide. But then, this is shohin bonsai, where conventions are broken as a matter of course. Besides, conventions will only get you so far anyway.