Boon Again

This magnificent juniper makes its rocky home in California’s Sierra Nevada range. This photo, and the next three photos, are from a recent series on Boon Manakitivipart’s facebook timeline titled “Sierra trip with Dylan, Toby and Freddie at Carson Pass.” We’ve been featuring Boon Manakitivipart’s bonsai since Bonsai Bark’s earliest days. Not only is Boon a highly accomplished bonsai artist, he is teacher to several other accomplish bonsai artists (Michael Hagedorn immediately comes to mind). Equally important, Boon is a lover and photographer (along with some friends) of some of the Sierra Nevada’s most astounding trees. Boon and … Continue reading Boon Again

Drifting a Little Farther Afield

What a great photo. It helps to have such an excellent subject for sure (Japanese black pine). It’s from post titled ‘The Dark Horse’ on the Bjorvala Bonsai Studio blog. The full tree and pot are shown below. There’s really not much of theme going on with this post, other than a digital tour of some bonsai blogs/websites. So we’ll leave it at that… except to say that we’re going a little farther afield than we usually do. I have a soft spot for hand painted bonsai pots. This one is from the ‘for sale’ section of Ryan Bell’s … Continue reading Drifting a Little Farther Afield

Just So: Nature’s Brilliant Bonsai Inspirations

This monster Sierra juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) was shot by Craig Thompson somewhere in the Sierra Nevadas. The little one (is it a pine?) in front isn’t half bad either. Biggest Sale… … on Bonsai, Japanese garden & ikebana tools, books, and more at Stone Lantern. Virtually every item is discounted with double discounts for orders over $50..

Photo Art Contest: Entry #4

James Miles submitted this entry to our $100 Bonsai Art Photo Contest. It’s a juniper somewhere in the high Sierras. That’s granite that is appears to be growing on. How do they do that? The contest Here are the details. Don’t be shy, send us a photo. You might win a gift certificate to Stone Lantern. Speaking of Stone Lantern, our current deep sale ends tomorrow morning Even though we always seem to have sales, this one is particularly good, with a range of items double discounted. Check it out.

The Bonsai Artistry of Michael Hagedorn Plus Freeze Dried Roots

We borrowed this magnificent Sierra/Shimpaku juniper from Michael Hagedorn Crataegus Bonsai site. Michael is the author of Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. Reworking a remarkable Weyerhaeuser Juniper Here’s what Michael has to say about the tree above: “A rangy juniper reworked in a half-day refinement session at the Weyerhaeuser collection in Federal Way, Washington. This 40″ (102cm) tree is a collected Sierra juniper grafted with shimpaku.” You can see the whole post here, which includes the before shot.

Bonsai Boon: A Sierra Juniper’s Eight Year Journey

After. January, 2009 at Bay Island Bonsai’s show “An Exhibit of Fine Bonsai.” If you go to Styling on Bonsai Boon you can see how Boon got from before (below) to here. Another example of a formidable bonsai artist’s expertise We’ve featured Boon Manakitivipart on this blog before, and for good reason. He’s a highly accomplished bonsai artist and teacher whose enthusiasm and skill has influenced a generation of aspiring Western bonsai artists. If you are serious about improving your skills, you might want to check out Boon’s intensives. Before. June 2001. Sierra juniper (no doubt collected somewhere in California’s … Continue reading Bonsai Boon: A Sierra Juniper’s Eight Year Journey

Boon’s Big Bonsai: The Original (Plus One)

Here’s the original photo (©2009 Boon Manakitivipart) of Boon admiring one of the most amazing trees anywhere (see our last post if you haven’t already). It was taken by Michael Pitalo (Kneecap Graph X). If you check back to this earlier post, you might think that Boon has a knack for finding extraordinary trees, or at least being photographed with extraordinary trees (we’re waiting for number three as final proof). The tree Okay, we know it’s amazing. The longer you look at it, the more amazing it is. But, we still haven’t identified the species (Sierra juniper?). And we’ll probably … Continue reading Boon’s Big Bonsai: The Original (Plus One)

Boon’s Big Bonsai

Boon Manakitivipart takes a good look at an impressive wild specimen just before he digs it up (just kidding). From Boon’s new website. This shot gives you an idea of the scope and size of one of nature’s more impressive trees. I haven’t talked to Boon, so I don’t know the what or where, but my best guess is a juniper somewhere in the Sierra Nevadas. Maybe someone out there can set me straight.

North American Bonsai

An old Sierra Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) by John Romano. Height 42″. In the next few months, Bill Valavanis’ 1st US National Bonsai Exhibition Commemorative Album will be back from the printer and ready for your enjoyment. Meanwhile, there is another very noteworthy book that features some great home grown American (and Canadian) bonsai. It’s the American Bonsai Society‘s North American Bonsai (compiled and edited by Martin Schmalenberg). When I first saw it, I was impressed with some of the trees but not completely taken by the collection as a whole. I think my bias towards Japanese bonsai clouded my vision. … Continue reading North American Bonsai