Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

This distinctively unusual Mugo pine received Marco Invernizzi’s Ichiban* Award at the 2008 Art of Bonsai Awards. The artist is Alfredo Salaccione from Italy. If you spend a lot of time looking at bonsai, you might come to appreciate unusual features. Features that make a tree not only interesting, but unique. In the case of the Mugo pine above, there are several that stand out. The most obvious feature, one that immediately catches the eye, is the way the trunk wraps around and frames the tree’s crown. This alone, makes for a very unusual and distinctive bonsai. A bonsai that … Continue reading Wraparound Bonsai & Two Great Specials End Tonight

Outstanding Japanese (Korean?) Red Pine Bonsai

Cork bark Japanese Red pine? I found this remarkably corked-up pine on the Art of Bonsai Project. It’s by Enrico Savini. I’ve never heard of a Cork bark Red pine (Cork bark Japanese black pines are fairly common), but that’s what AoB says. Whatever it is, there’s no denying that it’s an exceptional tree. According to Wikipedia, Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora) should probably be called Korean red pines. “For Korean people, even today, it is considered to represent Korean spirit and mentioned in South Korean national anthem, Aegukga. Since it was introduced to the West by Japanese scholars during … Continue reading Outstanding Japanese (Korean?) Red Pine Bonsai

What You Do to the Land You Do to Yourself – An Indepth Discussion with Andy Smith on Collecting Wild Bonsai

Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) collected by Andrew (aka Andy) Smith and first styled by Walter Pall. It would hard to find a better pair for the job. Andy (Golden Arrow Bonsai) is a professional forester, master collector of wild bonsai and a bonsai artist in his own rite, and Walter Pall is a world famous bonsai artist, teacher, trouble maker (in the positive sense of course) and owner of a very impressive bonsai collection. The photograph is by Walter. My apologies for the fuzz. It’s the result of dramatically increasing the image size. On balance I think this size … Continue reading What You Do to the Land You Do to Yourself – An Indepth Discussion with Andy Smith on Collecting Wild Bonsai

Not Shimpaku part 2

Maybe it’s not perfect, but given the limits of the variety (Jun procumbens ‘nana’), it’s pretty good. In fact, it’s one of the very best pro-nana I’ve seen. It belongs to Thomas J. Mozden, as do all but the last tree in this post. It’s from a 2009 contest that was held on The Art of Bonsai Project. I was going to call this post Lone Star and feature the bonsai of Thomas Mozden who lives in Texas, but I got distracted along the way by the whole Juniper procumbens ‘nana’ question (see our ‘Not Shimpaku’ post and comments from … Continue reading Not Shimpaku part 2

Getting Out of the Way

This Ponderosa pine was no doubt collected somewhere in western North America. Europeans are lucky in that regard; it’s relatively easy for them to import plants from around the world. Here in the U.S. restrictions are much more onerous. The tree belongs to (or belonged to?) Walter Pall. The photo is from The Art of Bonsai Project, as are all the photos in this post. All of the bonsai in this post are by Walter Pall in collaboration with Mother Nature. Walter is a proponent of the ‘getting out of the way’ school of bonsai. Not that we want to … Continue reading Getting Out of the Way

Scots & Scotch

Great tree, great pot. This powerful old Scot’s pine by Enrico Savini was an overall winner in a contest that was held at the Art of Bonsai Project way back in 2005. The pot is by Isabelia. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is another in our bonsai species series. I used to think they were Scotch pine (some people say Scotch pine is incorrect and others say it’s an acceptable variation) and had the notion that you could enjoy a sip of Scotch while working on you Scotch pine (oh well…). No matter what you call them, Scots pine make excellent … Continue reading Scots & Scotch

Mario & the Art of Bonsai

Bonsai calligraphy. Look familiar? We posted this wildly eccentric masterpiece right here on Bonsai Bark about a year ago. Maybe we’ll post it again next year. It belongs to Mario Komsta. Mario Komsta If you don’t know Mario’s bonsai, you’re in for a treat. If you do know Mario’s bonsai, you’re still in for a treat (exceptional bonsai bear repeated viewing). We’ve featured Mario’s trees several times now, and I suspect we’ll feature them again. The Art of Bonsai Project Without a doubt, the Art of Bonsai Project is one of the true quality bonsai spots on the web. Just … Continue reading Mario & the Art of Bonsai

A Most Unusual Bonsai Artist

Azalea and pot by Nick Lenz. Photo borrowed from The Art of Bonsai Project. A unique American bonsai artist Nick Lenz is an unusual person. On the spectrum from conservative to daring and even outrageous, his bonsai land somewhere beyond the latter. What he says about bonsai (and other things) reveals a unique mind; fascinating, humorous and often quite insightful. Beyond that, you be the judge. Collected larch (Larix laricina). Tree by Mother Nature and Nick Lenz. Pot by Nick. Larch with decent taper are extremely unusual. Chances are, Nick applied a few tricks to help this one along. Photo … Continue reading A Most Unusual Bonsai Artist

Kimura’s American Apprentice

Ryan Neil working on one of Masahiko Kimura‘s most famous trees. Photo from The Art of Bonsai Project. Coming Next Weekend Ryan Neil is appearing at The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York on September 13th. Ryan spent six years apprenticing to the world’s most famous bonsai master, Masahiko Kimura. If you live in the vicinity (or if you don’t mind traveling) you can see him demonstrate on a collected juniper and answer questions about being an apprentice in Japan, Master Kimura, bonsai, or whatever comes up. A little piece of an interview with Ryan to whet your appetite (from … Continue reading Kimura’s American Apprentice

So Very Good: Why Weren’t We There?

I know it’s old news (2007) but this tree almost floors me with just how good it is. Do you agree? Am I crazy for falling love? I don’t think so. It’s a Pemphis Acidua from the The 9th Asia Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention and Exhibition in Bali. The photo is by KiJaduk LuputSuwuk. I don’t know who the artist is, but there’s a great article about the convention on The Art of Bonsai Project (and thanks to Bonsaimania for first showing me this tree on facebook). But here’s the thing The Bali Convention is full of trees of … Continue reading So Very Good: Why Weren’t We There?