Simplicity, Elegance & More than a Little Skill…

Simplicity, elegance and more than a little skill is expressed in plantings like this and the one below. Often Penjing landscapes will include a whole range of items, both manmade and natural. In this case we have only three trees and what looks like three rocks, or rock clusters. And of course the elegant long thin white penjing tray (white trays are common, especially with waterscapes) I found the two Penjing landscapes featured here on Pham Thái Bình’s timeline. It’s not clear who the artists are, though the caption for the one above says with Dang Nguyen Van, though there are reasons to believe Dang is … Continue reading Simplicity, Elegance & More than a Little Skill…

Bonsai Floating in Space

Floating in space. Is it just me or is there something strange about the lack of physical support in this photo? The photo also seems to lack depth which might contribute to the strange effect. Still, there’s something enchanting about the tree and the way it’s presented. Black backgrounds. We recently ran a post about choosing a background color with black backgrounds being a favorite of many of our readers. The photos in that post belong to Walter Pall who live in Europe (Germany). In this case the photos are from Viet Nam. I picked up the photos shown here … Continue reading Bonsai Floating in Space

Just Drinking Some Tea and Relaxing

I guess we can live with the lighter. Several of the trees in Lam Ngoc Vinh’s photos also have distracting tags hanging from them. Still, we’ll take what we can get and in this case, what we can get is pretty good. And, speaking of pretty good, check out the facial expression on this very relaxed tea-drinker. I’m a little pressed for time today, so we’ll take a journey back through our archives to 2013. The quote below is lifted word for word from an old Art of Bonsai Project post. The same goes for the photos. “Lam Ngoc Vinh … Continue reading Just Drinking Some Tea and Relaxing

A Magical Land Where Almost Every House Has a Bonsai

We know this tree is very large, but exactly how large is difficult to tell (the uncropped photo immediately below might help a bit). In addition to its great size, it shows an excellent base and nebari, as well as some gnarly bumps that look a bit like melting wax. I think I can say with confidence that it’s Ficus. All the photos in this post were taken by Robert Steven on a recent trip to Vietnam. The other day someone suggested we feature Vietnamese bonsai. As it turns out, we have done just that several times already, with more … Continue reading A Magical Land Where Almost Every House Has a Bonsai

Hot Bonsai – Mid Summer Year Round

I like the fluidity of two main trunks and the contrast and depth that the third trunk provides. I also like the way the deadwood (shari) has been darkened to contrast with the light colored live wood. My only question is; why such a deep pot? We’ve shown this tree before, but for some reason I can’t find it right now. I looks a lot like a tree that Lam Ngoc Vinh would do. Here’s another rerun (from August 2011) for your enjoyment. There are two good reasons for this; first, it’s about tropical bonsai and so far this summer … Continue reading Hot Bonsai – Mid Summer Year Round

A Magical Land Where Almost Every House Has a Bonsai

We know this tree is very large, but exactly how large is difficult to tell (the uncropped photo immediately below might help a bit). In addition to its great size, it shows an excellent base and nebari, as well as some gnarly bumps that look a bit like melting wax. I think I can say with confidence that it’s Ficus. All the photos in this post were taken by Robert Steven on a recent trip to Vietnam. Robert Steven seems to teach and travel almost incessantly, and yet he still finds time to write about bonsai, run Bonsai Aesthetics (his … Continue reading A Magical Land Where Almost Every House Has a Bonsai

Strange & Wonderful Bonsai

A little perspective on a very tiny tree. I’m not crazy about most Chinese figurines (at least the commercial ones you usually see), but this contemplative man is pretty good. This and all the other photos in this post are borrowed from The Art of Bonsai Project. The Bonsai of Lam Ngoc Vinh Every once in a while you come across an artist who takes their work (play) in a genuinely fresh and new direction. To this old eye, it looks like Lam Ngoc Vinh is one of those rare artists. If you agree (or even if you don’t) and … Continue reading Strange & Wonderful Bonsai

Million Dollar Bonsai

If you believe everything you read online, then the price tag on this tree is 1.2 million dollars. Of course that price doesn’t necessarily mean that much, anyone can ask anything for any item. The actual selling price would be more interesting; then we’d know that the tree was worth a certain price to at least one person. The photo is from Bonsai Madness on facebook. The copy says that the tree (I’m guessing it’s a ficus) is more than 200 years old and was cultivated during the Nguyen Dynasty rulers of Vietnam. Our million dollar contest Speaking of millions … Continue reading Million Dollar Bonsai