An Embarrassment of Riches 12/19/12

I believe that this is our first tree from Matt Reel’s blog (though we featured a photo of Matt, with a tree that we lifted from Crataegus Bonsai almost two years ago). Matt is an American bonsai apprentice in Japan. We’ll have to more to say about him and his blog another time, but meanwhile, here’s what he has to say about this tree: “This Red Pine has such a broad apex it makes me giggle to myself at times, however, one might feel a little tipsy with all that leaning movement if there was a little dainty apex instead. This tree has been wired 3 times in the last few years by three different artists in this order: Omachi Isao, myself, and most recently refined by Tyler (Tyler Sherrod, another American apprenticing in Japan). We also call this the “never ending tree” because it seems impossible to get the balance just right.” My only comment is, besides how much I like the graceful way this tree doubles back on itself, is that I thought the tree was much smaller than it actually is, until I saw another photo that gives it away.

Could it be that the long talked about bonsai boom has finally arrived? Or, maybe boom isn’t accurate. Maybe it’s more like a slowly building wave of interest that just keeps rising. In any case, there seems to be an ever-increasing number of bonsai websites and bonsai blogs popping up, accompanied by increased sophistication and expertise. As you might expect, this results in more and better bonsai. An exciting embarrassment of riches.

We’ll do what we can to help you keep up by posting quality trees and plenty of links so you can do some exploring on your own. But don’t worry, if you’re not inclined to do much exploring. We’ll do everything we can to satisfy your passion to know what’s going on while staying right here.

 

Speaking of bonsai apprentices, Peter Tea (a most prolific apprentice/blogger) has a great new post on the 32nd Annual Taikan-ten (bonsai exhibition in Kyoto). This brilliant prize-winning Shishigashira Japanese maple is from the exhibit, as are several other bodacious bonsai that Peter features. Apologies to Peter for my my attempt to reduce some background noise with a little photoshop surgery.

 

Tied in knots. This lush Shimpaku with its highly unusual knotted trunk is from the Bjorvala Bonsai Studio’s gallery (another first on this blog). All of the bonsai featured in the Studio’s excellent gallery were styled by Bjorn Bjorholm.

 

Another first for us. I found this photo on Bonsai in Japan from a direct link on Nichigo Bonsai, Bonsai from Australia. One of the best things  about Nichigo Bonsai blog is its extensive list of links to other bonsai blogs and websites (some are listed below), with one glaring oversight; no Bonsai Bark link. I’m not sure what this sweet little tree is, but the berries look a lot like pyracantha.

A list of blogs borrowed from Nichigo Bonsai.


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8 thoughts on “An Embarrassment of Riches”

  1. It does look like a Pyracantha, Wayne. And at 150,000¥, that’s not a bad price…the pot is Itoh Gekkou and worth 4/5 of the total at 120k.

  2. The top juniper is beautiful; I think an effort to permit more ‘negative space’ in the lush apex, would make the top less heavy and more consistent with the lovely right cascading branches. Perhaps thinning the foliage seen through the ‘crimp’ would decongest it, allowing more appreciation of this beautiful feature. Of course viewing this in real life’s 3D could totally change things.

  5. Wayne

    It is great to see Bjorvala Bonsai Studio’s gallery appear here – mjore Bjorn!

    Rack

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