Dan Robinson, Bonsai Pioneer 10/3/15

danshowtree

Close up of Dan Robinson's Mountain hemlock, taken on my cell at the Artisans Cup.

Last weekend I finally had the pleasure of meeting Dan and Diane Robinson. It was at the Artisans Cup so I also had the pleasure of viewing and photographing Dan’s entry, the Mountain hemlock shown here (above and below).

We’ve been featuring Dan Robinson’s bonsai and we’ve been selling and enjoying Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees for a long time (the second printing of Will Hiltz’ brilliant book about Dan and his trees just came out). Now that I’ve met Dan and actually seen one of his trees in person, it’s time to do it again. Today we’ll feature Dan’s bonsai. Tomorrow his (and Diane’s) Elandan Gardens.

 

dantreewstand

The whole tree and most of its amazing driftwood stand. Also shot at the Artisans Cup, but this time when the lights were on (the exhibition room was almost completely dark, with only spotlights on each tree). This photo and several of the photos below are from facebook.

 

danmh?

Looks like another Mountain hemlock.

 

B1GNARLYHORN1Korean hornbeam from Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. We could have picked any one of over a hundred trees as wild and beautiful as this one (the rich fall color doesn't hurt either).

 

danpinejonas

One of Dan’s many ancient Ponderosa pines. This photo was taken at Elandan Gardens by Jonas Dupuich (Bonsai Tonight).

 

danrwcu

Freshly carved redwood.

 

dan

 

danpondpine

Photo and text from Elandan Garden's website.

 

dantree"Can't keep Dan out of the trees. He is carving on a Hollywood juniper he is using in the NWFlower and Garden show in Feb 2016. The theme is America the Beautiful." From facebook.

 

danHemlock770

Another Mountain hemlock. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees.

 

B1GNARLY21

The famous book. A must for any serious bonsai lover. The second printing is now available at Stone Lantern.