Have you ever seen a trunk quite like this? A Kimura yew that we posted a while back has some gaps, but this one has more space than trunk. It’d be good to see the tree close up to better understand exactly what the artist (who he or she is, is a mystery to us) did and how the pieces come together somewhere around mid-tree. We found this and the rest of the photos in this post on Bonsai4me. It’s originally from Noelanders Trophy VII. All the photos are by Hans Vleugels of Belgium.
Missing artists
We’ve seen lots of online photos that show trees without the artist’s names. Some, like the ones in this post, can be found on reputable sites, that for some reason fail to mention the artists. Others might have their reasons to neglect mentioning the artists. The worse are pirates who steal what they want without compunction. Others could be people who would like you to believe the bonsai are theirs (deception by omission). Some might just do it without understanding that it is unethical, that somehow anything goes on the web. Whatever, the reason, it’s bad form not to mention the artist. Or, if you don’t know who the artist is, you could at least say that you don’t know and mention where the photos is from.
Less air, more trunk than the tree above. Still, you can see all the way through a hole in the deadwood. I’m not sure exactly how big this tree is, but it looks like a monster. It’s a very strong tree and certainly has some virtues; including the holes and it’s overall movement. I’m not sure about the way the trunk is jammed up against the side of the pot and I wonder about the overly cluttered effect with all the peekaboo foliage sticking out, especially around the center of the tree and just under the crown. Perhaps it would help to remove the bottom left branch. Still, it’s a powerful bonsai and a unique one at that.
Speaking of pirates
Bonsai Bark has been regularly pirated. Fortunately, when and if this post is stolen, they will most likely leave this part in.
Bonsai Bark belongs to Stone Lantern (DBA Stone Lantern Discoveries Inc) and to me, Wayne Schoech (that’s pronounced Shay if anyone is interested). If this (or any of our posts) appears anywhere other than under the Bonsai Bark heading and is not attributed to Bonsai Bark or to me, then it has been pirated.
It would help if the background weren’t so cluttered, but no matter, you can still see that this craggy old twin trunk tree is a real winner. The trunk is powerful and full of character and the branching is developed all the way out to the delicate filigreed twigs. I can’t find anything not to like about it and only wish I could see it up close. We found this and the rest of the photos in this post on Bonsai4me. It’s originally from Noelanders Trophy VII. All the photos are by Hans Vleugels of Belgium.
The more I look at this powerful juniper that looks like it’s reclining on a rock, the more I like it. The tree and the rock taken together create a very strong, natural and relaxed feel. The rock looks like it was constructed (glued together from smaller peices). I like the way the deadwood is carved and also like the strong attractive living vein. I think the crown could be opened up a bit, though I can understand leaving it so dense, given the strength of the trunk.
I don’t think I’ll say much about this, except that the purple scroll is a bit unusual. Any thoughts?
I like this little shohin a lot, though it’s too bad the photo is jammed up at the top. The tree seems a little cluttered in the center with the jin and back branch, but that might just be the photo. Do you think it might look even better if it were turned clockwise a little? We found this and the rest of the photos in this post on Bonsai4me. It’s originally from Noelanders Trophy VII. All the photos are by Hans Vleugels of Belgium.
i like the 4th tree fantastic! the shohin juniper look cute! :)
Here’s an email that I received from Ferry Freriks that will shed some light on this post.
Thanks for posting a fine selection of some of the best trees in Europe! Anyhow, I’d like to add some more info: the first tree (an Itoigawa juniper) is from the skilled hands of Carlos van der Vaart: probably the best Dutch bonsai artist around. You can find more info about this tree and his other (near Kokufu-quality!) trees here: http://www.carlosvandervaart.com/studio.asp. As you can see the tree started out as pretty mundane semi-raw material. But with the help of some skillful carving and styling and a fine quality pot by Peter Krebs (http://www.peter-krebs.de/) it ended up as an excellent chuhin size tree.
The second tree is a well-known Japanese yew (taxus cuspidata). Formerly owned and styled by Marco Invernizzi and Steve Tolley, but now property of Mauro Stemberger, the chairman of the Italian Bonsai Union (UBI), who refined the tree with a distinctive Italian touch (http://www.italianbonsaidream.com/?attachment_id=142).
The third tree is a Korean hornbeam (caprinus turczaninowii) by either Marc Noelanders or Danny Use, the slanting juniper on the artificial (epoxy-made) pot is form Josef Valuch, a bonsai pot maker at Isabelia from the Czech Republic; the modest mugo is owned by David Hannah from the UK (here’s a pic with a more appropriate scroll: http://www.willowbog-bonsai.co.uk/images/Gallery/mughoTokonoma_lg.jpg)
Only the last tree, the shohin, is quite a mystery to me as well. I guess it was part of a bigger shohin composition from a British artist. Perhaps Duncan Hield, Susan Summers or Caroline Scott, but I’m not quite sure.
Thanks for this great blog. I’m really impressed!
Thanks for your kind words. It’s always good to know that at least one person out there enjoys what we are doing.