Trees Don’t Lie! Marco Invernizzi Rides a Wave of General Enthusiasm

We’ve shown this Japanese yew by Marco Invernizzi before, but a bonsai this good is always worth another look. I’ve been wanting to publish this interview with Marco Invernizzi every since I first saw it at Bonsai Prelude a couple months ago, but have been waiting on our next batch of Marco’s (and Masakuni’s) famous Ichiban all purpose bonsai tool. They arrived the other day (better late…) so the time is ripe (not that any time wouldn’t be ripe for the interview, just that we’re in this for love AND money). The interview was conducted by Dylan Fawcett. I don’t … Continue reading Trees Don’t Lie! Marco Invernizzi Rides a Wave of General Enthusiasm

Before & After Bonsai – Japanese Red Pine

Here’s a before and after of a Japanese red pine by Marco Invernizzi Following up from yesterday, we’ve a couple more Japanese red pines (Pinus densiflora) for you, including this before and after by our friend Marco Invernizzi. We’ve featured Marco’s bonsai going way back to early days of Bonsai Bark and before that in several issues of Bonsai Today NEW 25% OFF SITE WIDE SALE ON ALL ORDERS 25.00 OR MORE PLUS AN EXTRA 10% OFF OUR FAMOUS ROSHI TOOLS 25% OFF APPLIES TO EVERYTHING ON ORDERS 25.00 OR MORE INCLUDING ITEMS THAT ARE ALREADY DISCOUNTED A llttle fuzzy, but I wanted … Continue reading Before & After Bonsai – Japanese Red Pine

World Bonsai Convention, Kimura & Green T Turntables

Massive Mugo pine resting comfortably on a Green T professional bonsai turntable. The prize winning tree belongs to Paolo Riboli. The turntable could belong to you. I just heard from Marco Invernizzi, a long time student of world famous bonsai master Masahiko Kimura (aka The Magician) – and someone we have featured here on Bonsai Bark many times over the years – who informed us that he was at Kimura’s place last week where Green T turntables are used every day by Master Kimura and his apprentices (past and present) . Green T is also an official sponsor of the … Continue reading World Bonsai Convention, Kimura & Green T Turntables

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

Before & After Japanese Red Pine Bonsai

Here’s a before and after of a beautiful Bunjin Japanese red pine by Marco Invernizzi. From Marco’s website. Got a couple Japanese pines for you, including the before and after above by our friend Marco Invernizzi. We’ve featured Marco’s bonsai here on Bark going way back to early days and before that in several issues of Bonsai Today. Want to improve the quality of your bonsai? Try wiring all the way out to the tips of the smallest branches. You’ll be astounded by the results. The photo is from Bonsai Today issue 1. Back issues of Bonsai Today are now … Continue reading Before & After Japanese Red Pine Bonsai

Back on His Feet – Isao Omachi Four Years Later

2015. Not only is Isao Omachi back on his feet, but it seems like he hasn’t missed a beat. This magnificent Shimpaku juniper is a pretty good example of what he’s been up to since the Tsunami (I don’t know who made the scroll, but it’s not so shabby either). I cropped the photo for a closer look at the tree and scroll. You can see the whole display below. It has been four years since the devastating Japanese Tsunami. Those of you who were following Bark, Bill Valavanis, Marco Invernizzi or others in our world bonsai community, remember Isao … Continue reading Back on His Feet – Isao Omachi Four Years Later

Win Our $50 Japanese Red Pine Bonsai Contest & Wire All the Way Out to the Tips

A mystery tree and a little contest (below). This is the second time for this Japanese red pine, even though we still don’t know who the artist is. The photo turned up on Michael Bonsai back in 2012. I’m guessing it lives in Japan, but I’ve searched Japanese red pine bonsai high and low and can’t find it. The contest: the first person to email me valid information on this tree that is not from Bonsai Bark or Michael Bonsai with a link as proof, will win a 25.00 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If you include the name of … Continue reading Win Our $50 Japanese Red Pine Bonsai Contest & Wire All the Way Out to the Tips

A Fabulous Fake

Whatever it is, it’s wonderful. We just featured this ‘bonsai’ in our last post. Turns out it’s a fabulous fake. Or, maybe fake isn’t the right word. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it’s a wonderful clay representation of a bonsai. The artist is Paul Finch, according to Nik Rozman. Running behind today so we’ve dipped into our archives and come up with this hodgepodge post from January 2012. Some dated events were removed for obvious reasons. Some unnecessarily wordy copy was also removed. Before and after. It helps to start with great stock. Still, it takes … Continue reading A Fabulous Fake

Just in Case You Don’t Know Marco…

This remarkable bonsai is labeled Taiwanese juniper (Juniperus chinensis) in Marco Invernizzi’s gallery. The stock for this bonsai was most likely field grown in Taiwan along with thousands of others. BTW: Taiwanese junipers are sometimes confused with the native Squamata juniper which grow wild in the mountains of Taiwan (there’s more on this in this Bark post from February). It has been a few months since we visited Marco Invernizzi’s bonsai gallery. Just in case you don’t know Marco, he was one of Masahiko Kimura’s first apprentices and was also one of the first Western bonsai artists to become a … Continue reading Just in Case You Don’t Know Marco…

A Quick Study in Deadwood

It’s all about the deadwood (and the crown). Deadwood is sometimes overplayed, especially on Shimpaku. But even though the deadwood is dominant on this tree, the powerful and well constructed crown offers a good sense of balance. All three photos in this post are from Marco Invernizzi’s website. I’m still on vacation, so we’ll make no pretense of in-depth analysis of deadwood this morning (not that we ever do much in-depth analysis of anything). Just three photos of Shimpaku from Marco Invernizzi’s website with a few quick comments and a little word from our sponsor. Marco Invernizzi studied extensively with … Continue reading A Quick Study in Deadwood