Bark

Cliff Bonsai – Before & After

As always, we’ll start with after photo. The tree is a Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) The artist is Michael Hagedorn. The before photo is below.  I lifted today’s post straight from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. Michael posted fourteen step-by-step photos on this dramatic ‘cliff dweller’. We’ll just show you three of these. I encourage you to visit Crataegus – one of our favorite bonsai destinations – to enjoy the whole sequence. Here’s part of what Michael has to say about the creation of this remarkable planting…  “We often think of cliff or rock faces being the place where cascade bonsai get … Continue reading Cliff Bonsai – Before & After

Bonsai Brilliance Multiplied

Both the tree and the pot are brilliant and each could stand on its own. But together their brilliance is multiplied. Based on the flowers, I’d say the tree is a quince. The photos trees and pots shown here all belong to Michiko Koide. It’s noon already and the project I was working on this morning is bogged down (blogged down). We’ll set it aside for the moment and resort to an old trick. This one is from March, 2016, with a little value added – a couple new photos from Michiko Koide’s facebook timeline. I don’t know much about … Continue reading Bonsai Brilliance Multiplied

Bonsai Art Techno Style – An Uprising of a New Generation?

I lifted these shots from a video that’s a part of an article from ABC Australia, titled, Japan’s ancient art of bonsai threatened by waning interest among youth. The embedded text – 30 minutes from scratch – might give some pause for thought. You may have heard some buzz lately about lack of interest in bonsai by Japanese youth. The other day I stumbled upon an article & video about this very topic, and what one person is trying to do about it. Though it’s never a bad idea to experiment and add some fresh inspiration to any established convention, … Continue reading Bonsai Art Techno Style – An Uprising of a New Generation?

Bonsai Tool Sales End Tonight and 500,000 (plus) Cuts

These well worn Okatsune bypass shears belong to Greg McNally and Tune Faulkner of Fall Brook Tree Farm in Wheelock Vermont. Tune uses hers all year, but most intensively before the holidays when she makes wreaths. She makes thousands of cuts a day when she’s going strong and has been using the same shears for years. We came up with 500,000 cuts, but suspect it could easily be twice that. This photo and the one the grass below are by Amy Palmer. Bonsai & Garden Tool Sales End Tonight at 11:59pm EDT 30% off 2 or more Bonsai Aesthetics Tools … Continue reading Bonsai Tool Sales End Tonight and 500,000 (plus) Cuts

Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

A piece of a sinuous root Larch the belongs to Bill Valavanis. A photo of the whole tree is below. The other day Bill Valavanis generously sent us some photos for a project we’re working on for Stone Lantern. If you know Bill, you know this generosity is not out of character. Bill has been working tirelessly to promote bonsai in North America (and beyond) for a long time, all the while generously giving his energy, knowledge and encouragement to our community of bonsai artists and enthusiasts. Because of Bill’s generosity and dedication, we periodically encourage our readers (that’s you) … Continue reading Working Tirelessly to Promote Bonsai in North America & Beyond

Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach

This Japanese maple belongs to Mariusz Folda. I don’t know if Mariusz also made the pot, but based on what I’ve seen of his ceramics, I wouldn’t be surprised. Yesterday’s post on Mariusz Folda’s Shimpaku serves as lead in for today’s comments by Mariusz on his soil mix, and more specifically on the uses and limitations of Akadama, the most famous and widely used imported Japanese soil. Here’s Mariusz’s quote on Akadama in its entirety… “I look after some bonsai that are very old, like a very old Fagus crenata (Japanese beech) or an old Carpinus koreana (Korean hornbeam). I … Continue reading Bonsai, It’s About the Soil – An Informed Approach

A Great Bonsai Honor & Okatsune’s 500,000 Cuts

Mariusz Folda’s Shimpaku juniper that exhibited at this year’s Kokufu Exhibition and was featured in the Japanese bonsai magazine Bonsai Sekai. Here’s Mariusz’s caption: “I am very happy that the Japanese bonsai magazine BONSAI SEKAI featured the tree that I exhibited this year at Kokufu ten. It is an honour. Thank you one more time to master Masahiko Kimura for all the help and effort in preparing the tree for the exhibition that took one year in the master garden. The tree is now in Poland at IBUKI” (Mariusz’s studio). I’d like to use this post to introduce you to … Continue reading A Great Bonsai Honor & Okatsune’s 500,000 Cuts

Bonsai Today & Deadwood Carvers Extraordinaire

Every time I open Bonsai Today issue 106 and lay my eyes on this wickedly powerful old English yew, my mind does a little double take. Like many stylized bonsai that we’ve seen over the last 30 years or so, it doesn’t look exactly like anything you’ll see in nature, but it certainly jumps off the page. It’s by Kevin Willson, bonsai artist and deadwood carver extraordinaire. Photo by Simon Carr. Today, I set out to put together a post on Harry Harrington, but got distracted by the Kevin Willson tree above. There’s a method to this madness; Harry has … Continue reading Bonsai Today & Deadwood Carvers Extraordinaire

Bonsai Artistry in Red & Yellow

There are few things more delicate and beautiful than fresh spring Maple leaves. This exquisite tree and pot are perfect expressions of the artistry of Haruyoshi. Heavy spring snowstorm this weekend. Need to get dressed and get shoveling, so we’ll take the easy way out. This one is from September, 2015. Shoin bonsai & ceramic artist Haruyosi does a couple things that set him apart. First, he regularly posts masterpiece shohin and mame bonsai and pots, and second, he posts a lot of photos that reveal the creative process. For both trees and pots. More exquisite bonsai by Haruyosi below… … Continue reading Bonsai Artistry in Red & Yellow

Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh

One of three magnificent Junipers (Juniperus chinensis) that you can find on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots website. Or, you can go straight to the source, Bonsai Sidiao master, Cheng Cheng Kung’s site. Yesterday, Ryan Bell offered a friendly heads up on a boneheaded mistake by yours truly. After wiping the egg off and correcting the mistake, I decided to visit Ryan’s Japanese Bonsai Pots to see what he’s been up to lately. As always, it was a click worth making. Especially for someone who enjoys brilliant ceramic art and equally brilliant bonsai. Continued below… Here’s something you might like … Continue reading Masterful Bonsai, Brilliant Pots & Glimpses of Monet & Van Gogh