A Remarkable Planting by Joe Selworthy or Dan Barton, Take Your Choice

‘Joe Selworthy’s‘ Cotoneaster hedge planting. Here’s part of what Joe has to say about it. “I can’t remember whether I posted this image before so I’m posting it now. It’s my cotoneaster hedge (grown from seed) with a deshojo maple and a style with sleeping cat. The “accent” is a wee painted bronze wren waiting for the cat to leave so that it can go to its nest in the hedge!!!” I found the photo above thanks to a link from Colin Lewis. However when I tried to figure out who on earth Joe Selworthy is, I ended up on … Continue reading A Remarkable Planting by Joe Selworthy or Dan Barton, Take Your Choice

A Multitude of Remarkable Bonsai Photos from Our Remarkable Bonsai Books (Book Sale Ends Tonight)

This luscious Satsuki azalea is one of a multitude of remarkable bonsai photos from the very aptly named, Fine Bonsai, Art and Nature. There’s a theme to this large gallery and a method to our madness. All the photos are from bonsai books that we sell and all our books are currently on sale at Stone Lantern. However, today is the last day of the sale. It ends at 11:59pm EST tonight, Wednesday, February 4th, 2015. You can find this somewhat unruly and very distinctive apple bonsai on the back cover of Nick Lenz’ landmark book on collecting, Bonsai … Continue reading A Multitude of Remarkable Bonsai Photos from Our Remarkable Bonsai Books (Book Sale Ends Tonight)

Digging Out Lost Treasures

Lakeside with Lingering Snow, our second in a series of plantings from Toshio Kawamoto’s Saikei classic. The trees are the same (cryptomeria) as in our last post from the book (creating a deep ravine planting), the pot is almost the same and the landscape is similar, though this one is softer. The focal point, the large single mountain stone that elevates the planting from good to extraordinary, is enhanced by a little touch of snow. The author doesn’t say what the snow is and it’s hard to tell from the photo. It would be ideal if it were simply part … Continue reading Digging Out Lost Treasures

With Buttonwood Bonsai, Nature Does the Real Work

This powerfully compact Buttonwood belongs to Nacho Marin, as do all four Buttonwood bonsai shown here. With Buttonwood bonsai it’s nature that does the real work. Humans find them, dig them, pot them and eliminate branches and other parts that distract from the natural beauty of the tree (ideally, at least). But nature does the twisting, turning and scouring by sand and wind that results in such unusual shapes and magnificent deadwood. I’m told* that much of this shaping and scouring happens during hurricanes and tropical storms. I’ve even heard that Buttonwoods are sometimes violently uprooted and blown to new … Continue reading With Buttonwood Bonsai, Nature Does the Real Work

Un andante gracioso entre el Bonsai

It’s a bit of a long story, but Bonsai Do provides famous quotes in Spanish with photos of bonsai (on facebook). In this case Nacho Marin provided the bonsai and the photo. The quote (with my stab at translation) follows: El otoño es un andante melancólico y gracioso que prepara admirablemente el solemne adagio del invierno – Fall is a sad and graceful walk that admirably prepares for the solemn walk of winter. (George Sand). All the bonsai shown here are by Nacho Marin, as are the photos (facebook). For some reason, we haven’t featured South American bonsai artists much … Continue reading Un andante gracioso entre el Bonsai

Bonsai Mirai, Yamadori & Why You Should Visit Portand this September

Only Mother Nature. There is no way anyone will ever grow a tree quite like this magnificently wild Rocky Mountain juniper. Taking this a step further, there is almost no way anyone will ever be able to collect and style a tree like this, though there are a handful of people who have the requisite skills and knowledge. In this case, it’s a combination of two who share the skills and knowledge: Randy Knight* found it, collected it and made sure it survived the trauma, and Ryan Neil styled it, potted it and currently keeps it alive and well at … Continue reading Bonsai Mirai, Yamadori & Why You Should Visit Portand this September

Paying Another Visit to Super Mario, Plus One

Here’s a tree by Mario Komsta that we missed. With this exception and a reminder about Free Shipping and our current Book Sale, the rest of the post is the same as yesterday. Not so sure about the background color, but I really like the sparse simplicity and naturalness of this tree. This photo and the others shown here are from Mario Komsta’s facebook photos. It’s Monday morning, I overslept and now I’m running behind, so we’ll make this post almost purely visual (trusting that you can live without my comments just this once). All the photos shown here … Continue reading Paying Another Visit to Super Mario, Plus One

Paying Another Visit to Super Mario

Not so sure about the background color, but I really like the sparse simplicity and naturalness of this tree. This photo and the others shown here are from Mario Komsta’s facebook photos. It’s Monday morning, I overslept and now I’m running behind, so we’ll make this post almost purely visual (trusting that you can live without my comments just this once). All the photos shown here are from Mario Komsta’s facebook photos and as far as I know, all the trees belong to Mario. This is not the first time we’ve featured Mario’s trees (more like the tenth time) but … Continue reading Paying Another Visit to Super Mario

The Truth of Suffering – More Shattered Notions

It’s quite daring to create a bonsai exhibition full of surprising mixed media bonsai displays that introduce elements never before associated with bonsai (see our last post). It’s quite another thing to leap full force into social-political (even religious) commentary. Not something normally associated with bonsai and gratefully so for many I’m sure. Still, whether you like this kind of meta-themed supercharged bonsai display or not, there it was for a short while last October, for all to see. And here are some, but by no means all, of the displays that venture into this very virgin territory (some may … Continue reading The Truth of Suffering – More Shattered Notions

A Revolutionary Tour de Force that Will Shatter Every Notion You Ever Had About Bonsai Display

Halloween (the show was in October)? At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands clutching (persenting?) the sculpted wooden pot. All the photos in the post are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale. Coming up with a title that captures the sheer creative energy of the bonsai displays shown here wasn’t easy (Messing with Bonsai Convention in a Very Big Way was my second choice). Nor is writing about them (way too many hyped up adjectives keep trying to force their way in). I even thought about just showing … Continue reading A Revolutionary Tour de Force that Will Shatter Every Notion You Ever Had About Bonsai Display