Thematic Incoherence & Embarrassed Apologies

Continuing with Bonsai Today, this gorgeous, sinewy New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium) appeared on the cover of issue 96 (still available and 75% off). Not much more needs to be said about this one (it speaks for itself), except maybe to comment on the variety. Though you may occasionally see a New Zealand tea bonsai, in general they are not that common, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere. But, even if you have seen them before, I’ll take a wild guess and venture that you have never seen one quite like this. Thematic incoherence. This post is a … Continue reading Thematic Incoherence & Embarrassed Apologies

Selling Out & Going Fast

This gracefully flowing Hornbeam is from Bonsai Today issue 94. It seems to me that deciduous bonsai are somewhat under-appreciated and under-explored in the west. Along those lines (so to speak) you might notice the near perfect taper from the base of the trunk out to tip of each twig. This level of detailed development is still somewhat rare in Western deciduous bonsai, but quite common in Japan. Bonsai Today issues are now 75% off. We just increased the discount to 75% off on Bonsai Today back issues. In case you’re not familiar with the wonders of Bonsai Today, each … Continue reading Selling Out & Going Fast

A Man With a Mission (and a Vision)

This calligraphic bonsai seems perfectly balanced between stasis and movement (something like that anyway). The relationship of bonsai to calligraphy goes way back to the old Chinese masters. Not only is Robert Steven an artistic heir to this tradition, but he is also an expert on the tradition and its history. This post features five trees that I grabbed from a Robert Steven gallery on facebook. Two things immediately jumped to mind when I first saw them: one, Robert just keeps producing top-notch bonsai, and two, these are undeniably Robert’s trees. If you’re familiar with his distinctive touch and vision, … Continue reading A Man With a Mission (and a Vision)

Finally! A Very Good Start

Shimpaku juniper by Suthin Sukosolvisit. I’ve been waiting for years for Suthin Sukosolvisit to update his website and finally the wait has paid off. Well, sort of… Suthin’s classy looking new site is a very good start, but only two of Suthin’s world-class bonsai are featured so far (the two shown here). I’m hoping we don’t have to wait much longer to enjoy more of Suthin’s magnificent trees. Just in case you don’t know who Suthin (pronounced Su tin, BTW) is, well… in no uncertain terms, he is one of the world’s foremost Shohin bonsai artists (and a foremost bonsai … Continue reading Finally! A Very Good Start

Searching for the Unusual

At a glance you might think this is just a stump with some foliage tacked on, but then as you look closer you notice the taper at the base and the way the texture of the wood creates movement and a feeling of age. Then there’s that little cave that enhances the story of time and place and natural forces that came together to help create this Dogwood by Franco Berti. From a post titled Reportage Vi Trofeo Bonsai e Suiseki Città di Poppi by Bonsai Romano. Searching for the unusual I spend a lot of time looking for unusual … Continue reading Searching for the Unusual

Bunjin Lives (Lungo vive il bunjin!)

I like the movement on this tree, with its sudden changes of direction. I also like the way the moss and lichen are growing up the base of the trunk. I wonder if it’s a Scot’s pine. Robert at the Crespi Cup The photos here were culled out from a large selection that was taken by our old friend Robert Steven at the 2012 Crespi Cup in Italy. I’ve cropped and otherwise fiddled a bit, but mostly they are pretty close to how I found them. Some don’t have any identification and some do. Speaking of Robert, it has been … Continue reading Bunjin Lives (Lungo vive il bunjin!)

Cold Mountain Bonsai

At first glance I was drawn to this tree. Later, I wasn’t so sure. But then, after a long slow look, I came back to my first thought; the spectacular pot, the deeply striated bark and the tree’s overall simplicity and naturalness won me over. Have we been overly influenced by Japanese bonsai? When I look at the trees in this post I sense a wild naturalness that seems distinctly Chinese. A sensibility that dates back to the ancient poet-calligrapher hermits deep in the Cold Mountains. This connection doesn’t occur with most Japanese and Western bonsai (the exceptions are mostly … Continue reading Cold Mountain Bonsai

Monster Bonsai

A Halloween monster (trunk, that is). It’s not that often you see a tree with such a powerfully thick trunk, especially when you consider its size relative to the rest of the tree. According to Mareta Marrtell (facebook), it’s a 50 year old Kuromatsu (Japanese black pine ) that was grown from seed. Mareta says the photo is via sgforums.com. I tried that address, but came up empty. I did find a bonsai gallery at The Singapore Penjing and Stone Appreciation Society as a result of a search using s g forums, but couldn’t find this tree. In any case, … Continue reading Monster Bonsai

Four New Books

I liked this book at first glance and still like it after spending a few days with it. I can say with some confidence that it’s the best book yet on Penjing, at least in English. It goes way beyond Zhao’s earlier Worlds of Wonderment in all respects: quality and variety of the Penjing, quality of the photos, amount and level of information and overall production value of the book itself. This is to say that this is a very handsome and very useful book. Zhao Qingquan is one of thee world’s most renowned Penjing artists and when you see … Continue reading Four New Books

Delightful Points of Color & More…

There’s much to say about this magnificent tree: First the gem-like male pine cones that cover much of the tree add delightful points of color; and they go perfectly with the well-chosen (and beautifully cleaned up) pot. Then there’s the way the undulating twin trunks harmonize so well; one slanting style and one semi-cascading style. You might also notice that there isn’t much in the way of counter-balancing branching, yet the whole planting seems stable. I think this is mostly due to the weight of the pot and mounded soil, and also to the anchoring effect of the gnarly nebari … Continue reading Delightful Points of Color & More…