Mario & the Art of Bonsai

Bonsai calligraphy. Look familiar? We posted this wildly eccentric masterpiece right here on Bonsai Bark about a year ago. Maybe we’ll post it again next year. It belongs to Mario Komsta. Mario Komsta If you don’t know Mario’s bonsai, you’re in for a treat. If you do know Mario’s bonsai, you’re still in for a treat (exceptional bonsai bear repeated viewing). We’ve featured Mario’s trees several times now, and I suspect we’ll feature them again. The Art of Bonsai Project Without a doubt, the Art of Bonsai Project is one of the true quality bonsai spots on the web. Just … Continue reading Mario & the Art of Bonsai

Redwood Bonsai at the REBS

Coast Redwood at the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society 28th Annual Show. Photo is by Jonas Dupuich, Bonsai Tonight. Stupendously magnificent Two of the most fascinating trees in the world are the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and it’s mountain dwelling cousin the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Both are fascinating for the same reason; their stupendously magnificent size. The coast redwood is the tallest tree in the world and the Giant Sequoia is the largest tree in the world. However, the Coast redwood is also very, very large and the Giant sequoia is also very, very tall. Redwood bonsai So far, the … Continue reading Redwood Bonsai at the REBS

Whoops!

No sooner did I send out the notice about the winner of our $100 Mystery Bonsai Contest, than I got an email from Robert Steven saying he was mistaken when he identified the bonsai number 6 artist. In Robert’s own words: “it belong to Wayan Arthana from Bali….” I wonder if it’s one of those trees that has changed hands a lot, and thus the confusion (I have now seen it attributed to four different people). None of this changes our winner(s). I’m going to stick with Joe Rauscher (and Ferry Freriks in second place). So the only thing that … Continue reading Whoops!

We Have A Winner

This is the tree that gave people the most trouble. You can blame facebook if you’d like (unattributed and mis-attributed bonsai abound in that crazy free-for-all world). We have Robert Steven to thanks for setting us straight on this one. It’s a Pemphis acidula and the artist is Adjie Christian. And the winner of our $100 Mystery Bonsai Contest is…. Master Bonsai Detective, Joe Rauscher. For his diligence, Joe will receive a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern (scroll down to the bottom for the correct answers). A close second Ferry Freriks was hot on Joe’s heels, so we’ve decided … Continue reading We Have A Winner

Celebrating Our Bonsai Heritage

Goshin by John Yoshio Naka. This famous tree resides at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington DC. Photos will never do it justice. It is huge (about 1 meter tall – just over 3 feet) and is so dramatic in person that it almost seems to vibrate with power. This photo, by Peter Bloomer is originally from Timeless Trees by Peter and Mary Bloomer. It also appears on the cover of Bonsai Today issue 93, an issue that features a tribute to the life and works of John Naka. A first This is first time we’ve recycled a … Continue reading Celebrating Our Bonsai Heritage

Restyling A Stubborn Old Tree

An old RAF Scot’s Pine after restyling by Bill Valavanis. The before photo is below. Radical measures This restyling took place at Bill Valavanis’ Open House last weekend. It provides an excellent lesson in dealing with an old tree with defects that require radical measures to correct. In Bill’s own words Here’s part of what Bill has to say about this restyling: “The first two branches are very heavy and needed to be lowered. Before lowering they were wired so they would not be disturbed after lowering. There are several different methods for lowering the heavy branches. I used a … Continue reading Restyling A Stubborn Old Tree

More Than $1,000 In Prizes

This Nick Lenz pot is being donated by Todd Hansen of Sanctuary Bonsai. It is one of many prizes that will be awarded to entrants in our $1,000 (plus) Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Pot dimensions: 16 1/2″ x 13″ x 2″ Donate and your fame will spread like wild fire If you donate a prize for our Bonsai from Scratch Contest, your name (and your business name) will be listed with links in the following places (at least two times each): Bonsai Bark (average 1,800 over 800 visitors per post) and our Stone Lantern Newsletter (over 8,200 recipients). Please contact … Continue reading More Than $1,000 In Prizes

Bonsai Wisdom

This magnificent juniper appears on Bonsai Boon in a section on Bay Island Bonsai’s 2011 Exhibit. I’ll assume it belongs to Boon (his name accompanies the photo, though it doesn’t state unequivocally that it’s his tree and I’ve been fooled before). I dug around for a little while but couldn’t find the species or anything else on this tree. No doubt the info is out there somewhere. Bonsai is primarily a technical endeavor The following quote is by Michael Hagedorn. It’s from an article titled ‘A Student’s Report’ that appears in the Bonsai Intensive section of Boon Manakitivipart’s (Bonsai Boon) … Continue reading Bonsai Wisdom

Playing with Shadows & Light

Boon Manakitivipart. Western juniper debut with Jalaluddin Din. Bonsai Boon All the photos shown here were posted on facebook by Boon Manakitivipart. Boon is a well-known American bonsai artist and influential bonsai teacher. You can find more about Boon here. Shadows and light I like these photos. Not only are the bonsai quite intriguing, but the photos offer something you don’t see that often; bonsai photography with an artistic flair. The one possible downside is that the play of shadow and light sometimes makes it a little harder to see some of the details on the trees. On balance though, … Continue reading Playing with Shadows & Light

Mystery Bonsai Contest

Tree number 1. This one’s a mystery to me. Win a $100 gift certificate The first person to identify the artist and the species of all 6 trees will win a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If no one identifies all six, then the first person to identify five of the six will win an $80 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If the winner identifies only 4, then the prize is a $60 gift certificate to Stone Lantern (and so forth). Email you answers to me! wayne@stonelantern.com. Answers posted in comments below WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED! Contest end September … Continue reading Mystery Bonsai Contest