Cuttings

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

Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

This gnarly old Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) (completely asleep at the wheel… but thanks to our friend Ryan Bell, we now know that the tree is 2 needle pine rather than a 5 needle… thus a Japanese red or Japanese black pine)is from a Japanese gallery that originally appeared in Bonsai Today* issue 85. It looks a bit like something you might find on Point Lobos (more about that below). Artist unknown. This post originally appeared in January 2010. It was inspired by a visit to Point Lobos on California’s Monterrey Peninsula. Hyperbole aside, it’s one of the most … Continue reading Two Powerful Bonsai & A Point of Distinction

The Beauty of Bonsai and Masters Grade Stainless Tools

Looking though our image library for photos to use on our upgraded website (coming soon) and this one jumped out. It’s a Japanese flowering apricot from the The Beauty of Bonsai. We’re in the process of upgrading our Stone Lantern website, and have been spending hours going though our massive digital image library in a quest for suitable photos. Here are a few of the hundred or so we’ve pulled aside for consideration. I hope you like them as much as I do. Continued below… The following notice is for any of you who might be looking to upgrade your … Continue reading The Beauty of Bonsai and Masters Grade Stainless Tools

Shohin Bonsai… (Copper Wire Sale EndsTonight)

Judging by the leaves and fruit, I’d guess that this might be a dwarf Kumquat of some sort. Whatever it is, I know it’s small because of the proportions and because it’s part of Shohin display. Beyond that, I can’t read the Japanese script, so there’s nothing definite to say about the artist or the type trees shown here. The Shohin bonsai in this post may not be the most sophisticated or otherwise fantastic that we’ve featured over the years (we have over 200 posts in our archives where Shohin is at least mentioned), but there’s something uncontrived and basic … Continue reading Shohin Bonsai… (Copper Wire Sale EndsTonight)

Sweet Companions

This sweet little planting with its distinctive little pot belongs to Sigrid Brecht. No plant names were provided with any of the photos shown here, so your guess is at least as good as mine These enchanting little gems all belong to Sigrid Brecht. The Japanese name for these plantings is kusamono. However, if you feature them with bonsai, then the term is shitakusa. Or simply companion plant. We don’t usually feature whole posts on companions (or on suiseki for that matter). Based on clicks, most bonsai enthusiasts haven’t developed that much appreciation. But in this case, I couldn’t resist. … Continue reading Sweet Companions

Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

I cropped the original (below) to get a closeup of this rather impressive deadwood. Even though there is no variety listed, the fresh buds look a lot like a Yew in full spring glory. All the trees shown here were posted by Luis Vallejo. Because Luis is a highly accomplish and prolific bonsai artist, we can assume they are all his (unfortunately, and due primarily to laziness, facebook and other online sites are rife with unattributed bonsai). Conitnued below… Our great sale on 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire ends tonight 30% off 2+ rolls of 500 gram Bonsai … Continue reading Impressive Nebari, Wild Deadwood, and a Colossal Wire Sale Ends Tonight

Cedars? Hornbeams? What’s in a Name Anyway?

Great trunk, brilliant fall color, excellent pot and then there’s the apex. This powerful old tree belongs to Wolfgang Putz. The pot is by Ingrid Kralovec. The tree is a Korean hornbeam. The botanical name is Carpinus turczaninowii, though you’ll sometimes see them referred to as Carpinus coreana. Up to my old tricks. The photos shown here originally appeared in March 2013.  There’s more history involved, but we’ll leave it at that. The two trees below are Thuja occidentalis, a tree that may have more common names than almost any other species on this planet… Continued below… Our great sale … Continue reading Cedars? Hornbeams? What’s in a Name Anyway?