More Broken Chains

Just in case you missed our last two posts, here’s another photo on the theme breaking through the chains that limit creativity. Here’s our third and final post (for now at least) on the recent 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition. Photos courtesy of Robert Steven. NEW Site Wide Sale Everything at Stone Lantern now 20% to 25% off* time to get a jump on December madness World’s longest cascade What’s he doing? More broken chains… Continued below… NEW Site Wide Sale Everything at Stone Lantern now 20% to 25% off* 20% off all orders from … Continue reading More Broken Chains

More Broken Chains & Blending Tradition Chinese Penjing with Something Much Newer & More Radical

Yesterday the chains were broken. Today it’s the chains and the arm. It’s a good thing the tree and pot survived. The photo is cropped so the nitty-gritty at the bottom will show when it’s magically transported to social media (the original is below). Yesterday, we featured some photos and text (courtesy of our friend Robert Steven) from the recent 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition. Today we’ve got some more for you (and even more tomorrow). The more I look at the photos the more fascinated I become. The scope and variety and especially the concepts behind … Continue reading More Broken Chains & Blending Tradition Chinese Penjing with Something Much Newer & More Radical

Breaking Bonsai Chains

This highly unusual bonsai display (previously highly unusual anyway – thanks to Robert Steven and others, displays like this are becoming more common) is from 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition. In Roberts words: “The hands sculptures with the broken chains symbolize the theme of breaking through in creativity.” The other day Robert Steven sent us a whole slew of remarkable photos from the 3rd National Xiaopin Penjing & Wild Grass Exhibition along with text that helps shed some light on the nature of the Exhibition. We’ll show you the text in full (below) and just a few … Continue reading Breaking Bonsai Chains

Snake Skin Bonsai

The contrast of black background and red leaves works to a tee. The tree is a Arakawa (Snake skin) Japanese maple that belows to Luis Vallejo. All three photos shown here are by Miguel Krause. Just a quickie today while I continue to try to catch up from vacation (no good vacation goes unpunished). I found the photos on Luis Vallejo’s facebook feed. This is not the first time we’ve shown Luis’ bonsai and I don’t think it will be the last. In addition to showing you the striking color contrast, I want to remind you that 4 excellent sales … Continue reading Snake Skin Bonsai

Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Cover tree from Fine Bonsai (see below) 25% off Bonsai Book Sale ends tomorrow night (Monday) at 11:59pm EDT Bonsai Wire Sales also end Monday night 30% off 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire 30% off 1 lb rolls of Copper Bonsai Wire 30% off Yoshiaki Japanese Bonsai Wire Plus an Extra 5% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00 plus The cover The tree is a Sargent juniper (aka Shimpaku) The artist is Seiji Morimae The pot is by Adachi Choka list price for the book is 150.00 only 107.00 with current sales plus FREE Shipping in … Continue reading Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

Rugged dynamic deadwood. It’s a Buttonwood by Robert Kempinski from his Mahogany Row Studio. Today is our last full day of an all too short Florida Keys’ vacation. Tomorrow it’s back to the freezing North. Before we pull on our long pants and head out, this seems like a good time to take a look at some Florida Buttonwoods, our American tropical jewel. The photos shown here and some of the text appeared almost exactly one year ago today. One of many Bark posts that feature Buttonwoods. This one belongs to Mary Madison. John Naka called her the Buttonwood Queen. … Continue reading Mystical Dragon and other American Tropical Jewels

The Sun Still Shines on Our Bonsai

Japanese yew with one thin live vein and lots of great deadwood. From Mauro Stemberger’s Italian Dream website. Still on vacation and trying to recover from a hangover and a bad dream. Rather than going to the time and trouble to compose a new post, we’ll resurrect this one from December, 2013. It was titled, “Sun is shining on my bonsai, but I stay in bed a little longer…” Mauro Stemberger is something of force in European and world bonsai. He usually starts with excellent stock and ends with even better bonsai. This is not not the first time we’ve … Continue reading The Sun Still Shines on Our Bonsai

A Flowering Bonsai, a Pot that Some Would Die For & an Extraordinary Rock

Three major components come together in this colorful root-over-rock bonsai. A flowering tree (Malpighia pendiculata), a pot that some would die for (hand painted Chinese?) and an extraordinarily craggy rock. This bonsai and the others in this post are by Gede Merta. This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Gede Merta’s bonsai. Nor will it be the last. If you don’t know Gede Merta, then welcome to his garden of tropical bonsai delights. If you already know Gede Merta, then welcome once again… A quick vacation before the Holidays set in, so we’ll resort to some archival action (from … Continue reading A Flowering Bonsai, a Pot that Some Would Die For & an Extraordinary Rock

Meandering Lines

This Myrtle (Myrtus communis) belongs to Andrea Albergo. The pot is by Greg Ceramics and the photo is by Harry Harrington. I chose it for the lead tree for several reasons; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Myrtle with such a massive trunk, deadwood on most non-conifers isn’t all that common (though becoming more common) and I like the loose abstract meandering lines of the deadwood and living veins. I can’t stop showing you Harry Harrington’s photos from the recent European Bonsai San Show in Saulieu, Burgundy, France. Short of Kokufu (and maybe one or two others) I can’t … Continue reading Meandering Lines

One Bonsai, Four Shots

This artfully swirling Itoigawa Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis Itoigawa) belongs to Fabio Mantovani. The photo was taken at the recent European Bonsai San Show by Harry Harrington (I cropped it to get a closer look, the original is below). Last week we featured some of Harry Harrington’s photos from last month’s European Bonsai San Show. Because the tree’s are so spectacular and Harry’s photos are equally spectacular, there’s no good reason not keep going. This time we’re focusing on four shots (plus one cropped) of a Itoigawa Shimpaku juniper (Juniperus chinensis Itoigawa) that belongs to Fabio Mantovani. For more of Harry’s … Continue reading One Bonsai, Four Shots