A Virtual Bunjin Challenge Winner

John Geanangel’s final rendition. Not only did John make some fairly radical changes, including a brand new pot (actually a rock serving as a pot), but he did it on youtube. Thank you Thank you to the twenty four of you who entered our Bunjin Contest. It’s always refreshing to know that someone is paying attention, especially when you are motivated enough to do something about it. A tough act to follow John Geanangel’s was the sixth entry and as soon as I saw it I figured the party was most likely over (sure enough that’s what our panel of … Continue reading A Virtual Bunjin Challenge Winner

Robert Critiques a Unique Trunk Line

Simulation by Robert Steven. The original, which was submitted by Ihwanuddin Lutfi is below. Send us yours for a free critique For a while we were getting regular submission, but now, the well seems to be a little drier. Don’t be shy. Robert can be very direct, but then, how many people have the expertise and confidence to be so direct? And so helpful in viewing your bonsai in a new light? You can send your photos to me, or directly to Robert. Ihwanuddin Lutfi’s original. Notice how Robert softened the background color in his simulation (above). Robert’s critique Pemphis … Continue reading Robert Critiques a Unique Trunk Line

Imperfect, Yet Compelling

Imperfect, unfinished and unbalanced… yet, still compelling in its naturalness and with its luminous foliage, aged bark and deadwood (if you ignore the unfinished jin at the top). By Andrei Darusenkov. Just a little luck This larch is a little different from the one in our last post, which featured a near perfect little collected larch (the kind you could spend a lifetime looking for). This one shows a type tree that us ordinary collectors with our limited experience and just a little luck might find sometime. Taking a few liberties and indulging in a little imagination I don’t know … Continue reading Imperfect, Yet Compelling

Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Wouldn’t you like to find a tree like this when you are out collecting? This is a cropped version of Autumn, by Giacomo Pappalardo. From his facebook wall photos. I assume it is Giacomo’s, though I find no mention of it anywhere; just the photo. A trunk with everything This funky (in the good sense) trunk has everything: shape, massive girth, aged bark, a natural looking hollow (sabamiki) and a perfect touch of deadwood. Though you could make an argument for hiding some of the trunk’s heaviness near the top (the dark hole above the jin), I imagine Giacomo decided … Continue reading Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Root on Rock Bonsai

Root-on-rock Juniper chinensis from Michele Andolfo’s Bonsai Studio. Leaving it up to you I need to get our next newsletter out, so there’s little time to say much about this bonsai; other than I like the tree, rock and pot, and the way the line of the rock and the tree flow into each other. Beyond that, maybe you could write your own comments.

Contest: Unusual Pot, Unusual Tree & Free Shears!

Bunjin Black pine from an article entitled ‘The Use of Unusual Pots‘ in Bonsai Today issue 31. The article shows how you can make unconventional pots (like the one above) using ceramic tiles, wire & glue. Bunjin Bunjin (aka literati) bonsai are marked by delicacy, grace and for some, the feelings they evoke, with their long narrow trunks, spare branching and sparse foliage. Sometimes you’ll see trees that have some bunjin characteristics, but with perhaps a heavier than usual trunk, or thicker foliage. In this case, there’s no doubt it’s a bunjin; the trunk is long and narrow, their are … Continue reading Contest: Unusual Pot, Unusual Tree & Free Shears!

A Little Change of Pace: Robert’s Tokonoma &…

Definitely not Japanese. From Echo of My Heart, a series of photos of the bonsai art of Robert Steven. Tokonomas Not too long ago we featured a tokonoma by Bill Valavanis. To me, Bill’s tokonoma stands clearly in the Japanese tradition, with maybe a touch of Bill to distinguish it. In this case, we’ve got something a little different. It’s a tokonoma by Robert Steven, and though I’d say there’s a nod to the Japanese tradition, there’s clearly something quite different going on. A little Indonesia? A little something else? And, as is often the case with Robert Steven, more … Continue reading A Little Change of Pace: Robert’s Tokonoma &…

A Touch of Spring

The flowers are white, and we’ve got plenty of white stuff on the ground here in Vermont. That’s as far as it goes, but we can dream. The photo is from Bonsai Guest House Osaka (facebook). Here’s their website. It’s hard to tell for sure, but I’m guessing it’s a Ume (Flowering apricot). I’m told that Ume is one of the few deciduous trees holds deadwood for a long time. More than just a touch. I like it when azaleas show some leaves when they bloom, like this one. Sometimes you see them completely covered with flowers, which can seem … Continue reading A Touch of Spring

That Natural Look

This popped up on Bonsai Mania from a photo of Roelof Jansen van Vuuren’s. It caught me because of its light airy feel and natural look. A small cut or two? This sweet Japanese maple (var?) planting reminds me a bit of the Sugar maples on the edge of my property. Sometimes I imagine them small and then start making mental cuts. These trees have the same effect on me; I wouldn’t mind grabbing my scissors and making a small cut or two. Especially on that long left branch on the tree on the right (I think I just disturbed … Continue reading That Natural Look

A Robert Steven Critique & Our Two Cents

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Pemphis acidula that was submitted (below) by Surmardi of Indonesia. Making our point Though Robert doesn’t mention it in his critique, he does remove the background clutter that you see in Surmardi’s photo. To my eye, this change has as much impact on the tree’s appearance as Robert’s other changes. Preparing and photographing trees is a topic that we have discussed in this blog; most recently, in our last post. Surmardi’s original begs the question: why not just raise the tree and photograph it with only the yellow background? The failure to do something that … Continue reading A Robert Steven Critique & Our Two Cents