Be Careful! Pinching Might Be Deadly

Was this foliage pinched in order to achieve that dense, perfectly refined shape and texture? The answer, according to Michael Hagedorn is an emphatic NO! Except when it isn’t. The image is borrowed from our Masters’ Series Juniper Bonsai book. I’ve been ripping off valuable tidbits from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai for a long time (always attributed and linked of course). Micheal is a noted American bonsai artist, teacher and author and a voice for a common sense approach to bonsai. Continued below… Michael Hagedorn’s famous Post-Dated Still the best bonsai read in the English language Back in 2012 Michael … Continue reading Be Careful! Pinching Might Be Deadly

Powerful Jaw Dropping Bonsai Six Months Later

The second place tree at last fall’s Artisans Cup. It’s a Sierra Juniper that belongs to Tim Priest. The other winners are below (if you’re wondering why we’re leading with the second place tree… we’ll we’ve already lead a post with the winner and I’m not so sure I care that much about winners (and by extension losers) anyway. Which begs the question… It has been a few days short of six months since the Artisans Cup; a ground breaking event at the Portland Art Museum that featured more powerful jaw dropping bonsai than most people will ever see in … Continue reading Powerful Jaw Dropping Bonsai Six Months Later

Taming & Redirecting Growth on a Shohin Japanese Black Pine

After styling. The tree is a Cork bark Japanese black pine. The hand belongs to the Ben Gliffin. If you compare this photo with the before photo just below, you can see some real progress with needle thinning and reduction. You might also notice how Ben has left the needles on the far left longer than the needles on top. This will encourage vigor in the direction of the longer needles. The sweet little tree featured here is a Shohin Cork bark Japanese black pine that belongs to Ben Gliffin. If you know Japanese black pines you also know that … Continue reading Taming & Redirecting Growth on a Shohin Japanese Black Pine

Tiny Bonsai, Tiny Pots

There are few things more delicate and beautiful than fresh spring Maple leaves (Trident maple in this case). This exquisite tree and exquisite pot are perfect expressions of the artistry of Haruyoshi. Out of town and running late today, so we’ll dip back into our archives. This one originally appeared April, 2014. It features a few of Haruyosi’s exquisite small bonsai. If you’ve been following Bark for a while, you know that Haruyosi is one of our favorites. Red on red. In our last Haruyosi post (Very Red and Very Rare), we mentioned that red glazes are expensive and not … Continue reading Tiny Bonsai, Tiny Pots

Black Hills Bonsai, Before & After

Another Suthin bonsai on a rock. This one is a Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca var. densata). The contrast with this photo and the before photo below will give you a good idea of Suthin’s vision and skill. These two photos beg more questions than I can answer right now (time constraints, you know). So we’ll leave them for another time. Meanwhile, take a close look if you have the time and see what questions come to mind. Both photos shown here are from Suthin’s facebook feed. Before. It’s hard to believe this is the same tree. In fact if … Continue reading Black Hills Bonsai, Before & After

Power, Elegance & a Bonsai Youth Movement

Sheer power. This impressive Japanese white pine was styled by Naoki Maeoka. In his own words: Every single branch of each tree was looked at carefully, and strong branches were cut, while leaving the soft ones to balance the foliage. Then I detail wired the entire tree to put the remaining branches in an ideal position. Trees were simply wired in these positions for the time being. It’s not the final goal of styling. It’s a new beginning towards achieving that eventual goal. The two trees shown here couldn’t be that different in terms of styles and effects. The Japanese … Continue reading Power, Elegance & a Bonsai Youth Movement

Bonsai Yesterday, Bonsai Today, Bonsai Tomorrow

Wallpaper. From the cover of Bonsai Today 100 For the first time in eons, we have a full complement of Bonsai Today issues. Every single one, from issue 1 through issue 108 is sitting in our warehouse waiting to fill out your collection. Prices range from 6.00 dollar up to 80.00 (all are now on sale for an extra 25% off). The higher the price, the more scarce they are. Now to see how long they last. This California juniper was styled by Michael Hagedorn in issue 88 (a scarce one). If you’ve been around a while, you’ve no doubt … Continue reading Bonsai Yesterday, Bonsai Today, Bonsai Tomorrow

Another Immense Bonsai

This photo of what can only be described as a massive Sabina juniper was taken at Bonsaisense in Mallorca Spain, after two days of skillful transformation by Bjorn Bjorholm (and algunos amigos). Flashback. When I first glimpsed the tree above, I thought we were back at the Artisans Cup. I think this connection has a lot to do with this tree’s size and spread and just how many impressively large trees there were at the Cup. In case you wondering, the size of a bonsai isn’t what makes it worthy or not worthy. Still, size does add dramatic effect. Especially … Continue reading Another Immense Bonsai

Japanese White Pine Bonsai

This Japanese white pine shows a strong truck with good taper and nice balanced open branching. Most quality Japanese white pine bonsai have been grafted onto Black pine stock, but this one was grown from seed. When this photo was taken it had just been wired by Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai.) It belongs to a client of Micheal’s. The Japanese white pine is one of the world’s emblematic bonsai. In Japan it is one of the two most famous classical bonsai species (the other is the Japanese black pine) and appreciation for its beauty and suitability for bonsai has spread … Continue reading Japanese White Pine Bonsai

Freedom, Artistry & Boundless Enthusiasm

Sometimes the toughest choice I make all day is deciding which tree to show first. All seven bonsai shown here exhibit the sense of freedom and artistry that caught my attention and helped make that other tough decision; what or who to blog about. Finally, this wildly uninhibited juniper (the one I saw first) won out. It and the rest of the trees shown here belong to Isao Omachi. Whether you like Isao Omachi’s bonsai or not (though it’s hard for me to understand why anyone wouldn’t), you have to admire his boundless enthusiasm and playfulness, which even if you … Continue reading Freedom, Artistry & Boundless Enthusiasm