Smaller Pot, Stronger Tree

Carl-Morrow-Simulated

Robert Steven's digitally enhanced version of a Trident maple by Carl Morrow (the photo Carl submitted is below).

This is one of our earlier (September, 2010) Robert Steven critiques. And one of my favorites. The tree is great and Robert’s lesson is simple. Reign in the spread of the crown and the pot, and suddenly the already powerful trunk and nebari jump out. Not that they didn’t already claim some demand on your attention, but with the distracting ~~horizon~~ horizontal energy reduced, that demand is more clearly focused and exactly where it should be.

There’s more, but we’ll let Robert speak for himself (below).

The original photo. It doesn't hurt to start with a quality tree.

Robert’s comments
Despite the details, bonsai design is all about composition, and the pot is one of the most important composition elements. A well chosen pot can reflect and enhance the best features of a tree and effect the overall image, adding both nuance and balance.

Our first impression is a sense of visual imbalance. This is due to pot size (which is too big) and improper potting position. Another disturbing thing is the foliage edge on the left side seems to be heavier than the right side. This creates and unbalanced effect, since the tree’s movement flows to the right.

Solution :

Reduce the foliage on the left to enhance the tree’s natural flow to the right.
Prune some leaves to show some of the branches structure, this will give an older look to the tree.
Use a smaller pot.

There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste because of personal preferences. But I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul (out of print) and Mission of Transformation which are available at Stone Lantern.

You can also visit my bonsai blog.

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The Best (& Most Expensive) Bonsai Market

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The impressive deadwood looks like something you'd see on a juniper, as does the bark (what you can see of it). But the foliage looks a little spikey, almost like needles. Maybe it's just my eyes. This photo and the others shown here were taken by Dave DeGroot. Dave is, among other things, the author of Principles of Bonsai Design.

The photos shown here were taken by Dave DeGroot at the the Ueno Green Club’s market near the 2016 Kokufu Exhibition. Though these bonsai are notable (and worth a lot of money), they are not the trees that were chosen for the Exhibiton.

If you’d like to see more Green Club trees, here are a couple older Bark posts: from the 2015 Kokufu and Green Club and from the 2011 Green Club.

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A little too clunky to be show-worthy, but still quite powerful. We'll guess Trident maple.

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Here's one I'll bet you'd like to have in your backyard. Great base, good taper, nice ramification and the perfect pot. Is it a Quince?

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If I'm reading it right, this muscular little pine's tag say 450,000 yen. This comes to almost exactly 4,000 dollars.

B1PRINpage

A page from Dave DeGroot's Principle of Bonsai Design
Even though it is less than one year off the press
it is already widely recognized as one of the very best 
bonsai design books ever published the English language

B1PRIN1

The cover

B1PRINpage2

Another page
If you're not familiar with this excellent book, 
you might want to give it look

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They’re Here! Green T Professional Bonsai Turntables

GreenT-mugo

Massive Mugo pine resting comfortably on a Green T professional bonsai turntable. The prize winning tree belongs to Paolo Riboli. The turntable could belong to you.

Green T Professional Hydraulic Lift Bonsai Turntables
have arrived in the USA

We are pleased to announce the arrival today of a powerful and essential tool that will help you work on your trees more efficiently, comfortably and enjoyably. You and your bonsai will be happy you got one. And the price is right… only 345.00 including shipping.*

In Japan hydraulic lift turntables have been the standard for years, but their prohibitive costs have limited their spread in the West. Thanks to professional researchers and the collaboration of well-known bonsai professionals, we are able to offer you a tool inspired by the Japanese turntable and improved in several details (including price).

GreenT is Bigger

The surface is 58cm (23 inches) diameter instead of the usual 50 cm (almost 20 inches). This allows you to work on your largest trees and your smallest trees. You can comfortably use the excess space to have your tools easily accessible.

Stronger

The work surface is made out of phenolic marine pine plywood which is painted and coated in solid non slip rubber (4 mm thickness, hardness Shore A 70 ). Lifting capacity is up to 200 kg (440 lbs). Tightening screws and threaded bushes are completely made of stainless steel. All the materials used in the construction of Green T guarantee an excellent outdoor weather resistant turntable.

More Useful

Green T features a metal base with five-star support (five horizontal ‘legs’) for maximum stability and a hydraulic foot control lift that adjusts to a maximum height of 60cm (23.6 inches) and a minimum of 43 cm (17 inches). The swing brake of the table can be disconnected with a simple movement of the pedal. Five removable eye screws, located under the bottom edge of the work surface, allow you to anchor your bonsai to the table (see below).

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Lighter

Even with the superior features listed above, at 15 kg (33 lbs), Green T weighs the same as its Japanese competitors.

You Save

You price for Green T is 345.00.
This includes shipping and handling
*(U.S. ONLY, international orders will be charged shipping)
This comes to about half the price of an imported Japanese turntable.
NO OTHER DISCOUNTS APPLY. Green T is made in Italy.

GreenT messy

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Wildly Expressive Bonsai

romao

Blown up and a little fuzzy, but still... astounding!

Some days you just get lucky. Yesterday I stumbled across the wildly expressive bonsai you see here. It was posted by John Romano (of Kaikou School of Bonsai fame).

Here’s what John wrote about it: “One of my favorite shohin bonsai. Owned by a private collector in South Korea (bought in Japan). My good Japanese friend maintains this person’s trees. The owner is a collector and doesn’t show his trees (doesn’t care!) but has fabulous trees bought mostly in Japan. Is it really shohin? I don’t care! love it! Recent posts by Mark Arpag and Bjorn Bjorholm inspired me post this.” From John’s facebook feed.

Here's the original photo. I cropped and enlarged the somewhat fuzzy one above to get a closer look.

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I borrowed this photo from the Kaikou School of Bonsai, which just happens to be located at New England Bonsai. My old stompin grounds.

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This one is from New England Bonsai Garden’s website.

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Towering Tamarack Bonsai

larch

This towering Tamarack is too tall for the photo, so the top and a tiny piece of the bottom of the pot are missing (you can see almost all of it below). It belongs to Suthin Sukosolvisit. Tamarack is a local name for the American larch (Larix laricina). Suthin identifies it only as 'larch,' a genus of trees that numbers about twelve species; so Tamarack is a guess based on geography.

Suthin Sukosolvisit is selling part of his personal bonsai collection (see the Tsukomo cypress below). This is a great opportunity to own a masterpiece bonsai by one of our most talented bonsai artists.

As far as I know, the larch pictured here isn’t part of Suthin’s sale. Still, it’s worth a good look for at least two reasons; it’s a great bonsai styled and carved by a top tier bonsai artist, and it’s a good example of how to work with a very tall tree. It’s not the only way to go, but the long jin on top works for me (you could remove all or most of it and still have a powerful bonsai, but with it, you’ve got a distinctively powerful bonsai).

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Almost the whole tree, with just the tip top missing this time.

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Before. It always helps to start with good stock, but without years put in perfecting technique and vision, good stock won't be enough.

tsukomo

This shohin Tsukomo cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Tsukumo') is one of the dozens of trees from Suthin's personal collection that are now for sale. BTW: you almost never see Tsukomo bonsai, let alone top quality Tsukomo bonsai.

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Critiquing a Surrealistic Bonsai

After. Robert Steven's simulation of a photo submitted by Wayan (see below).

Here’s another Robert Steven critique from our archives (July, 2011). I picked this one for a couple good reasons: first the tree is uniquely challenging, with it’s mammoth, mountain-like trunk, and second, there’s a great discussion about it with the original. I invite you to take a look.

What a difference a pot makes. Though Robert doesn’t mention it in his critique (below), introducing a shallow pot, rather than the original clunky and rather unattractive pot, instantly transforms the whole tree. Nothing outside the box, just a simple change that does wonders.

Before. Submitted by Wayan. Clearly a different pot is called for (see above). The tree is a Pemphis acidula.

In Robert’s own words
Although the trunk is very interesting, it is quite difficult to turn this tree into a design that ideally portrays a large mature tree. The stump is too bulky, so it is not easy to train the other physical elements to fit it in a proportional manner.Imagine the stump as a hill, and trees are growing here and there creating a unique composition.

Think out of the box! Make a rather “surrealistic” design…

Thanks to Pemphis which we can expect new shoots to easily grow, especially on the gnarled knots; then train every single shoot as a tree following natural phenomena as shown on the simulated picture below. The only tree to add separately is the one on the left bottom; or you can do without it if you prefer.

General comments
There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste and personal preferences, but I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul (out of print) and Mission of Transformation which is available at Stone Lantern.

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Another Outstanding Bonsai Critique by Robert Steven

Robert Steven's simulation of a Pemphis acidula that was submitted by Nurul Fajri (the original photo is below).

Would you like Robert Steven, renowned bonsai artist, teacher and author to critique one of your bonsai? For free? Just email me a photo and we’ll take it from there.

We first featured the critique shown here back in November, 2013. The tree is so exceptional that it’s worth another look.

When I opened my email from Robert Steven and glanced at the before photo (below), I thought it was the after photo. But only for a moment. It’s the pot that gave it away. The rest looked pretty good. Beyond pretty good actually (some of us might trade our entire collections for a tree like this). But not good enough for Robert who always seems to find ways to improve any bonsai.

The photo that Nurul Fajri submitted to Robert.

Robert’s Critique
Pemphis acidula that are collected from nature often have rocks attached. Composing harmonious designs that incorporate these rocks while retaining a tropical look, requires well-developed bonsai sensibilities and skill.

The trunk, the foliage and the pot, which are the basic elements in the design above, look like they are all from different sources and lack unity. The neat round crown suggests a formal tree and does not fit with the casual character of the trunk; it’s apical shape breaks the flow from the trunk to the releasing tip. Also, the pot is too big for the rocky base; its bulky heavy feel distracts from the natural beauty of the tree. Consequently, the overall design lacks harmony and the tree’s dynamic movement is not adequately expressed.

The ideal shape for the crown is irregular. This fits much better with tree’s the casual feel. In order to improve the visual balance, the trunk is leaned slightly to the left. Due to the heavy rock, the best way to minimize the bulky base is to use a shallow hand-made container. Its natural shape also fits well with the other elements. As a result of these changes, a more dynamic and harmonious mood is created.

Robert’s General Comments
There is more than one way to design any bonsai and my critiques and recommended solutions might not always fit your taste and personal preferences, but I always try to give my opinion based on artistic and horticultural principles.

To understand my concepts better, please read my books Vision of My Soul (out of stock for now) and Mission of Transformation which is available at Stone Lantern.

Your are also welcome to visit my facebook pages and my bonsai blog.

Nurul-Fajri
Robert helped Nurul Fajri make this background for his display in the International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale 2014.

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Garden of Tropical Bonsai Delights

malpigia

Three major components come together in this colorful root-over-rock bonsai. A flowering tree (Malpighia pendiculata), a pot that some of us 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…

Do you see it? The Valentine heart? Normally we wouldn't point that out, but then tomorrow is that day that women love and men fear (I didn't really say that). Anyway, if there is a distinctive Gede Merta look (and I think there is), this Pemphis acidula has it.

This one is listed as okiantea on Gede Merta's website. Could it be what we call Fukien tea? Based on the leaves, I'd say it is, but my guesses sometimes go astray. Anyway, you might notice the way the moss accentuates the nebari (and vice versa). There's more that could be said about this perfect bonsai, but then, you can see for yourself.

PemphisA2

Another Pemphis acidula tropical yamadori. Most, if not all Pemphis bonsai are yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild). BTW: some Pemphis (like this one) look a lot like our Florida Buttonwoods (Conocarpus erectus).

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Fall Color in February?

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Japanese maple in full fall color. Though you can only see part of the base of the trunk, still, you can get a pretty good idea just how powerful this tree is; with or without leaves. This photo and all the photos in this post are from Luis Vallejo's Bonsai Studio (Bonsai Estudio), at the Bonsai Museum Alcobendas.

It’s sunny and about five Fahrenheit (-15 celsius) this morning. A little early to get our hopes up, but we can dream. Meanwhile here’s some color to fuel those dreams (fall color, but who’s choosy?).

All the photos in this post are from Luis Vallejo’s Bonsai Studio (Bonsai Estudio), at the Bonsai Museum Alcobendas

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When it comes to yellow, Ginkgos are hard to beat. In this case the blue-green pot only serves to enhance the yellow.

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This European field elm (Ulmus minor), like the maple above, is a powerful tree, with or without fall color.

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Persimmons hold their fruit well into winter. In fact, they need a hard frost before they are ready to eat. This one is a Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). In spite of the botanical name, it's native to Japan.

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Another brilliant Japanese maple. Because the top has been cut off in the photo, we'll call it an art shot.

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Sumac

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Brilliant Bonsai, Brilliant Photo

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A little fuzzy when blown up to fit our format, but still... Both the brilliant tree and the equally brilliant photo come to us via Mark Arpag. The original is below.

We don’t usually do one tree posts, but it’s already 11am and I’m still trying to catch up from vacation. Not that we ever really catch up, but hope still springs…

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The original. From Mark Arpag's facebook feed. He doesn't say what it is, but my best guess is needle juniper.

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