A Fascinating Mix of Insight & Opinion

Unfinished, but wild and wonderful. I wonder what this Scot’s pine bunjin beauty looked like before it was collected somewhere in the wilds of Sweden. It belongs to Muaro Stemberger. It’s from his facebook page. Mauro also has a website. It’s called Italian Bonsai Dream.

Traveling once again, so we’ll resume our archival explorations. This one, originally titled Bunjin Bonsai Bliss is from October, 2011 (with some current editing and elaboration), though any Bark discussion of Bunjin warrants a mention of Moving Out of the Bonsai Mainstream with a Deft and Delicate Touch (from December 2012), whose comments are the longest and perhaps the most interesting of any of our 900 plus posts so far. Andy Rutledge’s (and some other notables’) remarks triggered a fascinating mixture of insight and opinion, and even a mention of racism (one of Andy’s comments is below).

Bunjin or Literati, bonsai elegance by any name
The following is from something I wrote for The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura.

“Bunjin style bonsai originated in China among scholars and artist who were known as literati, which is another name for bunjin. Originally, literati style bonsai – which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) – was influenced by Chinese brush painting. With a little imagination, the connection can be readily seen.

Perhaps the keys to understanding bunjin are the notions of simplicity and elegance. These qualities arise as expressions of freedom; freedom from conventional and habitual way thinking, doing and seeing. This type of freedom – which is highly valued in some traditional societies and is not easily obtained – results in a direct and immediate way of experiencing the world. This could be called intuition…”

On reflection, I think the quote above, though brilliant (smiley face) might be a little too general. Here’s something more specific that Andy Rutledge wrote in the aforementioned comments to a post from last year: “Bunjin is almost entirely concerned with wabi-sabi. Wabi, expressing modesty, melancholy, poverty, simplicity, loneliness, quiet dignity. Sabi, portraying great age, transience, patina, impermanence.” Andy has more to say on the topic, but this is a pretty good opening volley.

 

This triple humpbacked pine combines elegance and a rugged wildness. I don’t know who it belongs to (please don’t show me up by pointing out that it’s in an issue of Bonsai Today or one of our books, there’s no more room on my face for any more egg), but I’d guess that it’s Japanese. It’s from Lombok’s photos on facebook. Like about half of the bonsai you find on facebook, it’s unattributed.

 

A study in simplicity. This Japanese Red pine (Pinus densiflora) is the result of a challenge to Masahiko Kimura (the world’s best know bonsai artist) to create a bonsai with only one branch. It’s from The Magician: The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2. The original article is from Bonsai Today issue 69.


Few and far between. Have you ever seen a true fir (Abies) bonsai? How about a bunjin fir bonsai? This one is a Grand fir (Abies grandis) that belongs to Lee Cheatle. Grand firs are native to the Pacific Northwest. The photo is from the 2010 US National Bonsai Album (sold out, but we still have 2012 already deeply discounted and now an extra 25% off).

 

B1KIM2-6The cover of The Magician which is mentioned twice above. Already deeply discounted, and now, along with all of our books, is currently an extra 25% off at Stone Lantern.


Random Pages & A Messy Desk

5This unusual Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) is not representative of most of the trees that appear in Fine Bonsai, which tend to be powerful mind-stopppers. Still, there’s something about it, beyond just the fact that it’s so different…

Packing and leaving for the West Coast today, so it’s archive time. This will be the third time for this post, which you might view as excessive and I’d have to agree. Except that these photos from Fine Bonsai are great. And, there’s a motive for resorting to a post about a book. We just put up a 25% off book sale at Stone Lantern.

This one (with some changes including two new photos) appeared last summer and the summer before that. It features a remarkable book. Though not everyone I talk to agrees, to my eyes at least, the powerful full-page photos highlight the luminous brilliance of some of the best bonsai in the world. In ways that conventional shots seldom capture. After almost two years I still keep an open copy by my desk (see below).

One of the most astounding books…
This morning (almost two years ago now) Andy Rutledge sent me his well considered and well written review of one of the most astounding books I’ve ever seen. So rather than subjecting you to my same old prose once again, let’s try a fresh voice for a change (note, you can see Andy’s entire review on his Bonsai Journal … you might also enjoy visiting a more multifaceted Andy here).

Andy Rutledge’s review
When my copy of Fine Bonsai arrived I almost dropped it as the delivery man handed it to me. Though large, I didn’t expect the package to be so heavy. At 12″ x 15″ x 1.75″ and almost 10 pounds, this is a large and weighty book. The beautiful slipcase adds even more dimension and almost another pound of weight. When I finally unboxed and perused the book I was delighted to discover that the content, too, was weightier than expected.

Fine Bonsai – Art & Nature is primarily a photo-artistic study of bonsai from public and private collections in North America and Japan, with photos by renowned photographer Jonathan M. Singer and text by the respected American artist, teacher, and publisher William N. Valavanis.

In addition to the bonsai sections which comprise most of the book, beautiful and important bonsai containers and suiseki are featured in discrete chapters. Each is filled with practical and historical information on the depicted works. There’s also an informative section on the various arboretums and nurseries whose trees are featured in this book.

The Good

The photography is stunning. Each of the 281 full-page photos allows the subject its individual due and dignity. The rich, dark background surrounding the bonsai in these photos, combined with elegant and creative lighting, presents each subject in a way that is at once serene and emphatic. Though the dark environment for the photos creates perhaps an uncommon or unfamiliar context for bonsai, the trees seem most comfortable there. They shine like stars on a stage
For the rest of Andy’s review visit The Bonsai Journal.

 

This remarkable Shimpaku juniper is from Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-en Bonsai Museum.

 

The cover.

 

messydeskHere’s that open copy that I keep by my messy desk. It’s been here almost two years. I sporadically turn to random pages. This is what came up this morning. Zelkova on the left and Trident maple on the right.

 

B1FINE3Just in case you think all the trees in Fine Bonsai are from Japan, they aren’t. This sublime shot is of a radiant Golden Full Moon maple that belongs to Bill Valavanis.

Summer Relief

Deciduous Award at the 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition for the Finest Deciduous Bonsai. It’s a Japanese Maple by Suthin Sukolosovisit of Royal Bonsai. It has nothing to do with the topic of this post, at least directly, but the 3rd (2012) U.S. National Bonsai Exhibiton is now on special at Stone Lantern.

This post originally appeared here on Bark last summer. It’s important enough to run again, especially given the season we entering.
While we’re at it, I’d like to remind you that our 50% off Sale for 10 or more 100 gram rolls of Bonsai Aesthetics Wire ends tonight at 11:59pm EDT. As does our 25% off Roshi Tool Sale.

 

The following very useful piece of advice is by Michael Hagedorn from his website Crataegus Bonsai. It originally appeared here on Bark almost exactly three years ago.

“Last summer I mentioned the practice of ‘hamisu’ which is the misting of bonsai during hot summer days. This light topical watering wets the foliage, trunk, pot and first half inch or inch of soil. It refreshes the tree.

If you water the trees in the morning on hot days, they will often need this lighter watering once or twice following that. This is especially true when the temperatures rise above 90 degrees F. Hamisu is most effective when the sun is lowering in the sky.

Be careful watering too late in the day when you have fungus problems. There is juniper tip blight, Phomopsis, to be concerned with, for instance. Any water on the foliage should dry before night sets in during the warm months.”

BTW: if you’ve never visited Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai, you’re missing some of the best writing and most useful bonsai information on the web. Speaking of writing, Michael is the author of one of our favorite bonsai books: Post-Dated – The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.

 

b1shohingwatering-300x197Photo from Shohin Bonsai by Morten Albek. Published by Stone Lantern.

TJWANDA Watering Wand is an excellent idea. As is a Fog-It nozzle (not shown here but available at Stone Lantern).

Twenty Eight Questions for Peter Tea

shimpakuKishu shimpaku grafted onto a Seirra juniper. Several artists have contributed to the styling of this powerful old collected tree. The latest (when this photo was taken back in 2013) is Peter Tea. You can follow the progression of Peter’s work on this tree and much more on his excellent blog.

The other day I happened upon a unique and worthy new (for me) bonsai blog that had been hiding in plain site (see our last post) since October of 2011. It’s called Yenling Bonsai and it belongs to Jeremiah Lee.

In the course of familiarizing myself with Jeremiah’s handiwork I came across this October 2012 interview with Peter Tea. Though I suspect that some of you have discovered Yenling Bonsai, I also suspect that many of you haven’t. Which means you haven’t had the good fortune of reading Jeremiah’s interview with Peter (there’s much more to recommend you to Yenling Bonsai, but we’ll start with this).

Before we get to the interview, just a word about Peter Tea. Gifted bonsai apprentice/artist and great writer too (okay, eight words). We’ve featured Peter many times here on Bark and will no doubt continue doing so. And of course, we always recommend that you visit Peter’s blog yourself. It’s a journey worth taking.

Meanwhile, we won’t publish the whole 28 Questions for Peter Tea interview here. Just enough to peak your interest and prompt you to pay a visit to Yenling Bonsai. We’ll put Jeremiah in italics and Peter in plain text:

I recently caught up with Peter and was able to ask him several more questions I had and he was kind enough to answer.  I thought I would share these, so here are the 28 questions and answers below. Thank you Mr. Tea!

1. What do you think you will learn or focus on in 2013 as opposed to what you’ve learned and focused on in 2012?
A. 2012 was a overload of new Bonsai information for me. It reinforced what I’ve learned in the past, yet also got me to rethink my approach and philosophy in Bonsai. For 2013, I plan to continue honing the skills I’ve learned in the past, and be more focused on more varieties and better recognizing the little things that make each species used in Bonsai interesting and unique.

2. What do you think Bonsai in the US will be like 20 years from now?
A. The US is such a large country and Bonsai levels vary greatly. I see a huge leap in quality and enthusiasm as I’m continuing my apprenticeship today. There are young and talented bonsai professionals hitting the bonsai scene and I can only see a up swing in Bonsai and a new higher standard in American Bonsai.

 

tea21This photo appeared here on Bark back in 2011. Here’s the caption: An old Black pine at Aichi-en bonsai nursery, after Peter Tea worked on it for three days.

3. Name 1 or 2 non bonsai related lessons Mr. Tanaka has taught you during your apprenticeship?
A. It’s okay to have fun too.

…..

8. If Akadama ran out in the US. What mixes would you start experimenting with?
A. Akadama is an interesting soil because it evolves with the root system. At first, it holds only so much water, then as the tree grows more roots and the akadama starts to break down, it holds even more water for all the new roots. I’m not sure what other types of material I can find that will do similar things other then firing some clay myself. If I couldn’t come up with a substitute, I would probably use porous type stones in the mix only such as lava, pumice, etc.

……

12. If any, what types of US natives would you like to work with or experiment with?
A. We are fortunate in the United States with all the great native species to choose from. I like the native junipers and pines, but what I would really love to experiment with are Coast live Oaks and Valley Oaks. Done well, they have such a good feeling to them.

……

16. What’s the best way for people in the US to obtain top notch material?
A. I believe that learning from a skilled and qualified professional will help us all in first recognizing what good material is. Then at that point, it’s a matter of growing, collecting or importing trees. Personally I think growing and collecting are the best way to get nice material. Importing works for me as well but is much more limited with all the restrictions.

……

26. What type of liquid fertilizer if any is used at Aichien and how often is it applied?
A. We don’t use liquid fertilizer at Aichien. We use ground up rapeseed and put them in tea bags. We apply them to different trees during different times of the year.

Visit Yenling Bonsai for the entire interview.

 

538468_3755775939790_1169783851_nThis photo of Peter working on a Black pine at Aichi-en appears with the interview on Yenling Bonsai.

BTW: for the two of you who have bothered to read this far, I freely admit that I picked two of the questions above because they mention products we sell.

Hiding in Plain Sight

This has got to be one of the most magnificent Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis) bonsai anywhere. Though the distinctive split trunk needs no comment, you might also notice the highly developed ramification (fine branching). The tree was donated to the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection by Ben Oki. We’ve featured it before, but it’s certainly worth another shot.

Another dig into our archives. This time unintended… Today I decided it’s time to visit the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. It’s one of North America’s premier collections and we haven’t featured it for a long time.

I was delighted to see the Rim’s new home page. It’s professional looking and beautiful. But disappointment followed delight. There are no live links to their bonsai collection. Just the home page. BTW: I’m not faulting Dave DeGroot, the Rim’s excellent bonsai curator. His job is to develop and take care of the collection. Not build a website.

The feature tree on the home page caught my attention, but there’s no caption to identify it. However, when I moved it to a folder, the name “Lee-juniper-small” was revealed. A search turned up several possibilities, including Yenling Bonsai, an excellent blog that has been hiding in plain site (but not the tree we’re looking for) and finally a whole series of great Rim bonsai photos by Jonas Dupuich, one of which shows our mystery tree with the name ‘Formosan juniper.’

A quick search of Formosan juniper bonsai revealed (you guessed it) this Bonsai Bark post from last year. And there is was, the elusive Lee juniper (below). Right where we left it.

Pacific Rim. Looking for an excuse to visit the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection? These trees might provide some incentive. Dave DeGroot, curator of the Collection, sent us the photos along with some history and some of his observations. With the exception of our last post, we’ve been featuring lots of trees from Europe and Asia lately, so it’s nice to be able to show world class bonsai that reside right her in North America.

It’s amazing what professional quality photography can do, especially when so much attention is paid to the preparation of the tree and the setting. Spectacular trees don’t hurt either. Still, a good photograph is far from seeing the real thing in person. If you’ve never visited a world-class bonsai collection and had your socks knocked off by the sheer power of trees like the ones shown here, then it’s time to mark you calender and book your trip.

 

The elusive Lee juniper. Clean flowing lines with lots of open space make for simple, elegant beauty. And there’s also the nice contrast with the deadwood and live veins. Altogether a very sweet tree. It’s a Formosan juniper (Juniperus formosana) from Taiwan (previously Formosa, thus the name). Its date of origin is 1944 and it has been a bonsai Since 1959. The artist is Mr. Kuo An Lee. Amy Liang Chang donated it to the Pacific Rim collection.

Here’s more in Dave DeGroot’s own words: “This Chinese juniper was nursery grown and trained in Taipei, Taiwan. The basic shape was created by bending the juvenile tree around a bamboo stake. Field growing enlarged the trunk, which was then topped to obtain the correct height. The illusion of great age was supported by stripping the bark from certain branches and parts of the trunk. Carved grooves and channels in the stripped trunk suggest a long period of weathering and decay, further enhancing the illusion of age and powerful natural forces.

The artist has created a feeling of gracefulness with the gently curving, slanted trunk, while the dropped branch on the right adds tension and interest by making the tree just slightly unbalanced.”

 

Amy Liang Chang (you might know her as just Amy Liang) of Taiwan is the artist and donor of this gnarly old (over 400 years!) Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) with its deeply grooved swirling bark that gives away it impressive age. Dave wrote this about this magnificent old tree: “The black pine is a coastal tree of southern Japan, strong, vigorous, long lived and possessed of many attractive qualities. For all the above reasons, it is known as “The King of Bonsai”.

This tree was quite tall when it was collected. In order to create a bonsai of pleasing proportions, the entire upper trunk was cut off, leaving only the lower trunk and the first four branches. Taipei bonsai artist Amy Liang Chang purchased the tree from a Japanese nurseryman in 1971 and styled into in its present form. The tree was totally cleansed of soil to permit its importation to the U.S. in 1989. Although badly stressed by that experience, it lived up to its reputation as a strong, vigorous tree and recovered fully.”

 

It’s about the color. In this case, the trunk and branching, though nice, exist primarily to support and display the brilliant leaves. The speckled blue-green pot, the bright touches of moss and even the red leaves on the soil all serve to enhance this delightfully luminous display. It’s a Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum – I just noticed that we don’t have the name of the cultivar and it’s too late to ask, so we’ll offer a ten dollar gift certificate to the first person who writes the correct name in the comments below). The artist and donor was George Gray of Dallas, Texas. It’s date of origin is 1963 and it has been a bonsai since 1968.

Here’s what Dave DeGroot wrote about this colorful tree: “Certainly, the Japanese maple is one of the most beautiful trees in any landscape, and one of the most beautiful for bonsai as well. Artist George Gray developed this maple from a cutting over a period of more than 30 years. Such a long time in a shallow pot has given the tree excellent surface roots and delicate, well-proportioned branches, so that it projects a sense of both strength and softness. A low, upswept branch on the right side of the tree adds interest by suggesting a secondary trunk.

The shape of the Tokoname-ware container is oval to harmonize with the softly rounded shape of the crown of the tree. The beautiful blue-green color of the container is a perfect foil for orange and red autumn foliage.”

Related books that might interest you
Our Masters’ Series Juniper Bonsai book.
Our Masters’ Series Pine Bonsai book.
Amy Liang’s The Living Art of Bonsai.
Bonsai with Japanese Maples by Peter Adams.

Remarkable Even Without the Flowers

bill1This would be a remarkable bonsai even without the flowers. This photo and the others in this post were taken by Bill Valavanis during his visit to the Shunka-En Bonsai Museum of Kunio Kobayashi. Mr. Kobayashi is known for his Satsuki azaleas and Japanese black pines too.

Renowned American bonsai artist, author, teacher, nurseryman, publisher, impresario, blogger and tireless traveler Bill Valavais is in the midst of a Satsuki azalea tour of Japan. Rather than trying to steal Bill’s thunder, we’ll just whet your appetite with a few photos from Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-En Bonsai Museum and encourage you to visit Bill’s excellent blog for the whole story.

BTW: Satsuki means ‘fifth month’ in Japanese.

 

bill3

 

bill

 

 

bill2

 

bill4This and the other photos in this post were taken by Bill Valavanis at Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-En Bonsai Museum.

B1SAT-2Satsuki Azaleas for Bonsai and Azalea Enthusiasts. A remarkable book with extensive photos and information on Satsuki bonsai and Satsuki in general. Published by Stone Lantern Publishing.

While we’re at it, our sale – 50% off for 10 or more rolls of 100 gram Bonsai Aesthetic wire – ends tomorrow night (Sunday June 1st, at 11:59 pm EDT).

Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

roThe first thing that caught my eye in this photo is the tree’s overall graceful fluid movement. Next is the swirling gnarl that, for lack of a better word, we’ll call the trunk (see below). This photo and the others shown here are from a recent facebook post by Robert Steven.

Robert Steven is, without a doubt, the artist most featured here on Bonsai Bark. You can chalk that up to him being one of the most accomplished and innovative bonsai artists in the world. Prolific too. But there’s more. We don’t usually do lists here nor do we usually feature people (people’s bonsai for sure, but not so much about personalities), but we’ll go ahead and step out character for just a moment and make a list of some of Robert Steven’s bonsai credentials:

1. Aforementioned accomplishment and innovation.

2. Well known and well loved bonsai teacher. In this vein Robert has traveled much of the world and has provided encouragement to countless fellow bonsai artists and enthusiasts.

3. Famous bonsai author. Robert’s Mission of Transformation is the one of his books that is available now, but we’re hoping for a reprint of Vision of My Soul and awaiting other books that Robert has been working on.

4. Master bonsai critique artist. For years we’ve featured Robert’s bonsai critiques here on Bark. Lately they’ve fallen off because we haven’t bothered to remind your about them. So consider this a reminder. Send us photos of your bonsai for a FREE critique by Robert Steven.

5. Bonsai Impresario. Robert has been working tirelessly to organize and promote his upcoming International Bonsai Biennale.

6. Peerless and fearless collector of wild bonsai from dangerous places.

7. Bonsai scholar with particularly deep knowledge of the history and development of Chinese penjing.

8. Bonsai entrepreneur. Bonsai Aesthetics is Robert’s brand of bonsai tools and affordable bonsai wire (see Word from our sponsor below).

 

detailThis close-up from the tree above invites you into a whole world of nooks and crannies.

 

rob4Is that a rock, piece of wood or part of the trunk?

 

robadOne of many creative photos taken to promote Robert’s upcoming International Bonsai Biennale.

A word from our sponsor. All of our Bonsai Aesthetics tools are now 25% off. This is a very good deal on already very affordable tools. An even better deal is our 100 gram rolls of Aesthetics bonsai wire are now 50% off for 10 or more rolls. This one-time-only wire sale will end very soon, so don’t wait.

The Godfather of Naturalistic Bonsai & Friends

azWe can assume this Azalea (I imagine it’s a Satsuki) belongs to one of the four exhibitors listed below. Actually, we might be able to narrow it down to one of three of the exhibitors (I couldn’t find it on Walter Pall’s website so, I’m assuming it is not his).

The photos here are from a current Bonsai Exhibition at the Munich Botanical Garden. It ends June 1st, so you still have a little time. I originally saw the photos on Walter Pall’s facebook feed and then on his Bonsai blog.

I couldn’t find any info of the individual trees on facebook or on Walter’s blog, so I did a little detective work and was able to identify two (maybe all three) of the tree’s below from the 10,000 bonsai on Walter’s website.

Here are the exhibitors: Harald Lehner, Walter Pall, Hans Kastner & Peter Schwarzer.

 

spruceNaturalistic bonsai. You can tell at a glance that this tree belongs to Walter (the Godfather of Naturalistic bonsai). Here’s some details from his website: 60 cm high. About to 100 years old. Pot by Gordon Duffet. From a tree which was collected in Italy in 1992. He doesn’t say who collected it. BTW: great pot.

 

againThis one also has Walter’s naturalistic style written all over it. Here are some specs (from Walter’s website): Norway spruce. 75 cm high. Around 150 years old. Pot by Derek Aspinall. From a tree which was collected in Switzerland in 1998.

 

spruce4I found a Norway spruce on Walter’s website that looks like it might be an earlier iteration of this tree. But I’m not sure.

 

 

az2A close up of the Azalea at the top. Apologies for the fuzz; the price you sometimes pay for a closer look.

 

Mixed Maple Bonsai Forest

MaplesThis playful mixed Japanese maple bonsai forest is by Juan José Bueno Gil.

I’m off to work on a mixed forest of my own at a Memorial weekend gala at Shin Boku nursery in New Hampshire. So we’re in a bit of a rush morning. What we usually do when pressed for time is plunder our archives. This one is from April 2011.

Rare indeed
You don’t see too many mixed bonsai forests, and my guess is that you’ve never seen one with this many varieties (above). They may all be the same species for sure (Acer palmatum), but they aren’t all the same. How many varieties can you count?

We’ve shown this mixed forest in Bonsai Bark before. It’s one of my favorites (though it would be nice if the photo were larger). It’s from Saburo Kato’s Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai (published by The National Bonsai Foundation and distributed by Stone Lantern).

A different kind of mix
The planting at the top of this post contains only one species. This one contains five species (six varieties in all) of trees, two of which are Japanese maple varieties. The six are (left to right): Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japanese beech (Fagus crenata), Dwarf stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha), Kyushu azalea (Rhododendron kiusianum), Japanese red-leaf hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora), and Deshojo Japanese maple (A. palmatum ‘Deshojo’).

Bonsai Wire Sale Ends Tonight

Don’t let yourself run out of Bonsai Wire.
It’s a great feeling to have exactly the right wire at hand when you need it.

20% off all Bonsai Wire

plus any order of 100.00 or more receives an added 10% off

 

All of our Bonsai Wire is now 20% off of our already low prices. But don’t wait.
The sale ends tonight (Friday, May 23rd) at 11:59pm (U.S. EDT).

Chose from a whole range of roll sizes, diameters and types of Bonsai Wire.
All now 20% plus any order of 100.00 or more recieves another 10% off.

Meanwhile, our Roshi Tool & Bonsai Soil Sales are rolling along

25% off all of our Roshi Bonsai Tools

and 20% off our Bonsai Soil

TMRoshi

Roshi bonsai tools
for precision cutting, durability and excellent prices
NOW 25% off