Eccentric Bonsai: Pushing Invisible Boundaries

Unusual, yes. Eccentric, somewhat. Sweet, definitely! The compressed quality (like a very large foot stepped on it) and the way the foliage sort of clings to the trunk, make for an unusual bonsai. Even the pot and the reddish brown ground cover are different. But aside from its more eccentric qualities, there’s that wonderful trunk. The image is from Joko Sulistianto’s facebook photos, as are all the images in this post. I don’t know who the tree belongs too (ditto on the others). Pushing invisible boundaries Way back in the recesses of time (2009 & 2010) we featured a whole … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Pushing Invisible Boundaries

Eccentric Bonsai: Too Strange, or Just Strange Enough?

Strange as this magnificent old tree is, it all works together to with a perfect blend of eccentricity and balance. But the nebari? That takes some getting use to. (This photo and the others in this post are from Peter Tea Bonsai.) A good place to start resurrecting Way back in 2009 and early 2010 we ran a series of posts that we called Eccentric Bonsai (here’s the last one). Maybe it’s time to resurrect the series. If so, this absolutely unique Trident maple seems like a good place to start. Borrowing from Peter… As you may have noticed, we’ve … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Too Strange, or Just Strange Enough?

A Wonderfully Eccentric Bunjin by Budi

We’ve featured bonsai by Budi Sulistyo before, and for good reason; his bonsai are innovative and daring. Budi isn’t afraid to try new ideas and break with convention. I’d say on balance, that this has served him very well. Budi’s tropical gallery book In addition to being an innovative bonsai artist, Budi is a photographer and the author of an excellent gallery book on tropical bonsai (now on special at Stone Lantern).

Eccentric Bonsai: A Very Unusual Satsuki

What a strange and compelling tree! The trunk is massive from left to right, but looks like it might be somewhat flat from front to back, though it’s hard to tell from this angle. The branching is undefined (partially caused by the way the foliage and flowers are growing in the crotches) and unbalanced in a way that might make you wonder if someone was drunk or if there was some sort of pruning accident (no insult intended; just felt like saying something provocative). Still, there is something dynamic and compelling about this tree, at least compelling enough to motivate … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: A Very Unusual Satsuki

Eccentric Bonsai Half Way Round the World

I found this unusual little gem in Shohin Bonsai Europe’s Guest Gallery. It’s by Tedy Boy (that’s what it says) of Indonesia. The crown and the rest of the foliage seem to be almost disembodied, like floating in space. I think that’s because you can’t see where it attaches to the trunk. To add to the eccentric flavor, the background and funky plastic stand (upside down tub?) are pink. It’s not everyday you see a bonsai with a pink stand shot against a pink background. BTW: it’s a Phemna microphylla. Unusual: good Some of the the trees we show in … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai Half Way Round the World

Eccentric Bonsai: A Very Wild Mugo Pine

Almost like magic. This wild and wonderful mugo pine showed up on facebook a few weeks ago. It was posted by Bonsai Creativo School and Academy. Wild, wonderful and no so traditional There are at least two things that come to mind when I look at this wild mugo pine. First, that it represents a break with traditional bonsai styles, particularly traditional Japanese bonsai. It just doesn’t look like what bonsai used to look like not too long ago. The second thing about it is that it’s a mugo pine. It wasn’t too long ago that the only pines you’d … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: A Very Wild Mugo Pine

Eccentric Bonsai: Isao Omachi’s Radical Tree

Check out the meandering living vein on this wonderful crazy work in progress by Isao Omachi. It showed up on facebook the other day and instantly grabbed my imagination and got me thinking about how he could have done it (the living vein part, that is). Perhaps there’s a clue in something that Masahiko Kimura (The Magician) did years ago in a chapter entitled ‘Kimura Flips (a Tree Upside Down)’ in our Masters’ Series Juniper book (below). Here’s the Kimura tree that he flipped upside down. It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 21 (out of print). Pirates At least … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Isao Omachi’s Radical Tree

Eccentric Bonsai: Two Trees by Budi

This tree isn’t exactly eccentric. Just powerful, handsome and unique. It’s by Budi Sulistyo and graces the cover of his excellent tropical bonsai gallery book (you can see the whole cover below). Such a contrast I think this next tree (below), also by Budi, falls into the eccentric category. This ficus microcarpa by Budi Sulisyo from an album entitled ‘Stone Pot’.

Eccentric Bonsai: Shinji Suzuki’s Cascade Juniper

The styling progression on this cascade Shimpaku juniper by Shinji Suzuki is remarkable (you can see the whole step by step progression in our Juniper book). So is the end result. Remarkable and very unusual. Shinji Suzuki styled it when he was 24 years old. I wonder if he would do it differently now. It’s not just the wild mixed interlocking swirls of live and dead wood… … nor is it just the very long piece of deadwood that runs through the center like a dagger, all the way from near the top to the very bottom… nor the delicate … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Shinji Suzuki’s Cascade Juniper

Eccentric Bonsai: Fearless Master Kimura Again

Though it’s not as powerful as many other Kimura trees (see below), nor is it considered one of his classics, still, I can’t say enough about this tree, so I won’t say much except I apologize that it is a little cramped on the left side and that it’s a Yew and it’s from The Bonsai Art of Kimura (out of print though occasionally the ‘let’s reprint’ thought flits around). There are eccentric bonsai and then… … there are eccentric bonsai. That is, some trees we feature are just eccentric. Others are masterpieces that are also eccentric (unusual in some … Continue reading Eccentric Bonsai: Fearless Master Kimura Again