Still Scratching (the Judges backs)

New England’s best. Teddi Scobi’s easy-going personal style is a big reason for New England Bonsai’s success for the past 27 years (photo is from New England Bonsai’s Kaikou School of Bonsai). If you don’t believe me, visit New England Bonsai and meet her for yourself. Be sure to tell her I said hello.

Still scratching
Judges
Though we already featured our judges once, for some reason I feel compelled to do it again. I think it’s because I’m already getting excited about our next Bonsai from Scratch Contest (here’s an early post on the just completed 2011 contest) and I might just ask them to do some more judging (and maybe a little prize-donating too).

Still Holiday Shopping? (a word from our sponsor)
Visit Stone Lantern for an excellent selection of all kinds of quality bonsai & Japanese gardening books, tools and more at the very best prices anywhere. We’re shipping all orders within 24 hours of when they are received (except on the weekend).

 

Summer display at Bill Valavanis‘ International Bonsai. Bill is a driving force behind much of what happens in our North American (and beyond) bonsai scene. His accomplishments are too many to mention, but suffice it to say, the Bill probably does more in a day than most of us do in week. You can take a tour of Bill’s nursery and studio without getting out of your chair.

 

Simulation of a cascading Premna by Robert Steven. Robert has been whipping out masterful bonsai simulations for a long time. (right here on Bonsai Bark), and his bonsai are every bit as good as his simulations. BTW: These simulations are an art form in themselves. If you don’t believe me, try doing one yourself (if you like it, send it to me). In addition to being a bonsai artist and simulation artist extraordinaire, Robert is also a well-known bonsai author and teacher.

 

English elm by Colin Lewis. Pretty stumpy for what is usually a very stately tree. When Colin found it, it was just a branchless old stump. You can view it and more of Colin’s trees here. BTW: Colin has become a rather famous bonsai teacher since he fled his native U.K. for our rocky New England shores (Mass first and then Maine, where Colin and his bonsai currently reside). Colin is also a noted bonsai author (he’s one of those rare people who can do bonsai and write at professional levels).

Michael Hagedorn’s Engelman spruce. From a post on Crataegus Bonsai (Michael’s site) titled Three Years of a Spruced Up Engelmann. We’ve feature Michael’s bonsai and his writing more than anyone else (except Robert Steven) on Bonsai Bark because both are so good. Michael is a very serious student of the art of bonsai (he apprenticed with Shinji Suzuki in Japan) and an excellent writer to boot (Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk). If you spend some time on his site, you’ll see what I mean.

Shop at Stone Lantern
Bonsai Bark is made possible by your patronage of Stone Lantern. As long as you keep visiting Stone Lantern (and maybe purchasing something every now and then), we’ll keep barking about bonsai right here.

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A Bonsai Story

This famous old Japanese white pine appears on the cover of Bonsai Today 43 (below) and in the gallery section of our Pine book (Bonsai Today Masters’ Series Pines: Growing and Styling Japanese Black and White Pines). It originally appeared in Bonsai Today issue 31 where it is restyled by Japan’s most famous bonsai master, Masahiko Kimura and subsequently won the President’s Award  at the 9th Taiken-ten Bonsai Exhibition. A revised version of this article later appears in The Magician, The Bonsai Art of Kimura 2.

Back in good hands
I stumbled upon the photo below in a 2009 post in Bonsai Tonight. It’s the same tree you see above, after what looks like a period of neglect. At that point in 2009 it was in the care Shinji Suzuki, one of Japan’s most famous bonsai artists; a person whose hands are no doubt capable of restoring it to its former splendor. We can only wonder what happened to this marvelous tree between 1987, when Kimura restyled it, and 2009.

 

2009 at Suzuki’s Taikan Bonsai Museum (from Bonsai Tonight). Enjoying a period of rest and recovery.

 

Gracing the cover of Bonsai Today. Unfortunately, this issue is sold out. Fortunately, we still have about 50 back issue in stock (at 70% off ).

 

I couldn’t resist. Also from Bonsai Tonight.

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Million Dollar (Plus!) Bonsai in Perspective

I just received this photo from Bill Valavanis. It’s that Million Dollar Japanese white pine we featured a few days ago. Now you can get a little perspective (size-wise at least).

Bill’s remarks
Here are Bill Valavanis‘ remarks that he sent along with the photo.

Hi Wayne,

I’ve just returned home from Japan and saw your post on my friend’s bonsai, the Million Dollar specimen.

The million dollar bonsai WAS actually sold and at the current exchange rate on the sale day was $1,282,000. The tree is a grafted Miyajima Japanese five-needle pine which has not been on display since the 1940’s, but I’m not sharing that photo with you. It is approximately 300 years old.

Seiji Morimae (S-Cube) sold the tree and in fact his face is in your photo in the background, but attached is a full size old photo of the bonsai when I first saw it on November 14, 2009. At that time Mr. Morimae had just ordered a custom made fine-quality container from Japan. Yes, the this large size bonsai is very powerful when actually appreciated in person.

The bonsai was sold to a private collector from Fukushima Prefecture, not one of the 400 Chinese who attended the ASPAC Convention. Many of the prices were inflated because of the Chinese buyers, especially the containers.

You mentioned that you did not know if this bonsai was worth 1 million dollars or if Kimura’s bonsai were worth even more. Please remember that this bonsai has been in careful loving training and care for 300 years. Most of Kimura’s famous masterpieces have not been in training for more than, say, 40 to 50 years. Time and respect for age are important factors when evaluating, and pricing, bonsai which most westerners fail to appreciate.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

Bill

A little follow-up
When I responded to thank Bill I mentioned that some of the trees that Kimura had worked on were venerable specimens that had been handed down over the years and that some of these might have values that way up there too. Here’s Bill’s reply:

The value of Japanese bonsai is not as high as it used to be in the past because of the declining market. Yes, Mr. Kimura has worked on many old and famous bonsai masterpieces and their prices may have similar high value. But to actually get their value in yen is another topic. Mr. Morimae sold his bonsai.

The 3rd US National Bonsai Exhibition is coming soon
Speaking of Bill, this is probably a good time to remind you that there are only six more months until the 3rd US National Bonsai Exhibition. This might also be a good time to remind you that the wonderful photo albums from the first two Exhibitions are still available at Stone Lantern. Their numbers are limited and they will not be reprinted.

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Capital Bonsai

Changing color for over 100 years. Japanese Elm (Zelkova serratta), in training since 1896, donated by Yoshibumi Itoigawa. From Capital Bonsai, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum‘s new blog.

Beautiful trees, beautiful blog
Our friends at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum have a great new blog (Capital Bonsai) that we’re excited about. So far (two posts in) it features some of their world-class bonsai in their fall finest (Autumn Bonsai), and a story about Yugi Yoshimura and the Museum’s first bonsai that features some wonderful old photos. We’ve got a small taste here to whet your appetite; there’s plenty more where these came from.

Nepal Firethorn (Pyracantha crenulata), in training since 1966, donated by Yee-Sun Wu.

 

 

 

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Show Time

This Japanese holly won a prize at the Taikan-ten. Photo is from Peter Tea’s blog.

What happens when two American bonsai apprentices help prepare for a major Japanese bonsai show?
A lot of work and energy go into a major bonsai show. What you see are the results; magnificent bonsai beautifully displayed. What you normally don’t see is everything else; the behind scenes efforts that make for a good show. Both Peter Tea (Journey of a Bonsai Apprentice at Aichi-en) and Jonas Dupuich (Bonsai Tonight) present a behind the scenes view of the Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition* in their latest posts. They also present some great shots of the trees.

* The tree’s Jonas presents have been prepared for four different shows, rather than just the Taiken-ten.

This powerful Black pine is a picture of perfection after a thorough prepping by Jonas. From Bonsai Tonight.

This Hemlock floors me. It’s the ancient bark and the unique top section of the trunk (among other things). From Peter Tea.

This rough bark Japanese maple is one of Peter’s favorite trees at the show.

Another Black pine that Jonas wired and cleaned up to show. In addition to the shear beauty of the tree itself, you might notice how well Jonas cleaned and oiled the pot. Now if everyone who photographs their bonsai would only do the same…

Peter doing some last minute pruning on a Trident maple.

Jonas giving us some scale for this large Japanese Black Pine. Photo by Peter.

The electric toothbrush technique. Photo by Jonas.

 

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Million Dollar Bonsai

This magnificent White pine was sold at the 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition in at Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, earlier this month. As you can see, the asking price was 100,000,000 yen (that’s close to 1.3 million dollars). I don’t know what the actual sales price was. Photo borrowed from Bonsai Tonight.

$1,000,000 for a bonsai?
I’ve heard of million dollar bonsai before, but don’t know if I’ve ever seen one (in person or in a photo). We don’t really know what this one sold for, but still, an asking price of 1.3 million dollars is a little mind-boggling. I wonder if this makes some of Masahiko Kimura‘s most famous bonsai worth even more than a million dollars. Speaking of artists, I don’t know who the artist is for this one. Anyone?

More ASPAC bonsai
As is usually the case, Jonas of Bonsai Tonight has kept his eye and his camera on the ball. You can visit Bonsai Tonight for more of Jonas’ great photos from the 11th Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Suiseki Convention & Exhibition.

On White pines (and others)
It just so happens that our rather famous (written in all modesty) Masters’ Series Pine book is available right now at Stone Lantern.

Though we know this is a monster tree, still it’s difficult to get real perspective. Because the man’s head is in focus (more or less), you can surmise that he’s pretty close to the tree. That’s one hint. Another is provided by Jonas of Bonsai Tonight, when he says “The pine is big, really big.” A third hint is that, it is true that large bonsai are larger and much more powerful in person than in photos. Just how much more powerful is difficult to comprehend until you see the real thing.

 

 

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Weekly Wire 8 & Scratch Honorable Mention Winners

Bunjin pine from Bonsai Today magazine. We’ve been talking about Bunjin style bonsai quite a bit lately, so why not stay on topic? This one’s trunk is a little heavier than most bunjin, but no problem. The same goes for the crown; it too is a little heavier than crowns on most bunjins, but goes well with the heavy trunk. One of this tree’s distinguishing features, the vertical downward direction of the right branch, is characteristic of many bunjin style trees.

 

Marco Invernizzi, Bill Valavanis and Isao Omachi

Your generosity comes to fruition: I received this note and photo from Bill Valavanis the other day.“This afternoon, Saturday, November 19, 2012 Marco and I met with Isao Omachi to present him with several checks in the amount of US $55,000.00 received from the generous donations around the world. Isao was very appreciative of the gift which will assist his family to re construct their lives.” Isao’s house and bonsai collection were completely lost in Japan’s devastating earthquake/tsunami.

 

Just got this postcard in the mail from my friends and compatriots at the NBF. The tree is a formal upright Japanese White pine. Decent formal uprights are rare and this splendid samurai is far beyond just decent.

 

This is shot taken from a video that shows the Bonsai displayed by the Bonsai Societies of Florida at the Epcot.

Bonsai from Scratch Honorable Mention Winners

A heartfelt thanks to all of you who entered our contest. Your efforts made for a high-quality, dynamic and enjoyable experience. And thank you also to our great panel of judges. Your participation added richness and depth to the contest. Lest I forget, thank you also to those of you who donated prizes (Robert Steven – artist, author & teacher, Todd Hansen – Sanctuary Bonsai, & Paul Stokes – ofBonsai Magazine). Your generosity is appreciated.

First, second, third, forth & fifth prizes have already been awarded.
Now for the Honorable Mentions.

Congratulations to Ryan Wagner. His Juniper pro-nana won the First Honorable Mention prize in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Ryan’s prize is a $50 gift certificate to Stone Lantern.

Congratulations to Johnson Teh. His Yaupon holly won the Second Honorable Mention prize in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Johnson’s prize is Robert Steven’s ground-breaking book, Mission of Transformation.

Congratulations to Steve Ristau. His Japanese yew won the Third Honorable Mention prize in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Steve’s prize is Robert Steven’s classic book, Vision of My Soul.

Congratulations to Robert Spencer Sencer. His Cedar of Lebanon won the Forth Honorable Mention prize in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Robert’s prize is $25 gift certificate from Cafe Press, the ofBonsai Magazine store.

Congratulations to Jeff Doyle. His Echiniformis White spruce won the Fifth Honorable Mention prize in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Jeff’s prize is $25 gift certificate from Cafe Press, the ofBonsai Magazine store.

Prize winners: Please contact me so we can make sure you get your gift: wayne@stonelantern.com

 

 

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More Bonsai from Scratch Winners

Mark Arpag’s Dwarf Hinoki cypress is the third place winner in our Bonsai from Scratch Contest. Mark’s prize is a $150 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. See below for before photo.

Judges comments
“Nice crown, I like the way wire is used at the top. Wire could be used on lower branches on the right to the same effect.” Excellent; some confusing foliage/branching between the trunks; also, subdivide low branch pad on the small trunk, it’s too large for the trunk size.”   “Couldn’t tell what we have from looking at the stock. Nice outcome.”  “Great overall flow. Could reduce the top left branch on the second trunk that grows into the main trunk.”

My comments
I like the overall movement, the crown and the way the branching on the main trunk helps create a sense of balance. I think that balance is thrown off a bit by the overly heavy branching/foliage on the right side of the second trunk. In fact, I think the whole second trunk presents problems, though in the long run, keeping it is probably the right choice. It will just need some serious work over time.

Third, forth & fifth places
We’ve already presented our first place and second place finishers. This post presents the third, forth and fifth place finishers. Stay posted for some honorable mentions to come.

Dan Burke’s Chinese juniper finished fourth. Dan will receive a beautiful Nick Lenz pot that was donated by Todd Hansen of Sanctuary Bonsai.

Judges comments
“Very nice – most creative. Top is a little heavy.” “Well done; bring more foliage forward in the top third to hide the circular bend near the top of the trunk.” “Nice shari/jin just above the base. An excellent transformation of a stock plant with several difficult challenges; including weak lower branching, poor taper and a difficult top section. Good job!”

My comments
Nice feel. I like the overall shape, the shari/jin near the base and the wiring job. It will be interesting to see if some taper can be developed on the trunk over time and if some of the weaker branches can also be developed. I’ll also be interested to see how Dan deals with the heavy bend near the top. Overall, I think he is off to a very good start.

Ferry Freriks Pfitzer juniper finished fifth. Ferry will receive a $75.00 gift certificate from Stone Lantern. Before photo is below.

Judges comments
Very good; key branch could be lower; jins a bit long perhaps.” “Handled very nicely. Strong and beautiful.” “Highly creative transformation. Bottom jin is a little distracting.”

My comments
This one struck me as one of the most creative solutions of all (one judge ranked this tree highest and it came in third for most improved). Based on the comments and my observations, what held it back is the over-reliance on jins; especially the bottom one, which I find quite daring, but also quite distracting (it looks unnatural, like it is just wedged into that tight spot created where the trunk doubles back, and it keeps drawing my eye away from the tree and down to the lower right corner of the photo). When I imagine it without that long jin and with more restraint on the other jins (a little cleaner foliage too), I see a most excellent and very sweet, compact, well balanced tree.

 

Before photo of Mark Arpag’s Dwarf Hinoki cypress that finished third.


Before photo of Dan Burke’s Chinese juniper that finished fourth.


Before photo of Ferry Freriks Pfitzer juniper that finished fifth.

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A Very Close Second

Tom Duong’s juniper (prostrata?) was a very close second in our Bonsai from Scratch contest.

Second place prize
Congratulations to Tom Duong, our Bonsai from Scratch contest second place winner. Tom’s juniper gave Aaron Klalid’s juniper a real run. Tom’s second place prize is a $250 gift certificate from Stone Lantern.

Judges comments
“Strong entrant. Using a branch to cover the abrupt bend on the main trunk is a good choice. Nicely wired crown.” “Great performance; some of the larger foliage masses lack clarity and definition, such as the large low branch to the left, and the smaller trunk is one single dome – try to make these areas modular.” “It is really well wired, looks like a long term project.” “Good choice of stock to start with and a well-thought out result.”

My comments
Several things stand out about Tom’s bonsai. First, his choice of stock was excellent. Good stock is half the battle. Second, Tom’s skill in shaping with wire is undeniable. I am particularly impressed with the crown, where this skill (and a high degree of patience with a somewhat tedious job) shines through. I also like the way the movement of the two trunks flows together (particularly the crowns). It’s unfortunate we can’t see the tree in a bonsai pot, though not potting it may have been the right choice (health-wise) on Tom’s part. We’ll just have to use our imaginations (mine shows an unglazed light-grey medium-depth oval). It’s also unfortunate that more care wasn’t put into the photos.

Stay posted for the rest of the prizes
Please accept my apologies. I know I promised we’d post the rest of the winners today, but in order to do them justice, we need just a little more time. Thanks for you patience and understanding.

 

The back. Interesting how the flow of the tree seems to change some when viewed from this side (aside from the obvious point that it is a reverse view). It would have been a better shot with less background noise (clutter). I wonder if the quality of the photos was the difference between first and second place.


Before. There’s a bonsai in here somewhere.

 

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The Winner!

Aaron Khalid’s Squamata juniper finished first in our Bonsai from Scratch contest.

The prize
Congratulations to Aaron Khalid, our Bonsai from Scratch contest first place winner. Aaron’s prize for finishing first is a $400 gift certificate from Stone Lantern (we’ll devote our next post to the rest of the prize winners).

Judges comments
Here are a few comments on Aaron’s tree by our judges: “Suberb; well-balanced and clean design.”  “Great tree, though I like the back better than the front.” “Excellent Bunjin style bonsai, a dramatic improvement.” “Nice touch. The wiring on the branches is excellent.”

My comment
So many of the trees were worthy, but what helped push Aaron’s over the top was the dramatic difference between what he started with and what he ended with. This and the fact that what he finished with is such a quality bonsai. Simple, clean, well-balanced, easy on the eyes. I think any of us would be proud to have it in our collections. Another point, that is easy to overlook, but can make a big difference, is the quality of  the photos that Aaron submitted. Just the right touch for a first rate job all around.

Stay posted for the rest of the prizes
I’ve decided to let the spotlight shine on Aaron and his tree for the moment. We’ll post the second place tree and the rest of the winners in the next day or so.

The other side. It’s not difficult to see why one of the judges liked this view.

Before. An unruly mess with a promising trunk peeking through.

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