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 … Continue reading Weekly Wire 8 & Scratch Honorable Mention Winners

Still the Best Bonsai Show

Not a prize winner, but still a mind stopper. Here’s what Bill Valavanis has to say about this remarkable quince: “An unusual cultivar of Japanese flowering quince. This is NOT the Toyo Nishiki cultivar, but rather ‘Takane Nishiki’. Beautiful flowers, unusual container, but I personally do not like the design of the bonsai, so enjoyed the blossoms.” Bill does Kokufu I don’t know why we didn’t feature this earlier; it’s one of the most interesting pieces of bonsai news I’ve seen for a while. It’s by Bill Valavanis, from his visit earlier this year to the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition in … Continue reading Still the Best Bonsai Show

Elevating the Art of Bonsai Display

Takashi Iura facebook photos. Astounding tree and a very interesting display. Daring display Many of the bonsai on facebook and elsewhere are poorly displayed, though occasionally you see trees where the artist/photographer took the time and trouble to set up a decent display. But none (that we’ve seen) are displayed in such a daring and imaginative way as the trees in these photos. It’s not just the what, but also the where I usually like to see bonsai displayed with a bare minimum of background clutter. The cleaner the better. But in this case, the art of display has been … Continue reading Elevating the Art of Bonsai Display

Omachi Relief Fund: Don’t Let Up Yet

Isao Omachi before the tsunami swept everything away. Don’t let up yet Just a little reminder about the plight of Isao Omachi and his family. It’s not too late to do something to help. As you know, relief efforts commonly suffer from short half-lives. Something horrible happens, we get worked up about people suffering and, in a matter of days, we’ve forgotten and moved on the next thing. Omachi Relief Fund The following was written by Bill Valavanis: Award winning bonsai artist Isao Omachi is one of the rising starts of the Japanese bonsai world. He lives with his wife, … Continue reading Omachi Relief Fund: Don’t Let Up Yet

A Great Tree & A Very Interesting Conversation

Juniper by Isao Omachi that just appeared on our facebook page. Though you can tell it’s a juniper, no specifics were given except that four of Mr. Omachi’s trees have been accepted in Kokufu-ten (universally recognized as the premier bonsai exhibition in the world). In Isao Omachi’s san’s own words “On January 25th 2010(Kokufu-ten judgement day) I am pleased to inform everyone that my 4 entry’s were accepted into this years 84 show! So I invite anyone who is willing to come see them! Starting on February 9th-17th hope to see you there!” And, in the words of others… The … Continue reading A Great Tree & A Very Interesting Conversation