Looking Into the Bonsai Future

This dramatic photo of one of Robert Steven’s masterful bonsai was borrowed from the Internet Bonsai Club. It’s our first taste of what promises to be a remarkable event (see below for some details). FREE ADVERTISING! Would you like to see your bonsai event featured here? If so, just send me a notice with a link to the event. That’s it. But remember, no link, no show. My email is wayne@stonelantern.com. You might also want to mention the event (with or without a link) in the comments below. There are no graphics for this Lake Charles Bonsai Society calendar, but … Continue reading Looking Into the Bonsai Future

Scots Pine: One Artist, Four Trees

The Dancer by Mauro Stemberger. Mauro’s facebook caption reads: Never give up !!!! Swedish scots pine “The Dancer.” You can see that Mauro is planning a new planting angle and most likely a new pot. You might imagine a bunjin type pot (shallow, round, maybe a little rough…). Good Scots pine bonsai (Pinus sylvestris) are easier to find than good Austrian black pine (Pinus nigra) bonsai. For example, a quick search turned up all four Scots pines shown here in just one person’s collection; the omnipresent Mauro Stemberger. We could easily do the same with Walter Pall and perhaps some … Continue reading Scots Pine: One Artist, Four Trees

The Other Black Pine

An old European black pine after the first styling by Walter Pall and friend. Though we don’t often lead with unrefined trees, it’s hard not to give Walter Pall first billing when it comes to European natives. Here’s what Walter has to say about this tree: “the foliage of black pines is quite coarse and it is perfectly normal for them to look kind of raw after first styling… After a few years it will get much better.” He also says “The tree will take ten to fifteen years to be ready for exhibit. Such is bonsai life.” Walter has … Continue reading The Other Black Pine

Year End Loose Ends & Shameless Promotion

Just couldn’t resist posting yet another yew (there have been several lately). But, as you can see, it’s not just any yew. I found it here with this caption. Taxus Baccata (English yew) by Stefano Frisoni from Italy. Newsflash! I’ve been having a strange feeling that I’ve seen this tree somewhere before. Turns out it was right here on Bark 17 months ago. Oh well, this photo is much better. Shameless promotion There are three reasons why I spend so much time on Bonsai Bark. To spare you the boredom, I’ll skip the first two… the third is to promote … Continue reading Year End Loose Ends & Shameless Promotion

Taxus Maximus (It’s all about Yew)

The powerful tree with its heavy flowing deadwood (it reminds me of melting wax) and luscious reddish bark is truly wonderful, but then there’s that little companion too. Have you ever seen a piece of deadwood used as a bonsai companion? This Taxus (yew) and charming little piece of deadwood belong to Mauro Stemberger. The pot is a Tokoname. Species specific series. I’ve been thinking about starting a species specific series (in this case it’s actually genus specific). We’ve devoted posts to certain species before, but haphazardly and without any notion of doing a series. So we’ll consider this the … Continue reading Taxus Maximus (It’s all about Yew)

Random Shots

Naturalistic. Another naturalistic bonsai by Walter Pall. We’ve been featuring Walter’s trees lately, now here’s one more for your enjoyment. Great pot too. No particular theme I’m still on vacation, so I’ll keep it short and hopefully sweet. All of the trees shown in this post are photos posted on facebook by Tae Kikuwon Bonsai. There’s no theme (that I can discern anyway) other than a few trees that caught my eye. Berry rich. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many berries on a Pyracantha bonsai. Maybe not on any bonsai. If you know who this tree belongs … Continue reading Random Shots

Weekly Wire: Bodacious Bark, Bonsai Bliss, Viva Brasil & Slovakia Too

Bodacious bark. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen bark quite like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and color adds an abundance of character and age to this wonderful old live oak. Furthermore (and at the risk of excess word proliferation), have you noticed the pot? How much character it has (and how small it is for the tree)? No mention of who made it with the photo, but whoever did deserves some love. The tree and the pot are from the ‘My Trees’ section of Mauro Stemberger’s website. Rocky Mountain bliss. The dates are June 17-20 21-24. Here’s the … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Bodacious Bark, Bonsai Bliss, Viva Brasil & Slovakia Too

Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

A formal upright collected European olive? I’ve seen a lot of magnificent collected European olives, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any as perfectly shaped and stupendously gnarled at the same time. The artist is Gabriel Romero Aguade. Noelanders Trophy 2012 The four trees shown here are all from the 13th Noelanders Trophy Exhibition, which was held in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, way back in January. I borrowed the images from Bonsai – Living Art, the English version of the Slovenski blog (I recommend a visit, it’s a great bonsai blog, one of the best). A couple firsts I don’t know … Continue reading Two Bonsai Firsts (at least)

Backyard Bonsai Dream

Backyard Bonsai #12 This is the 12th post in our long and venerable (all the way back to 2009) Backyard Bonsai tradition (here’s the 11th). In their own way, each backyard is uniquely compelling; a reflection of human tastes and lifestyles, and also a reflection of culture. In this case the culture is Italian, which makes it a little romantic for us Americans; we just don’t see backyards and surrounding buildings that look quite like the ones in these photos. Now if the Euro would only come down a bit… Italian Bonsai Dream All but one of the photos in … Continue reading Backyard Bonsai Dream

Bunjin Bonsai Bliss

Unfinished, but oh so 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. 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 … Continue reading Bunjin Bonsai Bliss