Bonsai Impressions – Texture, Movement & Color

Taikan12A

It's hard not to notice what just how powerful this tree is. Even with the apex slightly nipped and most of the pot missing. It's a Japanese white pine from the 34th Taikan-ten Bonsai Exhibition.

Our last few posts have featured bonsai from Kokufu-ten. Today it’s photos from Taikan-ten via Michael Bonsai on facebook. Taikan-ten takes place once a year in Kyoto and is considered by most people to be the second most important bonsai exhibition in Japan if not in the world (Kokufu is the king of bonsai exhibitions).

You might notice that none of the photos shown here are conventional front shots that simply show the whole tree, pot, stand and all. Instead, the emphasis is more on features, or sometimes even abstract qualities of each tree. As much about texture, movement and color, as they are about bonsai.

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Taikan11

 

Taikan10

 

Taikan5

All the bonsai photos shown here are from Michael Bonsai.

 

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Our Pine book

 

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American Bonsai at Kokufu?

hemloc13NOTE: I DON'T KNOW WHY THE TOP HALF OF THIS POST APPEARS IN THESE IRRITATING CAPS. IT DOESN'T SHOW THAT WAY ON MY ORIGINAL... 
This Japanese hemlock belongs to Doug Paul, an American who lives in Pennsylvania and who happens to be the owner of the famous Kennett Collection. The following is quoted from a post by Bill Valavanis... this "Japanese hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia, bonsai was recently accepted to display in this year's Kokufu Bonsai ten Exhibition. The attached photo shows how it is displayed at Kokufu Bonsai Exhibiton in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno Park." I found Bill's quote on the Internet Bonsai Club. It's only part of what Bill had to say about this tree and there are several interesting responses from other club members. The discussion took place way back in 2010, but because the tree is still beautiful and the topic is ground breaking, you might want to read the whole discussion yourself, rather than depend on my piecemeal reporting

Continuing with our Kokufu theme… This time it’s an “American Bonsai Display at at Kokufu Ten Exhibition” (Bill Valavanis again). But is it really an American bonsai?

The quote in the caption above is only part of what Bill Valavanis had to say about this tree and the two quotes below are only part of the responses from other club members. The discussion took place way back in 2010, but because the tree is still beautiful and the topic is ground breaking, you might want to read the whole discussion yourself at the Internet Bonsai Club, rather than depend on my piecemeal reporting. You might also want to visit Robert Baran’s highly informative post titled Kokufu Bonsai Ten, Part 1 on his Magical Miniature Landscapes website.

Continued below…

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Kokufu872013viii

This root-over-rock style Trident maple was displayed by Matt Ouwinga, Chicago, IL, USA at the 2013 Kokufu Ten. I borrowed the photo from a Robert Baran's highly informative post titled Kokufu Bonsai Ten, Part 1 on his Magical Miniature Landscapes website.

The following quote is from Russell Coker. It’s part of the Internet Bonsai Club discussion mentioned above

“An American’s bonsai? What could it be? And how the heck did they get it to Japan, much less into Kokufu-ten?

Oh, I see. (audible sigh of disappointment) It isn’t an American tree, or even a bonsai by an American artist. Someone with deep pockets full of mega $$$$$$$$ bought himself an AMAZING bonsai that’s being displayed at Kokufu-ten. In the next few years I predict that it will be the grand prize winning bonsai at the “U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition” where its provenance will simply state it as being from “collected material”.

Nice purchase. Mr. Paul obviously has beautiful and expensive taste!”

Tony Tickle’s response to Russel is below

Kokufu872013vii

This Sargent juniper (Juniperus chinensis 'Sargentii') was displayed by Doug Paul, Pennsylvania, USA at the 2013 Kokufu Ten. Like the photo just above, I borrowed this one from Robert Baran's Kokufu Bonsai Ten, Part 1 on his Magical Miniature Landscapes website.

Continued from above…

Tony Tickle’s response to Russell Coker’s comments

Russell Coker wrote:Nice purchase. Mr. Paul obviously has beautiful and expensive taste!

“Russell, I understand your cynicism… OK so it’s not an ‘American’ bonsai Suspect but owned by an American… who you rightly state “has beautiful and expensive taste” and we are fortunate that he does.

Without patrons in bonsai very few truly amazing trees would surface. The tree that won the Noelanders XI was NOT owned by the artist… but by his Patron/Student.

I also understand your cynicism… concerning “I predict that it will be the grand prize winning bonsai at the “U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition” great and why not…. Bonsai is for the artists ?… many think so but that is not the whole story… bonsai is about trees lest we forget Rolling Eyes”

The following William Black quote is also from Tony “The tree that moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” William Blake.
While you’re at it, you might want to Visit Tony’s website. It’s a good one
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Continuing Kokufu

quince2

Whoa! This magnificent Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) was a prize winner at the 2013 Kokufu-ten. There's so much you could say about this tree, but we'll just leave it at 'magnificent!' This photo and the two photos below, are from Phoenix Bonsai.

Continuing with our Kokufu series from the last couple days…

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koku

Whoa again! This Kokufu prize winner is a Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora).

 

jbp2

Japanese black pine. A great Japanese white pine, like the one above, deserves a great Japanese Black pine (Pinus thumbergii), and this Kokufu prize winner certainly qualifies.

 

B1PINE605-500x6475Speaking of Japanese pines

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Long Live the Bonsai King

kurocascadeFull cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine).

Yesterday we resurrected trees from the famous Kokufu Exhibition and the response has been very positive, so why not keep digging in the same vein? 

Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most impressive bonsai in the world.

All the photos shown here are from the 89th Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition. We found them at Michael Bonsai.

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kurosemi

Is this Black pine or a semi-cascade or full-cascade? What distinguishes full from semi-cascade, is full cascades reach below the bottom of the pot. In the case the lowest point is just barely below the bottom of the pot.

 

JBP

Short, squat and powerful. Is that a trunk or a massive hunk of living wood with bark and branches?

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JBP2Another powerful trunk, though this one has bit more of a trunk-like form. And then there are those prized deep furrows.

 

JBP3Another massive, strangely shaped trunk.

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Bonsai Yesterday, BONSAI TODAY, Bonsai Tomorrow

Billkoku31-1

Though any Kokufu bonsai might work to lead with, there's something about Quince flowers... Here's Bill Valavanis' caption: A small size Toyo Nishiki Japanese flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Toyo Nishiki’ with multiple colored flowers. Although red, pink and white blossoms are common for this great cultivar, I’ve often seen red branches grafted onto specimens to improve color distribution.

Getting a late start today, so I’ve decided to take the easy way out and show you some photos that we originally featured in February 2015. They are all from the 2015 Kokufu Bonsai Exhibiton and were lifted directly from Bill Valanis’ blog, Welcome To My Bonsai World.

Continued below…

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koku6I've got a soft spot for short muscular trees. Especially short muscular trees whose scarred bark and hunched stance that tell a story of hard times and harsh conditions, while lush foliage and vibrant strength tell a story of better times and full recovery.

 

koku5

Another Quince ("Chinese quince, Pseudocydonia sinensis, created from air layering the top off another bonsai"). No flowers this time, bit plenty of action nevertheless. At the risk of stating the obvious (and once you've gotten past the tree's sheer compact power), you might notice the exfoliating bark. Not to mention (but to mention) that most amazing pot.

 

koku2

We could have titled this post Quince and Kokufu. Like the tree just above it's a Pseudocydonia sinensis.

 

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koku4

Not a quince, but a Japanese grey-bark elm (Zelkova serrata).

 

koku

You might get the impression that Kokufu is mostly about deciduous bonsai, but I don't think that's really the case (though winter is a great time show off these beauties in their leafless splendor). This one with its massive nebari could only be a Trident maple.

 

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Bonsai that Don’t Bust Your Bank Account & an Important Natural Phenomenon You Might Not Be Aware of

yew6-1-1

We've featured this tree before, but because I don't think you'll see many bonsai quite like it, it's worth another look. Two photos just below show the natural phenomenon behind this type carving. The tree is a yew. The artist is Harry Harrington.

All the photos in this post are courtesy of Harry Harrington, an artist who specializes in what you might call found bonsai (bonsai from the wild or from hedgerows and gardens or wherever else the original stock might come from that doesn’t bust your bank account). Harry is also the author of The Foundations of Bonsai, a book that explores the development of some these found bonsai

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s1

An example of a natural phenomenon that explains a lot about the type bonsai carving in this post. Here's Harry Harrington's caption from a trip he took to Sweden a couple weeks ago... "Back to editing images and video from Sweden this morning, I came across these two excellent examples of how the sun-hardened outer shell of deadwood can remain intact while the interior rots away (seen on Picea/Spruce high up on the treeline)"

 

s2

 

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HC

Arbor obscura (just kidding). Actually it's a Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) that Harry carved just the other day from an old stump. You can see more here, including the old stump

 

hh

Another example of Harry's carving. This time it's a Privet

 

yewcu

A closer look at the fine carving from the lead photo

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Bonsai Times 2,500 and Counting…

jun

I found this impressive root-on-rock juniper in one of our favorite places. No mention of variety or artist, so we won't mention our source either (see below). Btw, Image Search came up empty

If my math is correct, this should be our 2,500th post, give or take. Putting that rather astounding fact aside, today marks the day that we (that’s me) will no longer attribute our source in cases where our source doesn’t bother to attribute theirs or make any effort to identify the variety or provide any other pertinent information. There’s no good reason to credit someone for simply finding a bonsai and posting it

What we will do, is put every unattributed image we use through Google Image Search. If we find the real source, we’ll share any useful information we can dig up.
Continued below…

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jun2

I know I've seen this one somewhere, but memory being what it is (or isn't).... Image Search suggested Crespi Bonsai Museum and a quick journey through their excellent book (we sell it btw) turned up a Shimpaku juniper that looks a bit like this tree, but no cigar

Continuned from above…
If you’ve bothered to read this far and you’re thinking who cares about sourcing?… well some of us do and I can think of several good reasons why sourcing and attributing bonsai and other works of art is important. But we’ll pick that up later. Meanwhile if you are interested, here’s a post of ours from 2010 on this very issue, and here’s one on Web Pirating, a related issued

 

hem

This beauty looks like it could be one of Michael Hagedorn's Mountain hemlocks, but a quick journey through Michael's most excellent Portfolio came up blank and so did Image Search. And don't take Mountain hemlock to the bank; it's just a guess

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Deadwood Wars

dwmain

Deadwood anyone? No matter your opinion about excessive deadwood, you must admit this is a very powerful bonsai. Beyond sheer power and no matter your opinion, it's hard to deny that the artist posses first rate skill when it comes to carving and styling bonsai. This and the other photos shown here were posted by Naldo Nolder (another Brazilian - see our 9/22 and 9/23 posts). He doesn't say who the artists are.

You’ll have to excuse me for the title; Deadwood Wars is little extreme. It’s just I’ve heard so many complaints over the last few years about excessive deadwood. I’m inclined to call people who think that way purists, with only the slightest insult intended (smiley face).

Allow me to walk this back a bit.. I can see liking one art form or style more than another, but rejecting masterful works of bonsai art based on a concept about deadwood eludes me (not a very long walk…).
Continued below…

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dw2

This magnificent tree is a little less sculptural than the one above. This might have to do with the prominence of the living vein, the more aged look of the deadwood (not as white) and the way the foliage covers some of the wood. Btw, this tree is no doubt a juniper, as is the tree at the top of the post. To some artists, junipers just beg to be carved (there's a story here, but we'll save that for another time)

Continued from above…
John Naka, who is often called the Dean of American bonsai and was a remarkable teacher and human (Mr. Naka died in 2004), is often quoted as having said “a bonsai should look like a tree.” Hard to argue with that, but whether we like it or not, there are those who lean towards what you might call sculptural or highly stylized bonsai (see The Magician, Masahiko Kimura, probably the most famous and revolutionary bonsai artist in the world), where the point is not necessarily to make bonsai look exactly like trees (though there are some very unusual trees in this world). Some of these highly stylized bonsai are to my eye at least, powerful works of art and nature.

 

B1DEADWOOD-2Bonsai Deadwood by Francois Jeker
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dw3

One more deadwood demon. You can only see a somewhat small piece of the living vein. Overkill?

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When to Let a Tree Run Off Leash – by Michael Hagedorn

maple

This luminous Japanese maple in full fall color is from Michael Hagedorn's Crataegus Bonsai Portfolio. I don't know for sure when, or for how long Michael lets this one off the leash, but after reading the article below, I have some idea.

Once again we’re paying homage to the wisdom of Michael Hagedorn, our favorite source for the nitty-gritty of growing bonsai. This time it’s about managing and especially not managing the growth of our trees. The text and Winter Hazel photo below are from Michael’s Crataegus Bonsai blog

In Michael’s own words…
“We talk endlessly about how to manage the growth of bonsai. Which technique for this species, which for that…and it’s a good thing we do, as it’s very important. If we get it wrong we could end up in a pretty pickle.

“Less often do we talk about how important the opposite is for an old bonsai: Letting the tree go a bit. Stop ‘managing’ it for a while. Many trees cannot be kept in continual show shape.”
Continued below…

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Michael continued from above…
“There are two concepts here and I don’t wish to confuse them. Most trees need to grow a bit seasonally before they can be cut back to where the profile is. Without that extension growth, if we’re constantly nibbling on the tree, then it can just tire out. This goes for many trees, not all, but it’s not the purpose of this post to go into detail about all that.

“So there’s that idea, seasonal wildness, unrestrained growth. Then there’s the other one, where over some years of life in a bonsai pot, an old bonsai begins to just tire somewhat. It takes a close eye and a good memory to know when is the right time to let a tree off the leash.
Continued below…

"An old Winter Hazel, Corylopsis spicata, in a box for some rejuvenation following a couple years of weakness, now showing long extensions and large leaves"

Michael continued from above…
“Any of you who have dogs know that when you go to the beach or a big field, and take the leash off, it is amazing to see a totally new animal. It takes off and becomes years younger. It laughs. Dances. Becomes a wolf, even if it doesn’t look like one.

“The same thing happens for bonsai. Sometimes after years of applying the same techniques to contain growth—which is an important idea—the tree slows down to be point of damaging it. Branches begin to tire out. We might lose a few. And then it’s time to consider taking the leash off.

“There are a few ways to do this—simply leaving the tree grow for a while unrestrained, maybe until fall. Or if it seems like a serious problem and you’re losing parts of the tree, slip potting it in a box, with large size soil. Be careful, though, as these techniques can totally change the age of a tree. If left too long in a box, a bonsai soon won’t have the structure of a bonsai any more. Leaving it grow unmanaged for one growing season for a light adjustment, to three years for a really tired old tree, is the range.
Continued below…

Post-Dated
The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk

If you haven’t already, this is a good time to dig into and enjoy
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B1POST for web

Post-Dated, The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk

“Post Dated is full of bonsai and life wisdom, and best of all, it’s funny too”
quoted just now from myself

Michael continued from above…
“Deciduous trees and conifers can respond significantly differently when let go. The deciduous tree is like a small rowboat, easy to turn in the water, needing only months to a year for an upward physiological swing. Conifers can take longer to turn around, sometimes a couple of years, like a big old battleship that takes miles to turn to port.

“And then after a summer of joyful growth, or maybe after a couple years if it’s a really tired out grandparent of a tree, return it to a bonsai pot.”

Visit Michael Hagedorn on his website and his blog
It’s always a click worth making

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