Bill Valavanis bonsai artist

There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

Same tree, better photo. The original caption from a post two years ago started with: “Snakes. From Estação Bonsai on Facebook. I couldn’t find any mention of the artist….” We were none the wiser until someone offered this in the comments: “The first sabina juniper you mention is from Patrick Cremers..” Once we had a name it was easy to find the new photo (the original is below). However, I can’t tell if Patrick is the artist, the photographer, or just someone who posted this photo (confused yet?). Here’s a link if you’d like to explore further. We’re a little … Continue reading There Are No Rules (but What About Guidelines?)

The Most Amazing and Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza…

Art, culture and the passage of time. I think this old tree and ancient Indonesian deity capture something of the flavor of the Robert Steven’s Bonsai Biennale. The uncropped version of this photo is from Bill Valavanis’ Bonsai Blog. Robert Steven’s just completed 1st International Bonsai Biennale may have been the most unusual and provocative bonsai extravaganza ever (it’s hard to imagine another bonsai event that even comes close, but these kinds of statements are subjective and open to question, so we’ll leave it at may have been…). For those of us who weren’t there, all we have to go … Continue reading The Most Amazing and Provocative Bonsai Extravaganza…

The Next Best Thing…

This photo from the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album is a good example of the quality photos you’ll find in all of the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Albums. The tree is an old Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) from the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection. It’s one of 248 fine bonsai that are featured in the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Album. The photos that we’ve been featuring from last weekend’s 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition are not the final ones. The official high quality professional photos will appear in 4th Exhibition Album and nowhere else (stay posted). Enjoying the photos in … Continue reading The Next Best Thing…

The Time of Your Life (In Chicago)

Usually I don’t like distracting backgrounds, but the vertical lines in this display aren’t too bad. It doesn’t hurt that the tree is so powerful. It looks like a Yew, but there’s no verification with the photo. I found it at Michael Bonsai on facebook. Time to head to Chicago. Speaking of, you might be too young to know the song Chicago. It was written in 1922 and was recorded by a number of artists. The most famous version is by Frank Sinatra (1957). Anyway, whenever the I hear about Chicago the song immediately pops into my head. Fortunately, there … Continue reading The Time of Your Life (In Chicago)

The 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Is Fast Approaching

The tree is nice, but it’s really about the flowers. As you can see, there are three distinct flower colors on this tree. Though quince are known for the brilliance of their flowers and multiple hues are not uncommon, still, you don’t see many with three distinctly different flowers on one tree. This and the rest of the photos in this post belong to Bill Valavanis. You can find them and others on his Bonsai Blog. Bill Valavanis’ 4th U.S National Bonsai Exhibition is fast approaching, so this seems like a good time to remind you of just how important … Continue reading The 4th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition Is Fast Approaching

Remarkable Even Without the Flowers

This would be a remarkable bonsai even without the flowers. This photo and the others in this post were taken by Bill Valavanis during his visit to the Shunka-En Bonsai Museum of Kunio Kobayashi. Mr. Kobayashi is known for his Satsuki azaleas and Japanese black pines too. Renowned American bonsai artist, author, teacher, nurseryman, publisher, impresario, blogger and tireless traveler Bill Valavais is in the midst of a Satsuki azalea tour of Japan. Rather than trying to steal Bill’s thunder, we’ll just whet your appetite with a few photos from Kunio Kobayashi’s Shunka-En Bonsai Museum and encourage you to visit … Continue reading Remarkable Even Without the Flowers

The Trend Only Gets More Outrageous

Snakes. From Estação Bonsai on Facebook. I couldn’t find any mention of the artist and even though I don’t like to show trees without attribution,  just couldn’t pass this one up (there’s another from Estação, below). The old rules of bonsai, if they ever really existed, were broken as soon as they were made and the trend only gets more outrageous (in whatever sense you prefer: out·ra·geous: shockingly bad or excessive, wildly exaggerated or improbable, very bold, unusual, and startling).   As you can see, this common Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) belongs to Harry Harrington (Harry on facebook and Harry’s famous … Continue reading The Trend Only Gets More Outrageous

So Fine & Just a Tad Controversial

Japanese maple from Seiko-en Bonsai Garden in Omiya Village, Japan. From Fine Bonsai. Art and Nature. Value added It’s time to resurrect another favorite from our illustrious past. This time with some value added in the form of a few new words and three new photos (including the one above). First the new words: Fine Bonsai is a tad controversial. Some people give it a big shrug (or worse), while some others (like me) are very enthusiastic. I think the shrugs may miss the point. This is not a tradition bonsai art book. Rather, it’s a photographic art book, with … Continue reading So Fine & Just a Tad Controversial

Kokufu 2014 – Time to Get Busy

I don’t think you need me to point out that this is a great tree. Or, for that matter that it’s a great photograph (web photos this sharp aren’t all that common). It’s a Japanese black pine from Announcing the 2014 88th Kokufu ten Bonsa Exhibition on Bill Valavanis’ excellent new blog. If you haven’t already made plans to visit Kokufu ten 2014, it’s time to get busy. It will be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Gallery, February 4th – 12th. Just in case you are new to the wonderful world of bonsai, Kokufu is the most renowned bonsai … Continue reading Kokufu 2014 – Time to Get Busy

Searching for an Adjective & Upcoming Bonsai Events

I’m searching for the perfect adjective for this monumental (towering, preternatural, massive, magnificent, imposing…) planting. It’s from the World Bonsai Friendship Federation Convention that is taking place in China right now (Sept 24-28). I found the photo on Bill Valavanis’ excellent new blog. Bill is there and has posted a series of great shots from the event. 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 … Continue reading Searching for an Adjective & Upcoming Bonsai Events