Weekly Wire: Back On His Feet, Nature’s Deadwood & Keeping Things Up to Date

Remember Isao Omachi? Isao’s house and bonsai nursery were swept away in the tsunami. That’s the tough news. The good news is that hundreds, maybe thousands of people in our international bonsai community donated to help Isao and his family get back on thier feet. As a result of this effort (and Isao’s and his family’s determination) Isao is back doing what he loves. This is our good fortune; Isao is one of the featured bonsai artists at the Mid Atlantic Bonsai Societies 2012 Spring Festival. This sweet colorful bonsai is from Isao facebook page. It looks like a Japanese … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Back On His Feet, Nature’s Deadwood & Keeping Things Up to Date

Weekly Wire: Bonsai Train, Deadwood in Deadwood, Russian Bonsai & More

Vive bonsai! Ever wonder why European bonsai events are so well attended? Thanks to Rosade Bonsai for this great photo. Deadwood in Deadwood. If you’re ever near Deadwood South Dakota, visit Andy Smith at Golden Arrow Bonsai. Andy is known for his yamadori bonsai (bonsai collected from the wild) among other things. I consider Andy to one of a small handful of genuine collectors; people that collect with deep knowledge and respect and, as a result, a very high success rate. If you can’t make it to Deadwood, you can at least enjoy Andy’s excellent DVDs. Tony Tickle. … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Bonsai Train, Deadwood in Deadwood, Russian Bonsai & More

How About Yew (Carving Deadwood)?

Every time I open Bonsai Today issue 106 and lay my eyes on this wickedly powerful, dynamic old English yew, my mind does a little double take. It may not look exactly like anything you’ll see in nature, but it certainly jumps off the page. It’s by Kevin Willson, bonsai artist and deadwood carver extraordinaire. Photo by Simon Carr. A labor of love Yew wood is very hard. Harder than almost any other type of wood. In this light, take a look at the photo below and then at the photo above. Now imagine all that carving with only hand … Continue reading How About Yew (Carving Deadwood)?

Bonsai Rebar & Other Wonders

Have you ever used rebar to shape a bonsai? Every time I see it done, I get inspired, but still haven’t tried it. Mario Komsta calls this photo ‘sylvestris fever,’ so I guess it must be a Scot’s pine. Mario Komsta All the photos in this post are from Mario Komsta’s photos on facebook. Some of them are unique and most are quite compelling. Here’s a few to whet your appetite. There are plenty more where these came from. Encore! We’ve featured Mario a couple time on Bonsai Bark and also in Bonsai Today magazine (issues 102 and 105, and … Continue reading Bonsai Rebar & Other Wonders

Revisiting a Powerful Mugo Pine & Contemplating Two Mysteries

The first mystery. Last time we featured this tree ( a few posts back) I found it on Carlos van der Vaart’s facebook photos (it’s also on his website’s gallery). This time it turned up on Mauro Stemberger’s website as a lead tree on ‘refinishing tips‘. So whose tree is it? Another mystery If you compare this latest iteration (above) with the earlier one (below), it’d easy to see how tree has been improved; the large hanging jin was pushed away from the trunk and twisted a little. The mystery here is; how was such a dramatic change accomplished with … Continue reading Revisiting a Powerful Mugo Pine & Contemplating Two Mysteries

King Arthur’s Bonsai?

Juniper. From a series of photos entitled ‘King Arthur’ by Zino Rongo. A very sweet tree Though it’s unclear what the connection with the legendary King Arthur is, it is abundantly clear that this is a very sweet bonsai. It presents a strong feeling of balance and unity that isn’t always that easy to achieve, and the flowing lines of the shari are so well done that the wood appears naturally aged by time and the elements (it wasn’t). Even that slightly unsettling piece of deadwood that sticks up and points the opposite direction from the flow of the tree … Continue reading King Arthur’s Bonsai?

Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Wouldn’t you like to find a tree like this when you are out collecting? This is a cropped version of Autumn, by Giacomo Pappalardo. From his facebook wall photos. I assume it is Giacomo’s, though I find no mention of it anywhere; just the photo. A trunk with everything This funky (in the good sense) trunk has everything: shape, massive girth, aged bark, a natural looking hollow (sabamiki) and a perfect touch of deadwood. Though you could make an argument for hiding some of the trunk’s heaviness near the top (the dark hole above the jin), I imagine Giacomo decided … Continue reading Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Short & Very Muscular

One very muscular Shimpaku juniper. From Reiner Vollmari’s photo gallery. Hiding the action This wonderfully powerful bonsai presents a bit of a mystery. The live wood that peaks out in the V at the top of the shari is quite well developed, as is the entire crown, and would require at least one or two large living veins to support all that life. The small living vein in the front, though quite striking against the massive deadwood, is completely unconvincing. This is not a complaint, I like this tree a lot. It is unique in its strength and its style. … Continue reading Short & Very Muscular

The Magic Starts With An Idea

Finished. Most of Masahiko Kimura’s juniper masterpieces start and finish as one tree. Not so this one. The deadwood and each major branch all come from different places. How Kimura put all the pieces together is brilliant and novel. A few hints Rather than explain the whole process here, we’ll offer a few hints and leave the rest to your imagination (or, lacking that, you could get your hands on a copy of Bonsai Today issue 63 and see the whole process). Before. The pieces of the puzzle are gathered together. The deadwood after Kimura prepares it for the task … Continue reading The Magic Starts With An Idea

Achieving that Natural Look

We found this forest and plenty of other excellent trees (and stones) here. The photo is by Nicola Crivelli. I don’t know who the artist is. Anyone? There’s a lot to like There’s a lot to like about this forest. It has a natural feel that looks easy to achieve, but isn’t. The trees are planted in a way that might looks random, but is actually well thought out. The dead trees add to the natural feel and convey a sense of age, as does the other deadwood. Older larger trees contrast well with the small ones and add to … Continue reading Achieving that Natural Look