Beating a Dead(wood) Horse

Flowing graceful lines with a minimum amount of foliage and a copious amount of masterfully carved deadwood. And though some people may take issue with this abstract, highly stylized type bonsai, to me this is sheer beauty. A delight to behold. One misconception about highly stylized bonsai with extensive carved deadwood is that they violate some basic principle of bonsai and nature. The famous John Naka line “The object is not to make the tree look like a bonsai, but to make the bonsai look like a tree” is sometimes used to reinforce this view. I think Mr Naka’s quote … Continue reading Beating a Dead(wood) Horse

Michelangelo & Bonsai at Its Best

I’m loving this tree. Even though we know it has been worked by human hands, the link to its natural state hasn’t been lost at all. If anything it has been enhanced. Bonsai at its best! No variety is given, though it looks like a collected juniper. Nacho Marin is someone who was already an artist when he discovered bonsai and who brought his vision, talent and experience to the art. And though people often say that we are all artists, still, most of us will never be Michelangelo,* no matter how hard we try… The images shown here are … Continue reading Michelangelo & Bonsai at Its Best

Old Masters Bonsai Displays

Hornbeam (Carpinus laxiflora) forest on a slab and Shimpaku juniper on a spectacular rock. This image captures only half of a display by Grand Master Saburo Kato. This post first appeared here in our earliest days (August, 2009). The displays themselves are from earlier (Bonsai Today issue 43, 1996). Our photo format is considerably larger now and I even cropped and enlarged a couple individual trees for closer views ( a little fuzzy, but might be helpful- see below). Otherwise, though bonsai keeps evolving, masterful bonsai is still masterful bonsai. Each group display in this post is by a single … Continue reading Old Masters Bonsai Displays

Root Over by Robert

Robert Steven has done it again. This time it’s a perfect root-over-rock bonsai (I couldn’t find the variety). Here’s what Charles Bevan has to say about it: “This is unbelievably perfect. One quick glance at this tree brought me to a state of nirvana.” The three trees shown here are from Robert Steven’s timeline. No varieties given, and though we would rather know what they are, we can still enjoy simple bonsai beauty, with or without a name. Even though we don’t know what the trees are, one thing we do know about this forest planting is that it is … Continue reading Root Over by Robert

Running Around in Circles?

The deadwood on this unusual juniper looks a lot like a spontaneous Zen brush stoke. The photo was posted by John Milton. Here’s his caption: “The final result, not quite sure I pulled ‘Stanley’* off but, did my best. Still very raw as the branches are un-styled grafts without ramification, even though it looks full in the before picture. With some mochikomi** over next couple years, should fill out nicely.” Scroll down for the before photo. John Milton has been an apprentice at Aichi-en under Junichiro Tanaka-San since June 2013. He posted the photo above on his facebook feed three … Continue reading Running Around in Circles?

No, Tanuki Is Not Cheating

An exceptional tanuki (phoenix graft) juniper by Pierre Leloup. This tree is from a post we did four years ago. It was titled What Happens When an Artist Tries His Hand at Bonsai? The artist is of course, Pierre. Tanuki Bonsai – Is It Cheating? is the title of a post we did last week. I don’t think I’m particularly proud of the post. It led with a non-tanuki, attention grabbing Bougainvillea in full bloom and the title is deceptive; I don’t think tanuki is cheating. It’s just another bonsai technique, though it is frowned upon by some in the … Continue reading No, Tanuki Is Not Cheating

Wild & Wonderful Bonsai, but No Tanuki Please

A couple things qualify this bonsai as unusual. First, as you can see, it’s got all kind of lines looping and jutting in an almost chaotic fashion. But there’s a method to the madness. All the loops and juts not only add interest and excitement, but they come together in a way that creates both balance and tension. Second is the fact that it’s a Procumbens juniper. A species that you don’t see that often as specimen level bonsai. You do see a lot of dwarf Procumbens as little beginners’ trees here in north America, but that’s another story. Yesterday’s … Continue reading Wild & Wonderful Bonsai, but No Tanuki Please

Pots, Chops and a Spectacular Juniper Bonsai

This spectacular juniper belongs to Mr. Chiu Chung Cheng. I found it on Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog. This will make three posts in a row that feature photos from Ryan Bell’s Japanese Bonsai Pots Blog. The last two were new Bark posts, this one is from our archives (December 2012). For a relative bonsai newcomer, I’m impressed with just how thoroughly Ryan Bell has jumped into the thick of the bonsai fray. I’m especially taken with his pot collection (many are for sale) and his recent (remember this is from 2012) photo journey through many of our bonsai … Continue reading Pots, Chops and a Spectacular Juniper Bonsai

Dazzling Deadwood

Dazzling deadwood. I think I see a live vein on the left edge of the trunk. Otherwise, this spectacular old specimen is a study in deadwood (with a little rebar thrown into the mix). It’s a Rocky Mountain juniper. The artist and owner is Ryan Neil, Bonsai Mirai. The tree was originally collected by Andy Smith of Golden Arrow Bonsai (Stone Lantern offers Andy’s excellent DVD on collecting bonsai). Intenational Bonsai Mirai has a great little back story on this intriguing old tree. This post originally appeared here in January, 2012. A lot has changed and a lot remains more … Continue reading Dazzling Deadwood

Be Careful! Pinching Might Be Deadly

Was this foliage pinched in order to achieve that dense, perfectly refined shape and texture? The answer, according to Michael Hagedorn is an emphatic NO! Except when it isn’t. The image is borrowed from our Masters’ Series Juniper Bonsai book. I’ve been ripping off valuable tidbits from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai for a long time (always attributed and linked of course). Micheal is a noted American bonsai artist, teacher and author and a voice for a common sense approach to bonsai. Continued below… Michael Hagedorn’s famous Post-Dated Still the best bonsai read in the English language Back in 2012 Michael … Continue reading Be Careful! Pinching Might Be Deadly