What’s Wrong with these Trees (or not)?

This sturdy little Ficus may (or may not) have a problem. Is there anything wrong with the trees shown here? Robert Steven, world famous bonsai artist, teacher and author thinks so. In his own words: “Have you ever made the same mistake I did on my deciduous/broad leaf/ tropical bonsai? …..and what are they? (Don’t be ashamed, they are common mistakes being taught all over the world).” Take a look at the trees shown here. Start at the top and look at the first four photos. Is there something wrong? If you can’t find what’s wrong (according to Robert at … Continue reading What’s Wrong with these Trees (or not)?

Robert Steven Critiques a Black Pine and Offers Some Insights into the Five Schools of Penjing

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Japanese black pine that was submitted by Mike Liu (Mike’s original is below). I’m on a vacation of sorts, so we’ll dip back into our archives. This one is from 2010. I picked it for a couple reasons: first, Robert Steven is one of those bonsai artists that bothers to explain how he gets from point A to point B and why he takes the path he does. The second reason I chose to re-post this one has to do with Penjing and its place in the world of bonsai. Much of what we do … Continue reading Robert Steven Critiques a Black Pine and Offers Some Insights into the Five Schools of Penjing

Two Bonsai Critiques by Robert Steven

Robert Steven’s simulation of a Ficus that was submitted by Yessi Ariesta (see before photo below). It has been a while since we’ve featured a Robert Steven critique and now, out of the blue, we’re blessed with two. The first tree is somewhat dramatic as are Robert’s changes. The second tree is much simpler and that simplicity is carried over with more subtle changes. For years now Robert Steven has been remarkably generous with his free critiques (the word free should be emphasized; what other world renowned bonsai artist and teacher offers something like this?). So why not take advantage … Continue reading Two Bonsai Critiques by Robert Steven

Robert & the Tao of Bonsai

Another Robert Steven bonsai masterpiece. He doesn’t say what kind of tree it is but it looks a lot like a Pemphis. This morning I set out to post two new critiques by Robert Steven, but was foiled by a computer glitch (hopefully temporary).* Meanwhile, I discovered a new photo (above) that Robert just put up on his facebook feed. Because Robert only put up one new photo, I’m posting some photos (below) from an older Bark post (February 2011) that features a small sampling of Robert Steven’s great bonsai and some strange text from a day when I must … Continue reading Robert & the Tao of Bonsai

A Revolutionary Tour de Force that Will Shatter Every Notion You Ever Had About Bonsai Display

Halloween (the show was in October)? At first glance you might just see the tree and the cobwebs and miss the hands clutching (persenting?) the sculpted wooden pot. All the photos in the post are from Robert Steven’s 2014 International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale. Coming up with a title that captures the sheer creative energy of the bonsai displays shown here wasn’t easy (Messing with Bonsai Convention in a Very Big Way was my second choice). Nor is writing about them (way too many hyped up adjectives keep trying to force their way in). I even thought about just showing … Continue reading A Revolutionary Tour de Force that Will Shatter Every Notion You Ever Had About Bonsai Display

An Act of Daring Departure

A once in a life time bonsai event. The deadline for registration for the International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale 2014 is the 30th of September. I know that not everyone can make it to Indonesia for Robert Steven’s International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennale, but some of you can. And it’s not too late to register and go. A little spontaneity may be required, but what’s life without occasional daring departures from routine? Maybe you can catch this plane to the Biennale. This is one of my favorite Robert Steven bonsai (one of many favorites). It’s a famous … Continue reading An Act of Daring Departure

Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

The first thing that caught my eye in this photo is the tree’s overall graceful fluid movement. Next is the swirling gnarl that, for lack of a better word, we’ll call the trunk (see below). This photo and the others shown here are from a recent facebook post by Robert Steven. Robert Steven is, without a doubt, the artist most featured here on Bonsai Bark. You can chalk that up to him being one of the most accomplished and innovative bonsai artists in the world. Prolific too. But there’s more. We don’t usually do lists here nor do we usually … Continue reading Stepping Out of Character for Just a Moment

Celebrating Bonsai

I’m feeling a little daring today. Even revolutionary. This is the first time we’ve used cartoon images. Let alone head up a post with one. Both cartoons are promotions for Robert Steven’s big Bonsai Biennale and they work for me. Hopefully for you too. All the images in this post are from Robert’s facebook feed. It has been a while since we’ve featured Robert Steven’s masterful bonsai and his other numerous doings. Doings so numerous that I suspect he seldom sleeps (Bill Valavanis is also suspect, but that’s for another time). We’ll focus mostly on images that feature Robert’s upcoming … Continue reading Celebrating Bonsai

Can’t Really Pick a Favorite, But…

Suthin has a way with Hinoki cypress. And a way with bonsai altogether. The more I look at this tree, the more I like it. If I were to go back through our nine hundred or so posts so far and pick my favorites, this one would surely make the grade. This photo and the others in this post are from Suthin’s facebook timeline. It would be very difficult if we had pick a favorite bonsai or a favorite bonsai artist. There are simply too many good ones, with so many different types of trees and styles. However, if I … Continue reading Can’t Really Pick a Favorite, But…

Good News for Bonsai Art & Culture

A good example of the kind of results Cheng Cheng Kung gets with his Sidiao method. Hint: it’s the deadwood. We just heard that Cheng Cheng Kung has confirmed to be one of the demonstrators at Robert Steven’s International Bonsai Art & Culture Biennal 2014. This is good news indeed for those of us who are planning on attending (here’s the registration form if you haven’t gotten around to it yet). Just in case you don’t know Cheng Cheng Kung, here’s the short version: Mr Cheng is one of the most famous bonsai artists in the world and the creator of … Continue reading Good News for Bonsai Art & Culture