Red Bonsai Pots, a Shift in Taste

This Trident maple (Acer burgerianum) was imported from Japan in 2016 by Walter Pall. The tree is around fifty years old and about 50cm tall (20″). The pot is by Walter Venne. Here’s Walter’s caption… “The maple got a new pot by Walter Venne. To many this will be a big surprise. Ten years ago one could not get a red pot nor could one sell it. Now it’s still very new and somehow daring to use one. In ten years it will be common. A shift in taste is going on.” Walter Pall must have one of the largest … Continue reading Red Bonsai Pots, a Shift in Taste

More Ficus Bonsai – Amazing Roshi Tool Special Ends Friday

Finest Tropical Bonsai & Finest Accent Plant. The tree is a Tiger bark Ficus (Ficus microcarpa) by Hoe Chuah. I’ve cropped this lead photo to show just the tree (a photo showing Soon Chuah’s companion is just below and a photo of the tree with the companion is below that). The first three photos in this post are from Bonsai Empire. Continuing with our 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition theme from yesterday and our Ficus bonsai theme from the day before. And of course, our encouragement for you to visit the 6th U.S. National next month A family that does … Continue reading More Ficus Bonsai – Amazing Roshi Tool Special Ends Friday

Great Bonsai Shots – a Story of Time & Human Artistry

A story of time and human artistry. This shot (looks like a Japanese white pine) is from Kunio Kobayashi’s famous Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Edogawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. When I first saw it, I was sure that it’s from the tree below. After closer examination, I’m not so sure. All the photos in this post are from the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum fb timeline The Shunkaen Bonsai Museum was founded by the great bonsai master, Kunio Kobayashi. Here’s what Mr Kobayashi wrote about the museum… “The Museum was built with the ambition to spread Japanese culture, especially Bonsai in a new way … Continue reading Great Bonsai Shots – a Story of Time & Human Artistry

The Monk, Bonsai Before & After

Before and after by Salvador De Loy Reyes. He calls it The Monk, but gives no other information, including no species (looks a lot like a Shimpaku juniper) or details of any kind, though you might guess it was originally field grown and purposely twisted to look like an old Japanese yamadori (bonsai collected from the wild). Without seeing the other side of the tree, it’s almost impossible to follow the live veins in their delightfully chaotic movement up the trunk Yesterday’s post featured three trees that were ready to be reviewed and retouched by Salvador De Los Reyes. Today it’s a before … Continue reading The Monk, Bonsai Before & After

40% off Bonsai Tool Special Ends Sunday Night

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Something for Bonsai Rock Planting Lovers & Fans

Great stone. Great planting. All but the lowest juniper appear to be growing in pockets of soil in the stone. This is referred to as a root-on-rock bonsai. It looks like the lowest one has its roots growing down into the pot (protected for now by moss). This would be root-over-rock style. The artist is Jan Culek Continuing our rock planting theme from yesterday… Most large complex stones for bonsai plantings are made by human hands, and the ones shown here are no exception. They’ll all by Jan Culek GREAT BONSAI TOOL SPECIAL ENDS SUNDAY NIGHT 40% OFF LIST PRICES ALL BONSAI AESTHETICS TOOLS INCLUDING … Continue reading Something for Bonsai Rock Planting Lovers & Fans

Hanging off a Cliff Somewhere in the Alps

This very distinctive bonsai belongs to Mauro Stemberger. The rock was made by Erik Križovenský, a master of unique pots and other creative vessels for planting bonsai. No mention is made of the type tree, but it looks like some type of Juniper. I cropped Mauro’s original photo (below) to get a closer look and to eliminate some background noise It’s past due time to revisit Mauro Stemberger, an old favorite here on Bark. If you’d like to see more of what Mauro is up to you can visit him on facebook and on his Italian Bonsai Dream website. You can also visit … Continue reading Hanging off a Cliff Somewhere in the Alps

The Tallest Trees in the World Brought Down to Bonsai Size

Closeup of a California Coast redwood from Bonsai Mirai’s collection. It’s interesting that most Redwood bonsai tend to be so stocky, given that that they are the tallest trees in the world. You can see the photo of the whole tree below Continuing from yesterday with Bonsai Mirai,the home of what must be the largest and most impressive collection of collected bonsai (yamadori) in the country. Today it’s California’s Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) There are so many iconic North American trees. In fact, and at the risk of just a little chauvinism, our rich array of trees just might be the most … Continue reading The Tallest Trees in the World Brought Down to Bonsai Size

Bonsai at the Intersection of Environmental Art, Durational Art, Performance, Architecture, and Design

There’s more than the tree to bonsai. This photo with the brilliantly conceived pot and stand – and the way they both emphasize and elevate (literally) the tree – perfectly illustrates this point. It’s from a special event flyer posted by Pacific Bonsai Museum titled LAB, Living Art of Bonsai. The date is August 4th. The rest of the details are here This event looks and sounds so compelling that if it weren’t for previous unbreakable commitments, I’d be making my reservations right now. But perhaps you can be lucky! Here’s part of the copy from the Pacific Bonsai Museum about the upcoming LAB… “In … Continue reading Bonsai at the Intersection of Environmental Art, Durational Art, Performance, Architecture, and Design

Suthin’s Bonsai & New Import Duty on Bonsai Wire

You can see Suthin’s mastery in the way this little Japanese black pine undulates (like waves) all the way from the base of the trunk down to the tip of the cascade. You can enjoy this tree and some other new offerings on Suthin’s website Our friend (everybody’s friend) Suthin Sukosolvisit has added the three trees shown here plus some others to his site’s sale page. I think you’ll like them and that you might like to know how to go about ordering from Suthin. Many of you know Suthin, but just in case you don’t, Suthin is a highly skilled and prolific bonsai artist. One of our best. If you’d like … Continue reading Suthin’s Bonsai & New Import Duty on Bonsai Wire