Three Bonsai: Artists Unknown

On fire. If you look closely, you can see a little reddish hue in the trunk, pot and even the soil. Does this mean this fiery thread leaf Japanese maple was color enhanced? My guess is, yes, it was. Unnecessarily so. If it were slightly less blazing, this would still be a beautiful bonsai. In fact, even if the foliage were green, the age and movement in the nebari, trunk and the rest of the tree, would be enough to qualify this tree as beautiful. The pot is excellent too, though it’s difficult to tell if it’s round or oval. … Continue reading Three Bonsai: Artists Unknown

Four New Books

I liked this book at first glance and still like it after spending a few days with it. I can say with some confidence that it’s the best book yet on Penjing, at least in English. It goes way beyond Zhao’s earlier Worlds of Wonderment in all respects: quality and variety of the Penjing, quality of the photos, amount and level of information and overall production value of the book itself. This is to say that this is a very handsome and very useful book. Zhao Qingquan is one of thee world’s most renowned Penjing artists and when you see … Continue reading Four New Books