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

Win a $25 Gift Certificate

I love this funky bonsai. Though I suspect someone like Robert Steven could place it in a category, to my eyes it’s one of a kind. Though it wouldn’t be a stretch to place it in the Chinese Penjing tradition (there’s just nothing Japanese or Western about it). A couple people have posted it on facebook without attribution, so rather than reward their laziness with links, we’ll turn this into a quick contest. The first person to identify the owner and the species of this tree, along with a link that provides proof, will win a 25.00 gift certificate to … Continue reading Win a $25 Gift Certificate

The Last Day!

This perfect Pemphis acidula by Robert Steven doesn’t have much to do with the last day of our Big Winter Sale. Except that Robert’s excellent book, Mission of Transformation is one of the items you can save on (the photo originally appeared in a Bark post way back in 2009). Our Big Winter Sale is running out of time. Today is the last day to save 20% to 25% on everything we offer at Stone Lantern. Just in case you’re one of those people who reads this blog but never visits our Stone Lantern website, you should know that we … Continue reading The Last Day!

Out of Thin Air

Robert Steven’s simulation of a tree that was submitted by David Royinsyah (below). Busy now, so once again we’ll borrow from the past (Robert Steven Transforms Raw Stock, March, 2011). It’s one of dozens of Robert Steven’s critiques that we’ve posted over the years and it’s one of my favorites. The transformation is total, almost as if Robert pulled his simulation out of thin air. And the result is so pleasing. Nuff said, here’s the original… Robert’s vision and artistry This one is quite unusual. The stock is totally raw and not that interesting. Robert simply manufactured all the branching … Continue reading Out of Thin Air

Robert Steven, 2 Trunks & 3 Moose

A simulation by Robert Steven based on two Siberian larch submitted by Kristin Wood. Robert’s handiwork combined with the rough, richly colored bark, sweet little cones, brilliant moss and just right container, makes for a very attractive naturalistic bonsai. If you have two trees, neither of which has too much promise as a single bonsai, sometimes the best solution is to combine them. Of course some vision and skill never hurts, but really, with just a little patience and willingness to experiment, you might be surprised at the results. In this case, the person doing the combining (simulated) has more … Continue reading Robert Steven, 2 Trunks & 3 Moose

Bonsai Paradise

I think this magnificent convoluted beast belongs to Yusuf Sirait; at least it appears on his facebook page. It’s a Pemphis acidula (Santigi). Yet another mid-summer vacation resurrection (from January 2012). The original was a little wordy so I’ve chopped it down just a bit. Bonsai paradise I wonder just how common naturally contorted wild bonsai stock are on the islands of Indonesia. Based on what you see online and elsewhere, it’s easy to get the impression that they are quite abundant and easily accessible, though, I doubt that’s really the case. In fact, photos from Robert Steven’s Mission of … Continue reading Bonsai Paradise

Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

This super-sized three part penjing is by Robert Steven; renowned bonsai artist, teacher and author, and frequent contributor to this blog. It’s the 4th of July holiday weekend. Time relax a bit. Maybe do some digging in the garden or play in the water. Maybe both. To help make this happen, here’s something we’ve almost never done before; a rerun of a previous post (with a few small changes). This one is from December 2011. In Robert Steven’s own words “This is a super large penjing I did two weeks ago. The total length is three meters (about 10 feet). … Continue reading Bonsai Redux: A Penjing Symphony in Three Movements

Dragon Ascending

What appear to be roots growing out of a long hollow on the side of trunk, creates a very unusual and fascinating effect. The rest of the tree isn’t half bad either and the flute player adds a playful human quality and contributes to a sense of vastness. The photo, which is courtesy of Robert Steven is from the recent BCI convention in China This post, like the previous post titled BCI: Bonsai Strong, shows more of Robert Steven‘s photos from the recent BCI convention in China. As you may know, in addition to being a great bonsai artist, Robert … Continue reading Dragon Ascending

A Steady Stream…

Premna serratifolia by Robert Steven. Aside from the immediate impact of the old wood with all the trunks popping up everywhere, there’s the counter-balance provided by the sturdy little trunk on the far left and the way the two tiny trunks at the base provide subtle accents. And then there’s that teetering trunk on that tiny tip that sticks out on the far right at the very end of the planting (six years of government-funded college down the drain on two mangled sentences). The beat goes on. If you take the time to go back through our 700-plus previous posts, … Continue reading A Steady Stream…