Why Every Bonsai Lover Needs to Make a Trip to the Northwest

This lovely bonsai lives at the Pacific Bonsai Museum near Seattle. We borrowed the photo from their website. I cropped some text and other images out of the original image (below). I love the Pacific Bonsai Museum. Not only do I love the idea of a museum devoted 100% to the art of bonsai, but I also love this particular 100% bonsai museum. The setting is beautiful, the trees are among the best and the devoted and knowledgeable staff host a series of exciting events. Continued below… Wire Sale Ends Sunday Night 25% off our entire selection Bonsai Wire we … Continue reading Why Every Bonsai Lover Needs to Make a Trip to the Northwest

Mirai Live Launch Party Tonight

What better way to start our Mirai Live post than by introducing you to one of our all-time favorite bonsai shots? It’s a Colorado spruce from Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. You can see the whole tree below. Tonight is the big night for Ryan’s Neil’s Mirai Live… “a revolutionary online teaching platform where enthusiasts can access a lifetime’s worth of bonsai knowledge and engage in real time with bonsai professional Ryan Neil and artists from around the world.” If Ryan’s other ventures are any indication (The ground breaking Artisans Cup and his astounding bonsai nursery come to mind), then Mirai … Continue reading Mirai Live Launch Party Tonight

Bonsai Aficionados, Artists & Visionaries…

I love this powerful old mountain monarch with it’s massive swirling deadwood and undeniable sense of great age. It’s a Rocky mountain juniper that I lifted from Ryan Neil’s Bonsai Mirai. One of dozens of equally impressive North American bonsai in Ryan’s collection. The title of this post, Bonsai Aficionados, Artists & Visionaries… is borrowed from Mirai Live, “a revolutionary online teaching platform where enthusiasts can access a lifetime’s worth of bonsai knowledge and engage in real time with bonsai professional Ryan Neil and artists from around the world.” I won’t say much more in this post about Mirai Live, … Continue reading Bonsai Aficionados, Artists & Visionaries…

The Delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Any short term inconvenience will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance & power of the event

I borrowed this brilliant tricolor Toyo nishiki flowering quince from Bill Valavanis, the driving force behind the success of the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions. You have three days to change your plans and throw your life into momentary chaos so you can enjoy the delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. The disruption to you routine may cause a little short term inconvenience (and perhaps the disapproval and even derision of your significant other) but all that will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance and power of the event. Really! … Continue reading The Delights of the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition – Any short term inconvenience will be forgotten when you walk through the door and are swept away by the brilliance & power of the event

Taking a Covered Wagon to the U.S. Bonsai Exhibition

There’s almost noting more beautiful than a Japanese maple in full fall color. This one is from the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition website. We just got a notice from Ryan Neil (Bonsai Mirai) about a covered wagon* full of bonsai that will be making the arduous journey from Portland Oregon to Rochester N.Y. for the 5th U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. If you’re exhibiting and your bonsai (or your merchandise) needs a lift, here’s you link. *It’s actually a refrigerated truck. The ‘covered wagon’ is a clever way to grab your attention (and indulge in a little word play). Time … Continue reading Taking a Covered Wagon to the U.S. Bonsai Exhibition

Bonsai Wizardry in Portland (again)

Looking up from below. This is a cropped version of a photo taken by Greg Brenden at the opening of American Bonsai Mirai exhibit at the Wieden & Kennedy gallery in Portland Oregon. Greg’s uncropped photo is below. Another Bonsai Mirai groundbreaking public event. Greg Brenden attended the opening of American Bonsai Mirai– Wieden & Kennedy gallery in Portland Oregon and posted these photos. I’ve done a little cropping to bring the trees a little closer. Greg’s original photos are below (plus one from Ryan Neil that gives a unique view of the exhibit). Greg Brenden’s uncropped original. I like … Continue reading Bonsai Wizardry in Portland (again)

An Independence Day History of Bonsai in the U.S.

This wildly expressive Wisteria reminds me of exploding 4th of July fireworks. The photo is from Bill Valavanis‘ Classical Bonsai Art (out of print). The tree belongs to Robert Blankfield, who originally styled it at a workshop with Bill. This post is resurrected from Independence Day, 2013, with a few additions and subtractions. Tomorrow is Independence Day here in the USA. To help you celebrate, why not enjoy a sampling of home grown bonsai? But first, because many of our readers are not U.S. citizens and because some U.S. folks don’t know much about history anyway, a quick American history … Continue reading An Independence Day History of Bonsai in the U.S.

“There’s an intimacy to bonsai that is largely invisible…”

Portrait of a Trident maple by Stephen Voss Stephen Voss seldom shoots the whole bonsai and though I can’t speak for him, it seems as if he searches for the the heart of the tree in details. Like the way bark cracks and flakes, or the sheen on a Trident trunk when the light is just right. We just got our complimentary copies* of Stephen Voss’ remarkable new book, In Training. If you are familiar with Stephen’s work, it’s almost needless to say that it is stunningly beautiful, but we’ll say it anyway… it is stunningly beautiful and to my … Continue reading “There’s an intimacy to bonsai that is largely invisible…”

You Cut That Off and You lose the Soul of the Tree

“In Japan, I’m sure they would say this is not bonsai and cut this very long branch off,” says (Ryan) Neil. “But when I purchased this piece of material (Ponderosa pine), the only thing I could think is: man, how could you take this wild, undulating branch that — although it may sit outside of the dimensions of what the Japanese model says makes a bonsai — you cut that off and you lose the soul of the tree. So I think what makes the American style special is preserving the wildness and resisting the temptation to domesticate it.” From … Continue reading You Cut That Off and You lose the Soul of the Tree

American Bonsai, The Unbridled Art of Ryan Neil at the Portland Japanese Garden

I’ve never seen a bonsai displayed like this. Not even in my imagination, and my guess is the same goes for you (unless you happen to be Ryan Neil). This photo is from a show at the Portland Japanese Garden titled American Bonsai, The Unbridled Art of Ryan Neil. We’ve featured the bonsai of Ryan Neil numerous times here on Bark. But never quite like this (though Ryan’s Artisans Cup does share some of the same revolutionary vision). I won’t say much more except to encourage you to visit the Portland Japanese Garden (if geography puts a crimp in that … Continue reading American Bonsai, The Unbridled Art of Ryan Neil at the Portland Japanese Garden