Next year’s big event What better time to talk about next year’s biggest North American bonsai event than when we’re still feeling the buzz from this year’s biggest bonsai event? It’s the Artisans Cup in Portland Oregon, and you’ve got fifteen months to plan, pack your bags and show up. Your links are here for the website and here for the blog. The images in this post are from the Artisans Cup website.
Bodacious bark. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen bark quite like this. Its uniquely patterned texture and color adds an abundance of character and age to this wonderful old live oak. Furthermore (and at the risk of excess word proliferation), have you noticed the pot? How much character it has (and how small it is for the tree)? No mention of who made it with the photo, but whoever did deserves some love. The tree and the pot are from the ‘My Trees’ section of Mauro Stemberger’s website. Rocky Mountain bliss. The dates are June 17-20 21-24. Here’s the … Continue reading Weekly Wire: Bodacious Bark, Bonsai Bliss, Viva Brasil & Slovakia Too
Who could ask for more? It wasn’t too long ago we led off a Weekly Wire with a Gedemerta Bonsaibali tree. Now, we’ve gone and done it again. I’m guessing you can see why. Aside from the wildly expressive deadwood, the well-aged textured beauty of the bark, the trunk’s powerful base and perfect taper, the tree’s radiant health, the near perfect play between balance and movement; the photo is also very well done. Who could ask for more? FREE! FREE WIRE, SCISSORS, TOOL CLEANING BLOCKS & CUT PASTE WHEN YOU ORDER FROM STONE LANTERN… …but only if you enter … Continue reading Weeky Wire: World Bonsai Day, Free Bonsai Wire, Kokufu, Boon’s Tips & Much More
Dazzling deadwood. I think I see a live vein on the left edge of the trunk. Otherwise, this spectacular old specimen is a study in deadwood (with a little rebar thrown into the mix). It’s a Rocky Mountain juniper. The artist and owner is Ryan Neil, International Bonsai Mirai. The tree was originally collected by Andy Smith of Golden Arrow Bonsai (Stone Lantern offers Andy’s excellent DVD on collecting bonsai). Intenational Bonsai Mirai has a great little back story on this intriguing old tree. More daring high quality bonsai Every time I visit Ryan Neil’s International Bonsai Mirai website something … Continue reading Rocky Mountain Juniper High
Boon Manakitivipart (Bonsai Boon) discovered this muscular Kuromatsu on his latest trip to Japan. You can visit Bonsai Tonight for more. Something new A while back we tried to get a bonsai calendar off the ground. After what seemed like lack of interest from our readers, we abandoned the idea. Now we have another idea, it’s related to the calendar notion, but more expansive. We’ll call it Bonsai Bark Weekly Wire for now. Rather than try to explain, we’ll just get started and see where it goes. This year’s BCI tour is timed to coincide with two of … Continue reading Bonsai Bark Weekly Wire
Mesmerizing bonsai perfection. I think this tree has something to say about just how far American bonsai has come. It’s a Japanese white pine by Ryan Neil. From his International Bonsai Mirai website. Ryan Neil and International Bonsai Mirai I think these photos of Ryan Neil’s bonsai speak for themselves. Loud and clear. But just in case you’d like to read a few words to flesh things out a bit, here’s what Ryan’s site has to say about itself: International Bonsai Mirai is a reference point where serious individuals can come to see bonsai pursued at a higher level with … Continue reading Elevating the Art of Bonsai in the West
Still a work in progress, but an exceptional work at that. Douglas fir, styled by Ryan Neil. Collected by Randy Knight. Full tilt bonsai Is it just me, or has Oregon quietly become bonsai heaven? Think about it; Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai) has been hunkering down in Portland every since he returned from his apprenticeship with Shinji Suzuki in Japan. Now Ryan Neil (International Bonsai Mirai), still somewhat fresh from his six year apprenticeship with Masahiko Kimura (if you’ve heard of anybody, you’ve heard of him) has settled in the Portland area too. Both Michael and Ryan are going full … Continue reading American Bonsai Heaven