Dynamic Bonsai – Korea Exhibition 2

Does this dynamic tree say something about Korean bonsai style? Maybe, maybe not, though I have notice several Korean trees that share a similar feel. This post is the second of a series on the recent Korea Bonsai Artists Exhibition. The photos were taken by Mu Jong Park and posted on facebook. The trees aren’t identified, nor are the artists or owners, so for the second day running, I’m breaking my New Year’s resolution not to post unattributed bonsai. But I have my reasons (see yesterday if you care). Bonsai Aesthetics Wire Is Back Kilo rolls Only 15.75 500 gram rolls Only 8.95 100 gram rolls only 3.45 … Continue reading Dynamic Bonsai – Korea Exhibition 2

Korea Bonsai Artists Exhibition

In addition to the strong trunk and nebari, there’s so much dynamic and expansive movement with this tree. The fruit looks like what you might find on a Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) and the tree could certainly pass, so quince is a safe guess. I don’t know who the artist or owner is This post is the first of a series on the recent Korea Bonsai Artists Exhibition. The photos were taken by Mu Jong Park and posted on facebook. The trees aren’t identified, nor are the artists or owners, so I’m already breaking my New Year’s resolution not to post unattributed bonsai. However, I think … Continue reading Korea Bonsai Artists Exhibition

Bonsai Island Paradise

Though it’s not really a bonsai if it’s in the ground, this one is a very close cousin. This photo and all the photos in this post are from Stone Garden. Continuing with our Korean bonsai theme. This one is from our archives (April, 2014). Tomorrow we’ll return to the Korean Bonsai Artists Exhibition. The bonsai shown here reside at a place called Stone Garden, on an island just south of Korea and due west of Japan’s Kyushu Island. The island’s name is Jeju and judging by the photos, it’s a rather magnificent place, with warm enough weather for plants that are … Continue reading Bonsai Island Paradise

An Old Bonsai Favorite

If you know Gedemerta’s bonsai, you’ll recognize this as one of his many Pemphis acidula. The rough bark, preponderance of deadwood and the tiny leaves give it away The photos shown here are from an old favorite of ours, Gedemerta Bonsai Bali. Though I just discovered these (on facebook of course), I also just noticed they date all the way back to 2012, so they may be familiar to some of you. In fact, at least one of them has been shown here on Bark (the Barbados cherry, but with a different pot) and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than one. MID-WINTER … Continue reading An Old Bonsai Favorite

Blazing Bonsai – An Embarrassment of Riches

This blazing bonsai is a prize-winning Shishigashira Japanese maple from a Peter Tea post on the 32nd Annual Taikan-ten bonsai exhibition in Kyoto. This photos shown here are lifted from a December 2012 Bark post titled An Embarrassment of Riches. In addition to the trees, there’s a special bonus offering below… NEW MID-WINTER SITE WIDE SALE Almost All Items Discounted 25% to 40% off List Prices* Some Items as much as 70% off List Prices Visit Stone Lantern Here’s what Matt Reel has to say about this tree: “This Japanese Red Pine has such a broad apex it makes me … Continue reading Blazing Bonsai – An Embarrassment of Riches

Fancy Bonsai Flowers

This Chojubai Dwarf Flowering Quince belongs to Michael Hagedorn. I took the liberty to crop Michael’s original photos for a closer look at the trees (all 4 uncropped versions are at the bottom of the post). It has been a while since we visited Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai, one of our favorite destinations and a reoccurring presence here on Bark. Anyway, it’s always best to let Michael speak for himself (from December 26th)… “A couple weeks back we photographed all the Dwarf Flowering Quince ‘Chojubai’ that were looking fancy, as they all decided to bloom at the same time this year. Which … Continue reading Fancy Bonsai Flowers

Bonsai Boug Before & After by Suthin (with Value Added)

Bougainvillea, before and after by Suthin Sukosolvisit. I’m not sure how much time elapsed from before to after, but given that Suthin lives in a cold climate and Bougainvillea are tropical and semi-tropical plants, my guess is at least several years. Trying to find time to get outside today, so we’ll resort to our archives once again. This one features one of our all time favorite bonsai artists, Suthin Sukosolvisit. It originally appeared here in March, 2015. As usual, I’ve made a few changes. Here’s your link to Suthin’s original before and after post ROSHI TOOL SPECIAL ENDS TONIGHT 40% OFF LIST PRICES ON ROSHI … Continue reading Bonsai Boug Before & After by Suthin (with Value Added)

Before & After – Antes y Despues

Before and after Itoigawa juniper (Juniperus chinesis ‘itoigawa’) by David Benavente. It helps to start with a magnificent tree. Still, this takes nothing away from the considerable skills of an artist like David Benavente. In fact, bringing a great tree back to shape and taking it to the next level is one of the things that defines a highly accomplished bonsai artist. Sticking with our reoccurant Before & After theme, today’s Itoigawa juniper is one of several remarkable Before & Afters (Antes y Despues) that David Benavente posted several years ago. By the way, if you’re confused about the difference between Shimpaku, Kishu and Itoigawa, here’s something from … Continue reading Before & After – Antes y Despues

Before & After Root-Over-Rock Black Pine Bonsai

Root-over-rock Japanese black pine by Suthin Sukosolvisit. No major restyling, but what a striking improvement. Sutin’s caption reads simply… “Japanese black pine 2011-2013” The original before and after photos are from Suthin’s timeline A big part of learning about bonsai involves transforming rough stock into beautiful, or at least passable bonsai. However, it’s equally important to do the periodic work necessary to keep a bonsai beautiful, or soon enough it will return to its rough state (or worse). Allowing a tree to just grow on its own for a while is essential to its health, and bringing it back into shape after this period of unrestrained growth is also … Continue reading Before & After Root-Over-Rock Black Pine Bonsai

A Second Look

Fluidity and power. If you’re not into the highly styled look, then you’re probably not crazy about this tree. But it might be possible to take a second look with some effort to relax any notion of what a bonsai should look like. When I do this I see an impressive work of art (in this case at least), though admittedly you’d never see a tree in nature that looks quite like this one. It’s was posted on facebook by Minoru Akiyama, one of Japan’s many outstanding bonsai artists. No species is given, but Shimpaku juniper is probably a safe … Continue reading A Second Look