White Bear Bonsai Sale

Japanese black pine from White Bear Bonsai Garden’s sale. It’s caption reads “…personally selected by Susumu Nakamura, about 50 years old.” A first for Bonsai Bark If memory serves, this is first time that we’ve used this blog to promote a bonsai sale.To set the record straight, there’s nothing in it for us. I just stumbled upon the White Bear Bonsai Garden website the other day, saw they were having a moving sale of some quality bonsai and decided you might like to see some of what they have to offer. Grafted Kishu shimpaku by Mas Ishii (Chikugo-En Bonsai … Continue reading White Bear Bonsai Sale

Kokufu & the Upcoming 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

This Shishigashira Japanese maple was a 2012 Kokufu award winner. A few things stand out about this remarkable tree: the shape, with most of the action on one side is somewhat unusual for a Japanese maple; the wonderful nebari with its smooth spread and the way it stabilizes the top of the tree; and the undulating movement of the branching (from primary branches all the way out to the tips of the twigs). Best in show All the photos in this post are from Bill Valavanis’ 2012 KOKUFU BONSAI EXHIBITION REPORT which appears on the Internet Bonsai Club. You might … Continue reading Kokufu & the Upcoming 2012 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition

Great Photos, Great Trees

Shimpaku with fan. The photo is from Kennett Bonsai’s Wall Photos on facebook. Photos that are worthy of the trees It’s always good to see well-photographed quality bonsai. Many photos (especially on facebook) are hastily shot, often with little consideration for things like background, lighting and other elements that go into quality photography. In this case the bonsai (from The Kennett Collection) are excellent, and clearly, some effort has gone into creating photos that are worthy of the trees. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining about hastily shot photos. With facebook, spontaneity and informality are the nature of the … Continue reading Great Photos, Great Trees

Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bunjin style bonsai in such a deep pot. You almost always see them in shallow round or near-round pots. No problem though, this one works to perfection; a spectacular tree with a simply lustrous pot. I think the heavy foliage (unusual for a bunjin) helps balance the heavy pot. Thanks again to Mr. Tea The photos in this post are all courtesy of Peter Tea, our current favorite bonsai apprentice (nothing personal to the rest of our apprenti in Japan, it’s just that Peter keeps sending great stuff). Meifu-ten, a show for … Continue reading Eighty Two and Still Going Strong

Abstract Bonsai & Peace in Our Time

A European bonsai with a Japanese touch. This massive juniper with its wildly sculpted deadwood is reminiscent of bonsai you’d see in Japan in the 80s and 90s. Right down to the quality Japanese pot (unless it’s a Chinese knockoff). The artist is Carlos van der Vaart. Taking the bonsai scene by storm There was a time not very long ago when bonsai with a heavy reliance on sculpted deadwood took the bonsai scene by storm. Rather than attempting to ‘make your bonsai look like a tree’ (John Naka’s famous dictum) these more abstract trees were the result of a … Continue reading Abstract Bonsai & Peace in Our Time

Pushing the Bonsai Boundaries

Can you imagine the time needed to develop and maintain the numerous foliage clouds? Does this level of refinement exist outside of Japan? Needle juniper (J. rigida) by Shinji Suzuki. From our Masters’ Series Juniper book. Picking up where we left off Our last post provoked more discussion than any post so far. Roughly drawn, the topic is naturalistic bonsai versus highly stylized and highly refined bonsai. I thought it might be good to continue with examples that exist at the extremes, at least in my view. This Big cone Douglas fir by Dan Robinson jumped out at me because … Continue reading Pushing the Bonsai Boundaries

That Old Argument Resurfaces

Hinoki cypress by Dan Robinson. From Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees. An excellent example of a naturalistic bonsai. Judging from your comments… There are two ways we can gauge reader interest. One is by the number of visits to a particular post (our host keeps track for us), and the other is your comments. Judging from your comments, the discussion about the virtues of highly refined Japanese bonsai vs a more naturalistic western style (championed by Walter Pall among others) is a topic that at some of you are interested in. I count myself among this interested group. An impassioned comment … Continue reading That Old Argument Resurfaces

Nature, Picasso & the Hand of Man

Here’s an exquisite, powerful old tree that features some wild twists and turns. I found it here. My guess is it’s a Shimpaku juniper that was originally collected in the mountains of Japan. A further guess is that it fell into the hands of one of the Japanese masters. One more guess; it was professionally photographed and appears in a Japanese bonsai book or Bonsai magazine Okay, I stand corrected (see comments) That Old Question: Naturalistic vs Highly Styled Bonsai Though nature originally grew, shaped and aged this wonderful old tree, there is no pretending that humans didn’t have a … Continue reading Nature, Picasso & the Hand of Man

David Benavente’s Excellent Bonsai World

An elegant bonsai enhanced by an equally elegant photograph. From David Benavente’s website. Why not smile? Señor Benavente offering you a chance to buy a sweet little Shimpaku. If one were inclined to jealously I don’t advocate jealousy; it’s a nowhere kind of emotion. But if you were the type to get jealous about someone’s bonsai scene, David Benavente’s would be a good place to start. I won’t say much more; the photos can speak for themselves. And no, I don’t think I’m jealous…. but still, such a well put together backyard nursery with such great bonsai and the climate … Continue reading David Benavente’s Excellent Bonsai World

Short & Very Muscular

One very muscular Shimpaku juniper. From Reiner Vollmari’s photo gallery. Hiding the action This wonderfully powerful bonsai presents a bit of a mystery. The live wood that peaks out in the V at the top of the shari is quite well developed, as is the entire crown, and would require at least one or two large living veins to support all that life. The small living vein in the front, though quite striking against the massive deadwood, is completely unconvincing. This is not a complaint, I like this tree a lot. It is unique in its strength and its style. … Continue reading Short & Very Muscular