A Bunjin Story

I borrowed this unusual Bunjin style Sierra juniper from Michael Hagedorn’s Crataegus Bonsai. The article is titled Developing an Unpromising Sierra Juniper Bunjin – student work from Seasonal. There’s something about threes It often works to divide things into thirds to better understand them and for discussion sake. In this tree’s case, you might be struck by the fact that it has three distinct sections: 1. The base. The lowest part starts with a radical slant then takes an abrupt twist. This sudden change of direction is both fluid and abrupt and tells much of the tree’s story. It’s a … Continue reading A Bunjin Story

Slow Down & Stop Thinking So Much

Michael Hagedorn reworked this collected Sierra juniper (grafted with shimpaku) in a half-day refinement session at the Weyerhaeuser collection in Federal Way, Washington, way back in 2009. The before photo is below. Sight of the Blind Man It’s very rare to find writing that explores what goes on with our thoughts and feelings when we work on our bonsai. Mostly we just talk about our trees and what we want to do to them or what we already did to them. That’s why I was surprised and delighted when I read Michael Hagedorn’s latest post on Crataegus Bonsai, Sight of … Continue reading Slow Down & Stop Thinking So Much

Playing with Shadows & Light

Boon Manakitivipart. Western juniper debut with Jalaluddin Din. Bonsai Boon All the photos shown here were posted on facebook by Boon Manakitivipart. Boon is a well-known American bonsai artist and influential bonsai teacher. You can find more about Boon here. Shadows and light I like these photos. Not only are the bonsai quite intriguing, but the photos offer something you don’t see that often; bonsai photography with an artistic flair. The one possible downside is that the play of shadow and light sometimes makes it a little harder to see some of the details on the trees. On balance though, … Continue reading Playing with Shadows & Light

Rilke & Bunjin, A Literati’s Literati

Deeper in debt. I’ve been borrowing from Michael Hagedorn (Crataegus Bonsai) for years. It’s a debt that can only be repaid by appreciation. This strange and wonderful bunjin Sierra juniper was restyled by Michael’s students at one of his Seasonals. Rainer Maria Rilke I know that Rilke departed this earth long ago, and that he most likely never heard of bonsai, still, this quote (also borrowed from Michael) captures something sweet and true that might apply to how we approach our bonsai: “If you will love what seems to be insignificant and will in an unassuming manner, as a servant, … Continue reading Rilke & Bunjin, A Literati’s Literati

The Akio Kondo Bonsai Award

This awesomely stocky little Korean Hornbeam by Jonas Dupuich of Bonsai Tonight (photograph also by Jonas) recently won the Akio Kondo Bonsai Award at the Bay Island Bonsai Exhibit in Northern California (my apologies to Jonas for cropping his photo, but I wanted to show the tree as close up as possible). Boon & Bay Island Bonsai Boon Manakitivipart is one of North America’s most accomplished bonsai artists and the owner of Bonsai Boon (we’ve featured Boon’s trees several times on Bonsai Bark). He is also the driving force behind Bay Island Bonsai, which is one of North America’s paramount … Continue reading The Akio Kondo Bonsai Award

Daisaku Nomoto: Before & After

Sierra juniper after restyling by Daisaku Nomoto. From Bonsai Tonight. Photos by Jonas Dupuich. Mr Nomoto visits Bay Island Bonsai Jonas Dupuich is featuring a great series of photos on Daisaku Nomoto’s visit to Bay Island Bonsai. I’m on a short vacation, so this is an easy way to offer you something good with a minimum of effort. Enjoy! Before.