Imperfect, Yet Compelling

Imperfect, unfinished and unbalanced… yet, still compelling in its naturalness and with its luminous foliage, aged bark and deadwood (if you ignore the unfinished jin at the top). By Andrei Darusenkov. Just a little luck This larch is a little different from the one in our last post, which featured a near perfect little collected larch (the kind you could spend a lifetime looking for). This one shows a type tree that us ordinary collectors with our limited experience and just a little luck might find sometime. Taking a few liberties and indulging in a little imagination I don’t know … Continue reading Imperfect, Yet Compelling

Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Wouldn’t you like to find a tree like this when you are out collecting? This is a cropped version of Autumn, by Giacomo Pappalardo. From his facebook wall photos. I assume it is Giacomo’s, though I find no mention of it anywhere; just the photo. A trunk with everything This funky (in the good sense) trunk has everything: shape, massive girth, aged bark, a natural looking hollow (sabamiki) and a perfect touch of deadwood. Though you could make an argument for hiding some of the trunk’s heaviness near the top (the dark hole above the jin), I imagine Giacomo decided … Continue reading Wouldn’t You Like to Find a Tree Like This?

Last Four Entries $100 Bonsai Art Contest

Drawing by Youri Boerlage. Youri didn’t write anything about this, but it looks like a juniper with some very wild jin and shari. Drawing by Matt Cooke’s girlfriend. This is a sketch my girlfriend did for me. As I was busy repotting in early March she had to keep herself entertained. (thus the playful comments). I believe it is pen and water pencil. The drawing is of my recently acquired mountain hemlock yamadori. (Tsuga mertensiana) Drawing by Pongsatorn Kanthaboon. Pongasatorn’s only comment is that it’s a Juniperus procumbens. FYI: some common names are: Shore juniper. Procumben juniper, Japanese garden juniper. … Continue reading Last Four Entries $100 Bonsai Art Contest