Bonsai tree: Taikan-ten – all the little things

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Taikan-ten – all the little things

Looking over my photos from Taikan-ten last night made me really happy. Sure, I miss being around such great trees every day, but I’m happy to have seen them and I appreciate the opportunity I have to share the photos.

To get a better sense of the overall event, please read Peter Tea’s report, “Taikan-ten 2011” and see Bjorvala Bonsai Studio’s fantastic video report, “The Bonsai Art of Japan: Episode 22.”

Below are some some of the small-sized bonsai and suiseki exhibited at the 2011 Grandview Bonsai Exhibit. I’ll post pics of the larger trees next week.

Shohin display

Shohin display

Shohin display

Shohin display

Japanese quince – Choujubai

Shohin black pine

Jasmine

Shohin

Crabapple

Japanese quince – Choujubai

Trident maple

Shohin

Princess persimmon

Jasmine

Special display

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Suiseki

Antique pot

Antique pot

For those who read Japanese: Cards accompanying antique pots

Accent

Accent

Accent

Accent

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Bonsai tree: Mystery Bonsai Contest

Tree number 1. This one’s a mystery to me.

Win a $100 gift certificate

The first person to identify the artist and the species of all 6 trees will win a $100 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If no one identifies all six, then the first person to identify five of the six will win an $80 gift certificate to Stone Lantern. If the winner identifies only 4, then the prize is a $60 gift certificate to Stone Lantern (and so forth).

Email you answers to me!

wayne@stonelantern.com. Answers posted in comments below WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED!

Contest end September 30th, 2011

No entries will accepted after Sept 30. If someone properly identifies all six before the 30th, the contest will end at that time.

Tree number 2. I know this one.

Tree number 3.  No clue on this one.

Tree number 4. Think archives.

Tree number 5. Hint: it’s a shohin.

Tree number 6. Tropical beauty.

Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!

Bonsai tree: Bonsai Miksang

Photo by Morten Albek. From his Shohin blog.

Miksang

Miksang is a contemplative approach photography that’s about “uncovering the truth of pure perception… without the biases, filters and formulas often associated with photography” (from The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography). It seems to me to be a both disciplined and spontaneous approach to photography and to seeing; simply seeing without projection, with an open and unbiased mind.

The photography of Morten Albek

I have long been impressed by Morten Albek’s bonsai photography. Whether his photos are the result of a Miksang approach, I can’t say for sure, though it’s easy to see that Morten has a good eye (Miksang means ‘good eye’). All the photos in this post are from Morten’s website or his blog.

From Morten’s recent Japan trip.


I don’t remember where I found this, but the photo is Morten’s.

Close up of Morten’s now somewhat famous Rhododendron lysolepsis.


From a bonsai display in Rome that Morten stumbled upon.


Another shot from Morten’s recent Japan trip.

Morten’s Shohin book (published by Stone Lantern). This photo is from Morten’s website and it’s a pretty safe guess that he took it.

Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!

Bonsai tree: Decandling shohin black pine

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Decandling shohin black pine

Decandling Japanese black pines is the process of removing spring growth to produce summer growth. If we decandle early in the season, we give summer growth more time to mature and produce long needles. The converse is also true – decandling later produces shorter needles. For this reason, we typically decandle shohin pine bonsai about a month later than larger pine bonsai.

My smallest pine bonsai produced lots of spring growth this year. It’s hard, in fact, to tell the front of the tree from the back of the tree.

Shohin Japanese black pine – front

Shohin Japanese black pine – back

Once I started removing the spring growth, I began to see the outline of the tree. Before long, the tree had returned to the basic shape it sported in winter.

Shohin Japanese black pine – front

Over the next four months, the summer growth will fill in and it will be time for fall work. I’m looking forward to fall because this tree, like so many of my pines, is due for a lot of cutback and wiring. Time to book more workshops! Read more!

Bonsai tree: There’s Something About Shohin

Itoigawa juniper by Michael Hagedorn. Michael is one of our favorite American bonsai artists. If you haven’t visited his site (Crataegus Bonsai) this is as good a time as any. BTW: Michael is the author of Post-Dated – The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk a fascinating read, bonsai or otherwise.

The advantages of Shohin (small) Bonsai

On the back of our Stone Lantern book Majesty in Miniature; Shohin Bonsai (by Morten Albek) it says “When compared to large bonsai, Shohin cost less, take less time to develop, take less space, are easier to move, and are less apt to be over-watered. Perhaps best of all, Shohin-bonsai are a delight to behold.” I’ll second those observations (I wrote the original, so why not?).


This small Viginia creeper by Harry Harrington (bonsai4me.com) is designed to show off the spectacular foliage.


This is the second time we’ve shown this Spiraea japonica (also by Harry Harrington). There are a couple reasons we returned to it: first, it’s a very sweet tree, and second, how many Spiraea bonsai have you seen?

Morten Albek’s Shohin Bonsai. Published by Stone Lantern. Retail 24.95, our low price 14.97.

Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!