When I arrived at the Noelanders Trophy last Saturday, I headed straight for the exhibit. I was surprised, however, to find the exhibit hall fairly empty. Where were the hundreds of guests who waited in line to get in? Down the hall shopping.
The big draw at the Noelanders Trophy is the vendor area. Over 80 traders representing countries across Europe entice buyers with an awesome selection of domestic and imported wares, including specimen bonsai that would be at home in just about any show (see the full list of traders here).
Yew – David Benavente
Japanese maple – David Benavente
Walking through stall after stall of great trees was a pleasure – if only I could have taken some home!
Eleagnus
Japanese maple
Trident maple
Collected trees
Some of the trees were small.
Shohin bonsai
Japanese black pine
And others were massive.
Large Japanese black pine
And the pots! Europe boasts a robust ceramics community that is making some outstanding containers for bonsai.
Not all of the pots were so conservative. Some of the more fun containers I found were produced by Greg Ceramics.
Greg Ceramics – check out the feet
Foot detail
Greg Ceramics – Pokemon pot
I smiled when I came across Carina Jern’s work. The bonsai, ikebana and kokedama containers were among the most playful and colorful I’ve seen.
Colorful pots from Carina Jern
There were plenty of imported pots too.
Pots organized by color
Small bonsai pots
Slabs
I browsed as many stalls as I had time for, and enjoyed every minute of it.
Satsuki azaleas
Japanese maple
GSBF Mammoth Fundraiser this Weekend
This Saturday and Sunday the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt is hosting its annual fundraiser. Saturday features a huge auction – you can download and browse the catalog here. Sunday features member sales and a large vendor area. See times and event details here.
I’ll be at the event Sunday with trees, tools and supplies available. I’ll also have a selection of antique Chinese pots as well as handmade pots by Mitsunobu Ito.
The event will be a fun one – I hope to see you there!
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Ed Stanton says
Good rapportage as always, Jonas. I’m still looking for a glazed, rectangular or soft rectangular pot for an old Ginkgo, light to dark green or Oribe shade, 12-13″ x 10-11″ x 3.5-4.0″ (this last dimension is the toughest to find). Any chance you have something close to this? Thanks, ED
Alain K. says
Thanks again for your posts, it’s always a pleasure to read you each week.
You wrote:
“Some of the more fun containers I found were produced by Greg Ceramics.” Yes! – And a very nice chap too, though I think he doesn’t speak English 😉