This week’s topic is scoring multi-point displays – displays that feature more than one bonsai within a six-foot space. This is the most common approach to displaying small and medium-sized bonsai, trees that are up to 8″ and 18″ tall respectively. While it’s relatively easy to come up with a system that accounts for characteristics […]
Display
Bonsai is meant to be displayed. The Display posts cover how to present bonsai at exhibits, the Accents with which bonsai are displayed, and the criteria we use when selecting Bonsai Pots.
Suggestions for studying bonsai with exhibit books
When I think back to my earliest memories of studying bonsai with Boon Manakitivipart, I remember there were Kokufu books everywhere. We’d look at them in the workshop, at lunch, and after dinner. They were a constant reminder of what was possible if we kept at it long enough. After studying with Boon for several […]
Practice displays at Sei Boku Bonsai Kai
Earlier this week I visited the Sei Boku Bonsai Kai to talk about display ahead of their annual exhibit in June. After running through the basics, we looked at member displays with an eye toward making improvements using the stands, trees, and accents we had on hand. We started the exercise by having members set […]
Judging categories at the Pacific Bonsai Expo
The award categories for next year’s Pacific Bonsai Expo are set: Best in Show Best Large Broadleaf Evergreen Bonsai Best Large Conifer Bonsai Best Large Deciduous Bonsai Best Medium Bonsai Display Best Shohin Bonsai Display (You can learn more about sponsoring awards at the Expo here.) Large bonsai are trees that are over 18″ tall […]
How to determine the direction or flow of a bonsai
Some trees point left, others point right. White pine that points to the left(This and subsequent photos are from the 2020 Kokufu exhibition) Korean hornbeam that slants to the right There are a number of ways to indicate direction or flow in bonsai. In the above examples, the line of the trunk (from the base […]