Each fall, the Gardens at Lake Merritt host the Autumn Lights Festival. The event is a fundraiser for the seven-acre garden in Oakland’s Lakeside Park. Held over three evenings, the event attracts thousands of visitors of all ages. More than five thousand made it to the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt to see trees illuminated […]
Excursions
Excursion posts feature visits to bonsai gardens in the U.S. and in Japan, visits to the Kyoto's Most Renown Gardens, and trips into the mountains to see junipers and pines in their natural setting.
Photographing bonsai – getting the level right
I’ve long found that the hardest part of photographing bonsai is figuring out how high to hold the camera. Holding it too high can be good for showing the foliage but not so great for seeing the branch structure. Holding the camera too low reveals more of the branch structure but doesn’t offer a good […]
The Suiseki Art of Mas Nakajima
Mas Nakajima created beautiful works of art by combining viewing stones with paintings. He referred to this work as Suiseki Art. Masahiro Nakajima with Suiseki Art display Suiseki Art is appreciated by the suiseki and bonsai communities, as well as the broader fine arts community. Mas passed away last week near his home in Oakland, […]
Bonsai Tonight – summer vacation edition
It’s that time of year where I head out to fun bonsai events around the country and take a short break from writing posts. If you get the chance, I highly recommend visiting the following upcoming events: Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 2018 Annual Show in Santa Rosa, California, August 25-26 U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in […]
Sierra junipers in the snow
I’ve always wondered what Sierra junipers look like in winter. We often hear about how alpine trees are “buried in snow” through the winter months, but I hadn’t seen this first hand. After many visits to see these giant, natural bonsai over the years, I recently had the opportunity to see them after an early […]