Two recent Northern California bonsai events – the Bay Area Bonsai Associates annual show and the California Shohin Seminar – featured some great trees. Here are some of the highlights along with comments about the trees’ designs. Black pine (The apex, the trunk, and the key branch all flow to the right) California juniper(This tree […]
Exhibits
Exhibits are where we can see bonsai at their best. Explore posts from Bonsai Exhibits in the U.S. including the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition and Japanese events including the world-famous Kokufu and Taikan-ten exhibits.
Appreciating shohin displays at Gafu-ten
After reviewing the basics of how to assemble a shohin display last week (see “Award-winning display” for details), we can begin to spot differences in otherwise similar-looking displays and better understand what makes these displays “work.” At a glance, we can see all of the elements we looked at last week in the display below: […]
Award-winning shohin display at the 50th Gafu-ten
At this year’s Gafu-ten, the top shohin exhibit in Japan, there were many examples of what we might call “conventional contemporary shohin displays.” The effect, when scanning the hall, was that a lot of the displays looked similar. In order to be competitive for awards, entrants can opt to follow, or contradict, a number of […]
Special displays at the 50th Gafu-ten
I’ve noticed, in recent years, more and more special displays at Japanese bonsai exhibits. I think of a special display as any approach to bonsai display other than the standard arrangement of trees and accents within an approximately six foot space. At this year’s Gafu-ten – the 50th anniversary event – there were special displays […]
Viewing bonsai in the right light
One of the benefits of viewing bonsai in natural light is that the light changes throughout the day. When the light is direct, you might catch dramatic shadows that highlight select details. When the light is filtered or indirect, trees can take on a glow that can bring out the color of the foliage or […]