There are few concepts more central to bonsai than “balance.” The California buckeye below strikes me as a well-balanced composition. The foliage, ramification, trunk, pot and stand all work well together. California Buckeye – Aesculus californica The photos here are from the Bay Area Bonsai Associates’ 28th annual show. Like so many good exhibits, it […]
Styling
Styling bonsai gives trees their charm. Read the posts below to learn about the artistic decisions we make when working on bonsai.
Western juniper
When Akio Kondo came for a visit this summer he worked on a lot of trees. My favorite is a semi-cascade Western Juniper. Front as styled by Akio Kondo Although the tree has only been in training for a few years, it has a very bright future. The movement is attractive and the deadwood is […]
Peter Tea wins New Talent Competition
Congratulations to Peter Tea for winning the 2009 Joshua Roth New Talent Bonsai Competition! Supported by the American Bonsai Society, the New Talent competition is usually held at ABS conventions, but this year was held at GSBF Convention XXXII, A Southwest Bonsai Journey, in Riverside, CA. Posing with the winning tree (Peter Tea photo) To […]
Best in show
One of the first trees to catch my attention at Midori’s 40th annual show was a California Juniper, juniperus californica, that belongs to Peter Tea. The tree is beautiful and well deserved recognition as Best in Show. California juniper – Best in Show, 2009 The juniper first came to my attention a number of […]
Where to start?
This Western juniper, Juniperus occidentalis, was one of the more fun projects that made it to Akio Kondo’s workshop at Boon’s last month. After a few years in a pot the tree is very healthy and is now ready for its first styling. Typically, after finding the roots the primary task is determining the front […]