National Bonsai Exhibition Taiwan

Show and Glow

Last weekend saw the opening of the National Bonsai Exhibition in Taiwan for 2103.  After seeing the 2012 exhibition I was looking forward to visiting again this year.  The the standard and tree selection were sensational.  Both large and small bonsai were on display along with a fantastic spread of viewing stones.  

Please enjoy the pictures below.

This is Mr. Yen, a bonsai master who answers my questions depending on his patience level on any given day.

Let's start with some really small guys - Black Pine.

Black pine trees are a very popular bonsai tree.

The back drops set the mood.

I liked the pot.

The next couple were a little bigger in size.

But still smaller enough to pick up in one hand.

Enter the monsters.

This particular tree is extremely slow growing.  There was a price tag attached for $21,000 Australian dollars!

An unusual trunk.

Close up.

For grim death.

My favorite - enjoy the next three photos.

Boxwood.

Mr. Yen created this penjing piece.

Brilliant!

Amazing that this tree survives and looks so healthy up top.

A mess!  

Bonsai trees made out of bonsai wire!

A lot of skill went into making this wire tree.

Shari

Tall but that's not all.

Interesting to say the least.

Hope you enjoyed some of these quality bonsai trees from Taiwan.  I can't believe a year has passed since the last exhibition!  Do what you can!    

Little Things

 

From Little Things...

 

 

Last week I sat down and decided to make some small bonsai pots to house some small trees I plan to buy in the future.  I wanted to make these pots pretty tiny to put two cascading trees in them. 

The first one I made I chose not to glaze.  I wanted it to look natural.

I experimented by mixing clay and an already fired piece.  I smashed up the fired piece and kneading it into my clay. 

The base with one drainage hole.



An Australian two dollar coin to give some perspective.

A tiny pot made from Japanese white clay.



A small tree with tiny flowers would look good in this pot.  Any suggestions?

I tried a jade colored glaze - didn't quite work out the way I wanted but it still does the job. 

I also made a small dish with three legs.

Black satin glaze.  I can see some jelly beans covering this dish very soon.



Because I put this dish on a marble coffee table I stuck some clear protective rubber circles on each of the feet.

 



Pottery

Blue Haze

 

Two months ago I bought some blue/grey glaze from a Melbourne pottery outlet.  It was my first glaze I bought so I was excited to try it out.  Armed with a paint brush and a quiet pottery studio I began painting the inside of a coiled bowl that took me a day to make. 

 

 

Using the coiling technique was time consuming but I still found it reasonably relaxing. 

 

 

I like the contrast of a smooth texture against a rough texture.  I tried to use this effect on my bowl.  Not sure if it worked.  Although the more I look at the blue/grey glaze the more I convince myself that it looks good.

 

Hope you enjoy.

A free shape.

It is interesting what the end result serves up.

The rim was smooth and easy to touch. It was a mix of the blue/grey glaze and the more earthy glaze.

The parts in the bowl that are not smooth means that I didn't join those coils up as closely as I should have.  There is room for improvement. 

The more earthy outside glaze.

A medium sized tomato helps with scale.

A bonsai pot.  11 cm in height.

A close up.  I plan on putting a pine tree that cascades down in this pot.

The feet took me the longest time to make.

These lines are the result of the glaze of another piece in the same kiln that kind of splashed on my pot. 

Two drainage holes.

Two teacups.

Wood fired.

I was pleased with the ash pattern.

I could make teacups all day long.

This cup had a nice finish that the other one didn't.