Decked-Out: From Scroll to Skateboard, is an exhibit at the Pacific Bonsai Museum featuring skateboard decks and bonsai. If you haven’t seen it, there’s still time – the exhibit runs through Sunday, October 2. And if you’re interested in owning the decks themselves, they’re being auctioned for the benefit of the museum. The auction ends Sunday – check out the bidding on eBay.

The idea behind the exhibit is the swapping of scrolls for skateboard decks in bonsai displays. Sixteen decks spread throughout the garden appear with some of the more impressive trees from the museum’s collection.

Some decks go for maximum contrast while others work with aspects of the trees they complement. My favorites tended to be the more colorful decks. I’ve seen plenty of trees displayed with subtle, monochrome scrolls so I appreciated the opportunity to see and think about how bonsai looks next to more colorful display items.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Decked-Out artists, see the bios on the exhibit’s home page. On to the decks!

Korean yew

Japanese beech

Sierra juniper

Japanese white pine

Catlin elm

Chinese elm

American larch

Blue atlas cedar

Creeping hydrangea

Shore pine

Southwestern white pine

Tucker oak

Hinoki cypress

Oregon white oak

Staghorn sumac

Coast redwood

Midori Bonsai Club Annual Exhibit this Saturday, October 1st

The Midori Bonsai Club will be holding its 55th annual exhibit at the Quinlan Center in Cupertino (10185 N. Stelling Rd.) this Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. A demonstration by Peter Tea will begin at 1:00pm. I’ll be there with pots, trees, tools and supplies. Hope to see you there!