2009 Golden State Bonsai Convention Show

In conjunction with my last post about Peter Adams at the GSBF convention in 2009,  I wanted to share these photos I took of the bonsai on exhibit . Please forgive some of the blurry photos, when I took these 4 years ago, I didn’t expect to be posting them online. Also I normally attribute the owner but again I failed to capture that info. Enjoy.

California Juniper

California Live Oak

There were also a number of viewing stones on display.

Brazilian Pepper

Olive

Viewing stone, most likely from the Eel River.

California Juniper

Chinese Elm

Eleagnus

Chinese Juniper

California Juniper

Olive

Redwood

Japanese Black Pine

Boxwood

California Juniper

Twisted Pomegranate

California Juniper

Shari detail

San Jose Juniper

Virginia Creeper

Sierra Juniper

California Juniper

Dead wood detail

One week at Bonsai Mirai

Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week with Ryan Neil at his bonsai garden just outside Portland, OR.  The week consisted of being surrounded by some of the most awesome native material I’ve ever seen.  Each day was spent in the workshop with Ryan and his French apprentice JP, styling one ancient tree after another.  Here are just a few of the photos from my week.

Day 1: Amazing bonsai and rain, welcome to Portland.A combination of jet lag and excitment led to this first photo taken at 4 a.m. The workshop was filled with tress with many others on-deck.

A massive California Juniper (right) and Sierra Juniper (left) dominated the workshop. The Sierra Juniper became my main project tree for the week. The dead wood on the Ca Juniper was unreal.

Day 2. The Garden

Day 3: Project tree

Before we started working on our project tree, Ryan had JP and I  draw three different design options. Ryan’s apprentice, JP is a graphic artist by trade which showed in his sketches.

Once we decided on the design, JP began cleaning the dead wood.

Once the wood had been cleaned, Ryan began setting the major branches in place.Once the structural branches were set in place I continued wiring the smaller branches. This took the better part of several days.

I can’t wait to see this tree in a pot.

Day 4: Snow  This morning I awoke to the garden covered in several inches of snow. I quickly grabbed my camera and got the following pictures.

This was one of my favorite trees in the garden.

I think this was my favorite tree in the garden. I kept coming back to it over and over through out the week. The dead wood curving over the lip of the pot was so cool. It reminded me of Capt. Hook.

The back of the tree was just as impressive as the front.

Day 5: The Greenhouse

The greenhouse contained trees that had recently repotted or wired. This tree was very special because it came from John Naka’s collection. Even though I get to work on the 6 Naka trees at the Museum, I still have goosebumps when seeing any tree from the Naka collection.

It also contained less hardy trees like California Oaks and Redwoods.

Just a few Redwoods for one gnarly forest planting.

Ponderosa pine grafted with Japanese Black Pine

Watch Ryan’s grafting technique here.

Day 6: Here comes the sun.

Sunrise and Da Hood

 

Baker

Day 7: Photoshoot

At the end of the week it was time to assess all that we got done.

  This was another tree I wired during the week.

I want to thank Ryan for his generosity and hospitality in inviting me to his place. I have been to numerous bonsai gardens but Bonsai Mirai is a truly magical place. If your  wanting to take you bonsai skills to the next level, plan a trip to spend a week at Bonsai Mirai.

GSBF Collection at the Huntington

Any trip to the Huntington Library should include a visit their renowned bonsai collection. On my recent visit to the Huntington Gardens to see the annual Aiseki Kai exhibit, I made sure to stop by the Golden State Bonsai Federation’s (GSBF) bonsai collection despite a rare cold and rainy day in Southern California.

Bonsai Courtyard entrance.

California Juniper donated by Mas Moriguchi.

Cork Oak donated by Tom Chan.

Prostrate Juniper donated Harry Hirao in memory of Alyce Hirao.

Japanese Black Pine donated by Ed Murakami.

Japanese Black Pine from the Toshinori Matsuanga collection donated by Mayumi Shiira.

Cork Bark Japanese Black Pine donated by Ayako Tanita.

California Juniper donated by Ray Blasingame.

California Juniper donated by Ben Oki in memory of John Naka.

California Juniper donated by Harry Hirao in memory of Andy Vu.

Shimpaku grafted onto California Juniper donated by Tsuruo Takata.

Shimpaku Juniper donated by Ayako Tanita.

Shinpaku Juniper donated by Dr. Howard Waldman.

Olive donated by Jack Miller

Shimpaku grafted onto California Juniper donated by Mike Shintaku.

Bonsai on pedestals in the main courtyard.

Silverberry from the Toshinori Matsuanga collection donated by Mayumi Shiira.

California Juniper donated by Chuichi Kawahira.

California Juniper donated by Bob Kinoshita in memory of Bill Southworth.

Italian Cypress donated by Phil Tacktill.

Montezuma Cypress donated by Brian Jackson.

Ginkgo donated by Marty Mann.Shimpaku Juniper donated by Mr. and Mrs. Kageo Ohara.

Citrus donated by Dr. Howard Waldman.

Pfitzer Juniper donated by Barbara Ajello.

Korean Hornbeam donated by Howard Waldman.

Viewing stones donated by Harry Hiaro.

Newer expansion of the Bonsai Courtyard.

Olive donated by Joseph Cohn.

Hollywood Juniper donated Howard Waldman.

Pyracanth donated by John Naka.

Pomegranate donated by Kathy Boomsma.

Californai Juniper donated by Bob Kinoshita.

Shohin display.

California Juniper donated by Shig Mia.

Californai Juniper donated by Frank Goya.

California Juniper donated by Bob Kinoshita.

Japanese Black Pine.

Japanese Black Pine donated by Junichi Sebata.

Coast Live Oak donated by John Naka.

Bald Cypress donated by Dung Cao in memory of Thu Cao.

California Juniper designed by Masahiko Kimura.

California Juniper donated Grigsby Catcus Gardens.

Japanese Black Pine donate by Kiyoko Yoneda in memory of Kaz Yoneda.

Foemina Juniper donated by Ben Oki in memory of Robert Moor.

Christmas comes early to the Bonsai Museum

Earlier this week a very jolly individual with twinkling eyes and a white beard arrived at the Museum. He had traveled a long distant in a short period of time in order to deliver some very special presents to the Bonsai Museum.

Gary Wood, (seen here) a bonsai teacher from Muscle Shoals, Alabama had driven from Southern California to D.C. in 3 days with two very famous bonsai recently donated by bonsai artist Ernie Kuo.

For many these trees will be recognized immediately, as both have won international accolades . The tree on the right won the 1994 BCI Ben Oki International Design Award and the 1994 Kindai Bonsai Magazine’s reader’s Sakafuten Award. The tree on the left won the Sakafuten Award in 1995. Ernie also wrote an article describing the creation of these two masterpieces in detail.  The article, which last appeared in Bonsai Today’s Masters’ Series on Junipers, is re-posted here with the consent of Stone Lantern Publishing. Two Studies by Ernie Kuo

For more examples of Ernie’s tree see Bonsai Bark’s Gallery.

Sincerer thanks to Ernie for his amazing gift, to Gary Wood for driving them out here, the National Bonsai Foundation for funding the transportation, and Wayne Schoech, Bonsai Bark/Stone Lantern, for permission to re-post Ernie’s article.

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