golden statements, 2010, v33, july/aug

GOLDEN ®

STATEMENTS

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F G O L D E N S T A T E B O N S A I F E D E R A T I O N V O L X X X III N O . 4

GOLDEN STATEMENTS

Golden State Bonsai Federation1038 33rd StreetSacramento, CA 95816www.gsbf-bonsai.org

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The GSBF 2010 Convention Issue California Bonsai Society Show Repotting Mas Imazumi's legacy Japanese Black Pine

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Dai Ichi Show

Photos by Michael Jonas

Join Dai Ichi Bonsai Club the 3rd Friday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center 1670 W. 162nd Streeet Gardena, CA

Golden Statements Vol. XXXlll No. 4 1

Golden Statements Volume XXXlII No. 4 July/Aug 2010 - Table of Contents

GSBF Communications3 GSBF President’s Message Bob Hilvers27 GSBF Website contest Joe Byrd 35 Calendar of Events Timm Johnson

15 Bonsai Bytes

16 Kusamura Bonsai Show Jerry Carpenter 17 California Bonsai Society Larry Ragle

18 May in Sacramento Lucy Sakaishi-Judd

20 Bonsai Studio 3: Peter Adams 22 Mas Imazumi’s Pine Jerry Carpenter

Inside back: Dai Ichi show Michael Jonas

Color EssaysArticles

5 Seasonal Suggestions Marty Mann

6 GSBF Convention Welcome Message Gareth Sheperd

7 GSBF Headliner’s Michael Hagedorn • Ryan Neil • Peter Warren

8 Convention Activities

9 Convention Excursions

9 - 12 Convention Workshops

13 Convention Anticipation Don White 25 Fresno Bonsai Exhibit Mike Saul

26 Metal artist, “Lee” Roberts Judy Glaister

28 Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara Leroy Kubel

29 Ko Yu Kai - Shohin Michael Jonas

35 Got Captions?

Operations

Exhibit Coverage

2 Golden Statements Policy 2 GSBF Officers & Trustees 4 From the Editor’s Desk 30 List of Advertisers CBS Exhibit entry. See more on page 19

with photos by Larry RagleFresno Bonsai Exhibit highlights, page 16 Story and photos by Mike Saul

Peter Adams, Bonsai Studio 3 Sketching a “future state” - pg. 20

Leila Kusumi’s Prostrata juniper, featured on the cover, was purchased at Muranaka Nursery in Nipomo, CA. It was about 5 yrs. old at that time. Now 20 years in train-ing by Leila, the tree is 25 yr old.7 in wide base, 24 in w by 20 in h. Ms. Kusumi is the founder of the Dai Ichi and Ko Yu Kai, a shohin bonsai club. - Photo by Michael Jonas

Front Cover

2 Golden Statements July/Aug 2010

Kathleen O’Donnell, [email protected] Tel: 916-448-6727 Marty Mann, Joanie Berkwitz

Cindy Peterson, [email protected] 7241 E. Rocky Ridge Drive Tucson, AZ 85750

Tel: 520-299-5952 Michael Jonas, [email protected]

Tel: 818-776-0813 Timm Johnson, [email protected]

Carl Morimoto, [email protected] Blue Moon Printing, www.blumoonprinting.com

Dave McCoy, [email protected]

ADVERTISING - Pricing and Policies: Send ad copy to Advertising Manager by posted deadlines. 1/8 page G 3.65x2.35 inches $30.00 add $5.00 for online color* 1/4 page G 3.65x4.90 inches $60.00 add $10.00 for online color* 1/2 page G Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $90.00 add $15.00 for online color* 1/2 page G Vertical 3.65x10.0 inches $90.00 add $15.00 for online color* Full page G 7.50x10.0 inches $160.00 add $20.00 for online color* Back Inside Cover C 7.50x10.0 inches $290.00 Front Inside Cover C 7.50x10.0 inches $320.00 Back Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $155.00 Front Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50x4.90 inches $170.00 Back Outside Cover C 6.85x5.85 inches $215.00 (G=grayscale C=color) * Display of ads in color online magazine is free with a one-year, six-issue order. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners

CALENDAR OF EVENTS listings must reach the Calendar of Events Manager by posted deadlines. Listing is free. Listing of non-GSBF member club events is on a space available basis at the discretion of the Editor. Non-GSBF clubs within the GSBF boundary may require a listing fee.ARTICLES, announcements and photographs intended for publication in Golden Statements must reach the Editor by deadline (above). Golden Statements reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. It is assumed that any submissions made to Golden Statements may be published both on-line and in print.

TITLES such as Dr. are not used in by-lines. FOREIGN WORDS are used without dia-critic marks or macrons for Japanese. UNSIGNED ARTICLES are by the Editor.

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION, founded in 1978, is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to historical, scientific features and appreciation of the art of bonsai.Visit our web site at: www.gsbf-bonsai.org.

Golden Statements July/Aug 2010 Vol.XXXIII no. 4

Deadlines for ads, calendar of events, subscriptions, articles and photo submissions:

Jan/Feb issue deadline= Nov 20 Mar/Apr issue deadline= Jan 20 May/June issue deadline= Mar 20

July/Aug issue deadline= May 20 Sept/Oct issue deadline= July 20 Nov/Dec issue deadline= Sept 20

Editor: Columnists: Subscription Manager: Advertising Manager: Calendar of Events Manager: Management Advisor: Printer: GS Web Designer:

“Golden State Bonsai Federation,” “GSBF,” and its logo are trademarks of Golden State Bonsai Federation. ©2009 GSBF All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, copied, or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the Editor. Contributed articles express the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSBF Executive Board or the Editor.

GOLDEN STATEMENTS is published 6 times a year by GSBF. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATE:• Regular bulk mail within the States (US $20) • First Class- US, Canada, Mexico (US $35) • International via Air Mail (US $55)To subscribe provide your name, address and telephone number along with a check made out to: Golden Statements Mail to: Cindy Peterson, 7241 E. Rocky Ridge Dr., Tucson, AZ 85750 To avoid duplicate mailings, indicate “Renewal”. For an uninterrupted renewal subscriptions, your check must be received 6 weeks before the expiration date shown on the top line of the address label. Contact the Subscription Manager for subscription requests, address changes and corrections. Print copies of back issues are not available. There are plans to make back issues available for a fee in the future as archived pdfs.

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI FEDERATION

OFFICERSPresident: Bob Hilvers [email protected] 559-909-10511st Vice President: Gareth Shepherd [email protected] 831-688-96962nd Vice President: Abe Far [email protected] 619-234-3434 Corresponding Secretary: Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548Recording Secretary: Randi Keppeler [email protected] 650-598-0127Comptroller: Bob Meyer [email protected] 858-450-3006Treasurer: Elizabeth Likes [email protected] 818-352-3064Immediate Past Presidents: Ted Matson [email protected] 626-398-8412 Dolly Fassio [email protected] 530-295-8398 BOARD OF TRUSTEES A #1 Kirk Demarest [email protected] 530-680-8528 #2 Leo Martinez [email protected] 530-273-2628B #3 Mike Haley [email protected] 650-962-9336 #4 Linda Soliven [email protected] 925-776-2342C #5 Harold Mitchell [email protected] 559-297-8207 #6 Thomas Leonard [email protected] 831-423-6457D #7 Jack Reynolds [email protected] 760-397-8292 #8 John Van de Wouw [email protected] 310-543-2849E #9 Cary S.Valentine [email protected] 760-445-2548 #10 David Nguy [email protected] 323-223-9125MEMBERS AT LARGE: #11 Steve Valentine 760-445-2548 #12 Lonnie McCormick [email protected] 408-996-2954 #13 Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907 #14 Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934

COMMITTEESBonsai Basics: Steve Valentine 760-445-2548Bonsai Online Shopper: Michael Jonas 818-776-0813Circle of Sensei: Mel Ikeda 714-957-3907GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt: Gordon Deeg [email protected] 650-341-8494GSBF Collection at the Huntington: Jim Barrett 626-445-4529Convention Briefi ng: Bob Hilvers 559-732-9286Elections: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Giving Campaign: Lauri Feetham 408-274-7073Editor : Kathleen O’Donnell 916-448-6727Grants & Scholarships: Al Keppler [email protected] 559-227-5689Hotline: Joe Byrd 831-649-5934Insurance: Abe Far 619-234-3434GSBF Website Liaison: Joe Byrd [email protected] 831-649-5934Kinshu Award: Membership: Timm Johnson [email protected] 916-362-8147Parliamentarian: Art Tilles [email protected] 530-472-1533Offi cial Documents: Cary S. Valentine 760-445-2548Rules: Art Tilles 530-472-1533Workshops:

BONSAI COLLECTIONS

GSBF Collection at the Huntington Huntington Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108 Phone: 626-405-2100

GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, CA Mailing Address: P.O. Box 16176, Oakland, CA 94610-6176 Phone: 510-763-8409


GSBF President’s Message, Bob Hilvers

This issue of Golden Statements contains the information regarding the upcoming GSBF convention. Since I never miss an opportunity to

encourage participation in our conventions I can hardly pass up this chance to say a few words about the extraordinary experiences that await you at the 2010 convention in Santa Clara. As all conventions are accompanied by promotional campaigns that use lots of superlatives to extol the virtues and benefits of attending the convention it is understandable that you may have become somewhat jaded.

However I must say that the Santa Clara convention truly will offer some very special and unique learning experiences. It would be fair to say that all GSBF conventions offer more value for your bonsai dollar than any other venue on the planet and I can truly say that the Santa Clara convention will give you the most bang for the buck of any convention to date.

With Ryan Neil, Michael Hagedorn and Peter Warren as headliners leading a hit-parade of demon-strations, lectures, seminars, critiques and workshops any bonsai event anywhere could rightfully say they had a superior program, and…. they would be right.

However we’re going to do better yet. How about some in depth seminars with Kathy Shaner and Boon Manakitivipart? You got it!

Want to take a field trip to collect stones from the Eel River? OK, you’ve got it! What else do we have to offer? Never fear, I’m just getting started.

We’ll have eighteen workshops featuring plant material hand selected to be the best you’ve seen. We’ll have garden tours to view fabulous public and private bonsai collections, a Suiseki Panel Discussion, the popular and entertaining District Styling Compe-tition, a winery tour, the Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibit,

all your favorite vendors, auctions of spectacular col-lected plant material, the Benefit Drawing……..and more……. Well, you didn’t think I was going to tell all did you? You’ll just have to come and join in the fes-tivities to find out what else we have in store for you.

Simply put, if you are interested in bonsai, nothing compares to a GSBF convention. Sure there is lots of information on the internet and any number of books, CDs and videos that will provide informa-tion on bonsai and most of us get the occasional workshop through our clubs. You may even belong to one of the California super-clubs that have the resources to retain a Japanese master to teach you .

Still you can’t match all the opportunities and good times you’ll have at a GSBF convention. I mean, which would you rather do, watch the big game on the tube or go to the park and play with the majors?

Photos by Michael Jonas from the 2009 GSBF Convention


Editor’s Desk by Kathleen O’Donnell

Four of my friends and I made the trip to Hanford, CA to see the second, and hopefully annual, Toko-Kazari exhibit held at the courageous Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture. Wow!

The Toko-Kazari is the only bonsai display held in a museum. There is a sense that you are entering sacred space as you approach the large museum doors where you are asked to remove your shoes. As you walk through the exhibit you’ll likely pause at each display to reflect on what you see. Then it dawns on you, you are seeing Bonsai as Art, not bonsai as an art.

There are two reasons I called the Clark Center courageous.

First of all, this museum, rather than caving to fears, takes steps to minimize risk to their valuable artifacts from plant pathogens. Funguses and such, could con-ceivably be carried in on trees and cause damage to the delicate and very old fabrics and paper among the most valuable pieces of art stored inside the museum.

But it’s the second act of courage that has me most enamoured with the museum and the Toko-Kazari com-petition. They have excited huge controversy and taken a risk that the bonsai community will support them in an exploration.

Articles are in the planning stages from people knowledgeable on making distinction between practic-ing the traditional art taught by the Keido School of Display, for example, and the Western interpretation of this Japanese Art. Therein lies much controversy.

There is validity and passion in both positions, and baring witness to that passion at the show critique stirred the senses, and intellect of all who attended.

On our way out of town we were placed in another decade by Hanford’s nostalgic downtown, with its cen-tral park and soda fountain. Sipping on chocolate malts and strawberry sodas while emerged in Americana, our conversation was singularly focused, rich with nuance of viewpoint, as we spoke in excited tones advocating in all directions about the future of bonsai display.

I predict that if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about now, you will soon. For your own enrich-ment and to support the Clark Center’s big gamble on the bonsai community, follow in Kathy Shaner’s foot-steps and clear your schedule now so you can attend the 3rd annual Toko-Kazari that will be held on April 16th and 17th, 2011. You’ll kick yourself if you miss riding this new wave.

In case you are curious, this year’s Toko-Kazari cash prize winners were Katsumi Kinoshita, Al Keppler, and Seiji Shiba. Judges Kathy Shaner, Larry, and Nina Ragle are said to be collaborating on an article for next issue.

Bonsai inside the Beltway: English Bonsai artist Steve Tolley, whose emphasis is on bonsai aesthetics and philosophy is pictured lecturing at the Potomac Bonsai Festival at the U.S. National Arboretum on May 1, 2010.

Photo by Fran PopadakThinking about going to DC? Use the following link to check the Arboretum’s event schedule. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Education/index.html

PerfectlyBuilt

-Custom-made Bonsai stands.

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706.302.1180 www.perfectlybuiltonline.com


Seasonal Suggestions: by Marty Mann

Summer Simmering No. 124 - July/Aug 2010

Finally a month with no bonsai shows! Time now to spend in your own yard touching up, pinching, trim-ming, applying fertilizer, insecticide, and fungicide. Still no time to just sit back and enjoy. Bonsai enters a period of dormancy during higher summer temperatures.

Watch for the threat of damage from hot summer sun and drying winds. Remember how sensitive your leafy deciduous trees such as Maple, Hornbean, Liquid Amber, Zelcova, Beech and Elm can be as well as Wis-teria and Willows. Feeding in the summertime means low nitrogen. There is no point in encouraging heavy green foliage growth. Use a formula low in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus and potash to encourage good rootage and better fall colors. Specifically, don’t use too much dry or cake fertilizers. Solid fertilizers usually do not decompose into usable substances for several weeks therefore they should not be applied late in the summer-time. Use liquid Miracle Gro® at this time. Yellow color and leaf drop may indicate trees need some nitrogen or iron. This condition may also suggest overwatering or poor drainage.

The continuation of a regular feeding program is also important. A change of your regular food can be timely during these summer months when the general growth is slower but the need for nutrients continues. Potassium and Phosphorus hardens the woody parts and induces the development of the fruit and flower buds that have formed during the past few months. If your plants appear to be stressed due to the heat then reduce your feeding formula to half strength. Particular care must be given to Pomegranates, Olives and other warm climate tropical materials. Time now to spend in your own yard touching up, pinching, trimming, applying fertilizer, insecticide, and fungicide. Still no time to just sit back and enjoy.

Summer weather, during the months of July and August, brings on a period of slow growth and relatively inactive changes in our bonsai. During this period the growth of the foliage tends to slow down, however, it should be remembered that the trunk and branches continue to swell and develop. This is the time to watch recent wiring to prevent unsightly and destructive wire cuts. It’s also the time to be attentive to the watering and feeding requirements of the trees to maintain good health during this stressful period.

Watering should not be neglected. Foliar spraying is best done in the early morning or late afternoon to

avoid sun damage on leaves and needles. A fresh spray each morning removes the impurities that have settled during the night and discourages the infection of fun-gus and spider mites. Be sure to water thoroughly to penetrate the root ball. This area of your potted trees builds up considerable heat and the lack of moisture will lead to fine root drying. During this period it is a good practice to water less but more often to replace the expi-ration of moisture by drying winds on the leaf surfaces. Try to resist the tendency to overwater when you see the signs of distress in the form of wilt or needle drop. Test your soil regularly to be sure it is actually drying out before you arbitrarily soak it again.

Watch for the build up of ground cover thatch on your potted material. Do not allow moss to grow up on the trunks of the trees. Avoid a solid mass of cover which may deflect your watering efforts. It is better to have patches of color and texture.

Remove strands of wire on your trees during the summer months. Copper or aluminum wire conduct heat extremely well and may disfigure your tree. It is preferable to remove wire rather than relocate sensitive trees to shaded areas. Shade would cool the wire but the trees will develop elongated internodes on branches. This time of year is good for another application of Lime Sulfur to the deadwood areas of Jin and Shari. Re-member to moisten the deadwood well when applying the chemical directly from the bottle. Heat and mois-ture will allow for excellent penetration.

While reviewing your trees for summer care be reminded that this is a period of slow growth. A routine rotation of each tree is important to provide a better balance of light to all sides.

If you failed to achieve all your deciduous tree defo-liation plans, early to mid July is still time enough to do it. Defoliation is best done on Maples, Liquid Amber, and Ginkgo to accomplish smaller, healthy secondary growth.

There will still be a number of warm weather months ahead to allow for the development of the new leaf buds. Be particularly careful if you do it now. Strong, hot sunlight can be a deadly to young leaves. Keep defoliated trees well protected in a shady, cool area of your yard until the new leaves develop and harden off. Don’t cut back on your branches too soon. Let the shoots grow several leaves then pinch or cut back to two or three leaves. If you cut a shoot that is immature it may very likely die back.

This article has been extracted from a recently published book called ‘Bonsai Ideas’©. By Marty Mann. Material is not to be copied without publisher’s or author’s permission.


Invitation from the GSBF Convention Chairperson

Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention 2010 “New Face of Bonsai”

I would like to invite all bonsai enthusiasts to come to the Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention in Santa Clara, California. This event has been arranged to provide all of the participants with a new view of bonsai art for the year 2010 and for the future. Our theme of “New Face of Bonsai” expresses the renewal of bonsai art by the young professionals that have been trained at the feet of the great Japanese Bonsai Masters. These “New Faces” will bring us the teachings of their Japanese Bonsai Masters and more. These teachers have a unique perspective of bonsai art due to their western culture combined with the Japanese teachings. This will allow them to include the innovations of their Japanese Bonsai Masters and add more due to their per-spective.

Our Convention program of Workshops, Seminars, Demonstrations and Exhibit Critiques provides a wonderful venue for this learning opportunity and it allows all to understand the new bonsai art from the perspective of the “New Face.”

The Convention has great opportunities for all to learn with a trip to one of the greatest Suiseki Stone collecting areas and instructions on the collection and display by California’s great Suiseki teachers. We also have trips planned to visit the Golden State Bonsai Federation Collection at Lake Merritt. The Lake Merritt trip will include visits to two wonderful private bonsai collections. Gordon Deeg the Chairman of the Lake Merritt collection and President of the California Shohin Society will show us his wonderful bonsai collection. “Bonsai Boon” (Boon Manakitivipart) will also have his collection open for the viewing of the tour participants. This bonsai collection will include Boon’s and his students’ trees.

I hope that all that can attend will come to the beautiful Silicon Valley and enjoy the “New Face of Bonsai” convention. We have made arrangements with the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel for a special $99.00 convention rate that will allow us to enjoy the “New Face of Bonsai” in this great location directly across the street from Google, Yahoo and other well know high-tech companies and just down the street from the Great America Theme Park.

I hope I will see you there,

Gareth Shepherd, Chairperson“New Face of Bonsai” GSBF Convention 2010


Meet the GSBF 2010 Convention Headliners

Michael Hagedorn

Prior to his apprentice-ship under Shinji Suzuki of Na-gano, Japan, Michael Hagedorn was well known for his bonsai pottery. His artistic back-ground ranges from paint-ing and drawing to ceramic sculpture and installation.

He earned his Master’s Degree in ceramic art at the New York

State College of Ceramics at Alfred University after which he made bonsai containers for nine years. Michael’s bon-sai work appeared in Kokufu during 2004, 2005, and 2006 while he was an apprentice under Mr. Suzuki. As an appren-tice, he was honored to wire two trees. These trees won a Kokufu Prize and a Prime Minister Award. Michael current-ly lives near Portland. Learn more at www.crataegus.com.

Ryan Neil

Ryan Neil was born and raised in Colorado where he was fascinated with the wild and tortured nature of the trees on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. So much so that he decided to major in horticulture and came to Cali-fornia to study at Cal Poly. His introduction to bonsai came during his studies when he was

given a copy of Bonsai Today which had an article on the styling of a cascading juniper by Masahiko Kimura. He was hooked. After learning much with bonsai people in North-ern and Southern California, he knew he wanted to study in Japan and make this his life’s work. He met Ben Oki and through him was able to attain the chance of an apprentice-ship with Mr. Kimura. He used a grant from GSBF to help pursue his study and, upon graduation from Cal Poly, he went to Japan to begin a journey of transformation in his apprenticeship with the master. There was a tearing-down before the building-up in his early time with Kimura. By per-severing and accepting the humbling parts of his training he began to build up not only his knowledge and technique in bonsai but developed a mind set and disciplined approach to both life and bonsai. He has completed his apprentice-ship and says he will always be open to learning new ways to improve his art form. He is now located just outside of

Portland, Oregon and is devoting himself to teaching and ad-vancing the level and knowledge of art of bonsai in America.

Peter Warren

On a trip to Japan to watch the World Cup, Peter went on a bonsai tour where he fell in love with the art of bonsai. For 4 1/2 years he lived and worked as a traditional bonsai appren-tice under renowned bonsai master, Kunio Kobayashi, and earned the honored position of head apprentice. In 2007, Pe-ter began working for himself, writing articles for Bonsai Fo-cus magazine and conducting workshops and lectures across

the United Kingdom. His first trip to the United States also occurred in 2007. Then in 2008, he served as one of the judges for the 1st National Bonsai Exhibition in New York. Over the last few years he has travelled in Europe, Japan and the US which has allowed him the opportunity to work on many wonderful trees. Peter has been known to say that his favorite style of tree is one with a slender old trunk that has lots of character and a natural feel to it. He says “the pot is a very important aspect of bonsai for me and I have a great interest in antique containers.” Peter is located in the U.K. You can learn more at his website: www.saruyama.co.uk.

This year’ logo is based on “Winter in the Licensed Quarter: Toilette” by

Kitano Tsunetomi, 1919.


GSBF Convention Activities Menu:

Vendors Evening and the District Styling Competition

Join us Thursday evening from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for the Vendors Appreciation Evening where you can shop and enjoy

beverages from a no-host bar. During this time, the District Competition will begin when teams from each District of GSBF will work on similar tree stock to showcase their tal-ents and abilities. This is an annual event which requires district teams to compete against each other for the pres-tige of being the best in the state for 2010. District Compe-tition trees will be sold at auction during the Convention.

Critiques

Critiques are held in the Exhibit area, where the doors are closed for an hour and attendees gain insights into the exhibit trees from the point of view of the critique leader. Listen as the leader points out the best aspects of the trees as presented and suggests ideas for improvement. All cri-tiques require registration and a fee to attend.

Listen and Learn

On Friday, Ryan Neil will discuss his training as an ap-prentice in Bonsai under Masahiko Kimura of Omiya, Japan while attendees enjoy a tasty lunch. Only ticket holders will be allowed into this event.

Panel Discussion

Join Michael Hagedorn, Ryan Neil, and Peter Warren for a Panel Discussion on aspects of bonsai during lunch on Saturday. Only participants who have a lunch ticket will be allowed to attend this event.

Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibit

Selected by jury, a world class Bonsai and Suiseki Ex-hibit is being assembled from the finest trees and stones in California. The exhibit will have items chosen for their quality and beauty, leaving the viewer in awe. The Bonsai and the Suiseki Exhibits have been assembled from a vari-ety of collections with attention to the nuance and subtlety of the arts.

Seminars

Kathy Shaner: GSBF is extremely fortunate to welcome Ms. Shaner to lead two seminars for this convention. Kathy Shaner began bonsai in 1983 in California. After ten years of study she managed to obtain an apprenticeship with Yasuo Mitsuya, highly regarded Master of Gendai (contemporary form)

bonsai training. She is the first non-Japanese and the first woman certified by the professional bonsai grower's branch of Nippon Bonsai Association.

When Kathy was traveling as interpreter for her teacher, many have been impressed by her grasp of the Japanese culture. Mr. Yasuo Mitsuya made the comment that the future of bonsai was not in Japan. Young people there are not as interested in this ancient art. His gener-ous nature in sharing his knowledge is carried on by his most auspicious student here in the U.S. Ms. Shaner is the curator of the Golden State Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt in Oakland. She maintains and designs private col-lections and teaches throughout the United States. She adds, “I’ve been around so long, people have just started to call me Mom.”

The first seminar, “Deadwood: It’s in the Bones,” will discuss deadwood on various species – how to create and treat deadwood. Attendees are encouraged to bring any troublesome trees for discussion.

Then, “The Art of Display: What Are We Trying to Com-municate?” the second seminar, will lead the attendee to better understanding of tokonoma and bonsai displays, including the use of scrolls and accent plants. All attend-ees will develop a greater understanding of concepts to improve their collections from either seminar.

Suiseki Panel Discussion

Premier suiseki artists and teachers of Northern Cali-fornia – Jim Greaves, Hideko Metaxas, Mas Nakajima, Larry Ragle, and Felix Rivera – will lead a discussion on how to find suiseki. They plan to answer the questions: A) What is a suiseki and how do you find one – in the field or at the bazaar? B) How do you finish the stone as a suiseki? This will cover such topics as suiban display, the design of daiza (wood bases), and the perennial question – to cut or not to cut? C) How do you display the suiseki at home or in a public exhibit? The panel’s expertise will answer attendees’ questions and help to improve their understanding of the art of suiseki.

• We thank all the photographers who have shared images of workshop leaders that appear in the convention section of GS.


Convention Excursions Menu:

Stone CollectingNorthern California is blessed with some of the finest

suiseki collecting sites in the world, and the Eel River is one of the most famous. Here you can find serpentine, jasper, and even jadeite – if you know where and how to look. Find out how on the GSBF 2010 Tanseki (stone hunting) trip. You will have 2 days collecting on the Eel River with guidance and coaching from experienced Northern California suiseki artists and stone hunters.

The evening program will start with a short in-troduction to suiseki by Felix Rivera, followed by a “show-and-tell” where participants can discuss and receive advice on their collected stones. Join us for two days of guided stone hunting with a sack lunch at the river. The tour will begin in Willits, at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 27, at the Super 8 Motel (about 3 hours north of Santa Clara on Hwy 101).

Participants must provide their own transportation. Additional information will be sent to tour registrants. The Stone collecting trip runs Wednesday, October 27th, 9:00 a.m. in Willits, CA through Thursday, October 28th

GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt and Private Gardens Tour

Join other convention attendees for a tour that includes stops at each of these very special gardens.

• The GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, • The private garden of Boon Manakitivipart • The private garden of Gordon Deeg

Many wonderful and inspiring bonsai are in each gar-den. Garden curator, Kathy Shaner, will lead a tour of the grounds at the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, and Boon and Gordon will be available to discuss their trees. This is an excellent opportunity to view the level of trees you may not see anywhere else. The tour takes place Thursday, Oc-tober 28, from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Wine Tasting Following the activities of the Convention, a little relax-

ation may be in order. Leave the driving to us and visit three local wineries: Piccetti Winery, Ridge Winery, and Testarosa Winery. Enjoy some of the fine wines produced in Santa Clara County in comfort.

Sunday, October 31, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Workshop Offerings:

• Ryan Neil – Collected Ponderosa Pines

See biography on headliner’s page.Headliner Ryan Neil’s subject for this

workshop is Ponderosa Pine. Six lucky students will work on these wild trees and fashion them into what will become prized bonsai. He will demonstrate and

pass along the techniques he learned while studying with Masahiko Kimura in Japan. The afternoon session will en-tail analyzing, cleaning up, pruning and rough wiring the trees with detail wiring and branch placement to follow the next morning.

• Katsumi Kinoshita – Monterey Cypress

Katsumi Kinoshita is a bonsai art-ist from Monterey, CA. He joined the Monterey Bonsai Club in 1963 and stud-ied under Ray Murakoshi, the club sensei. In 1982, Kats became president of the

club. He is currently sensei of Monterey Bonsai Club, Salinas Bonsai Club, Akutsuki Bonsai Club in Fresno and the Watsonville Bonsai Club. He is a member of Nippon Bonsai Kyokai Association. He has won many awards including the Green and White Award from the Ag-ricultural Society of Japan and the Circle of Sensei award from GSBF in 2003. Most recently, he won this year’s Kazari Bonsai Display Competition in Hanford, CA, for Best Bon-sai Display with his Monterey Cypress. Kats will conduct a workshop using Monterey Cypress 18” to 30” tall in five gal-lon containers. He will review design, cleanup, pruning and wiring. These trees will lend themselves to Moyogi, Bunjin and group planting styles. It should be a fun workshop with material you don’t see very often.

• Valerie Monroe – Field grown Trident Maples

Valerie Monroe has emigrated from San Mateo to the Big Island of Hawaii. Thank goodness she has a commitment to the City of San Mateo to prune and look after their Japanese Garden. She

received her first bonsai in 19?? and saw the magic and wonder of this art form at a very early age. She has studied with and befriended many bonsai artists who have shown her the techniques and pure art of this discipline. She has helped many members of her home club, Sei Boku Bonsai Kai, embrace the art form of bonsai. Her ability to find the flowing line and sinuous feeling in a tree is extraordinary. She works very well with students and makes it an exhilarat-ing experience for them.

Valerie will be working on Trident Maples for this year’s


• Peter Warren – Collected Sierra Junipers

See biography on headliner’s page.

Our headliner, Peter Warren, will be offering six collected Sierra junipers for his workshop. The trees were collected

three to seven years ago and range from 15” to 27” tall with bases in the 2” to 5” range yielding Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai. They have interesting deadwood features and will be a striking addition to the collection of the lucky six stu-dents who get to work on them. He will be passing on the lessons he learned from his sensei, Kunio Kobayashi, during his apprenticeship in Japan. See photos of the trees on the GSBF convention website.

• Mel Ikeda - Prostrata Juniper – Raft Style

Mel Ikeda is a bonsai artist, teacher and enthusiast from a bonsai family. He grew up working with his father Mas-ayuki Ikeda at the family’s Ikeda Bonsai Garden. He has also studied with John

Naka, Harry Hirao, Khan Komai and other Southern Califor-nia greats and brings a lot of bonsai skill and knowledge to the table for his lucky students this year. He has given dem-onstrations and workshops for clubs and conventions in the U.S. including his latest as headliner of the Bonsai Ohana II Convention in Hawaii in 2009. He has been an active or-ganizer and participant in many conventions for California Bonsai Society, Kofu Kai and GSBF.

This year, Mel is conducting a workshop on Prostrata junipers in five gallon containers. He will help his 6 to 7 students create raft style or Kabudachi, multiple trunk style bonsai. Bring your tools!

• Boon Manakitivipart – Collected Western Junipers

Boon Manakitivipart is a profession-al bonsai artist and teacher who lives in Alameda, CA. He received a juniper bonsai for his birthday, was totally fasci-nated with it and joined the Bonsai So-ciety of San Francisco for his first classes

in 1989. He studied with as many bonsai teachers as he could and was awarded a Teacher Development Scholarship from GSBF. In Japan, he spent one year with Yasuo Mitsuya before he began six years with Kihachiro Kamiya at famous

Kihachi-en. He has won numerous awards in bonsai includ-ing the Ben Oki International Design Award in 1995 and the Kindai Bonsai Styling Contest in 2000. He travels nationally and internationally teaching, demonstrating, and working on clients’ collections. He is the founder and sensei of the Bay Island Bonsai Club where he conducts workshops and the Bonsai Intensive Program which is a three year course teaching the basics techniques through the nuances of bon-sai.

Boon will be giving a unique workshop this year. Ten students will learn and practice techniques on collected Western Junipers in a two-session workshop. The unusual part is this: The student may select one of the trees to pur-chase and work on and develop it during the workshop or the student may elect not to purchase the tree and enter a drawing to simply work and learn on one of the unsold trees. To view the workshop trees visit the GSBF Conven-tion website or Boon’s website at bonsaiboon.com. To pur-chase one of the trees for the workshop contact Boon at [email protected].

• Michael Hagedorn – Collected Engelmann Spruce

See biography on Headliner’s page.

Headliner Michael Hagedorn will be featuring Engelmann Spruce as his work-shop material. These upright trees and Mi-chael’s talented eye will produce a work-

shop without any trunk chops or severe branch cutting and will be largely a fine wiring workshop. There is older bark and the tapers are natural and complete on branches and trunks. There is variability in style, size and feeling with these trees. Please number your preference 1 through 6 for these trees. See photos of the trees at the GSBF Con-vention Website to make better choices.

• Peter Tea – Japanese Black Pine

Peter Tea is a bonsai enthusiast, artist, and teacher living in San Jose, CA. His bon-sai journey began when, as an automotive technician in 2001, he was introduced to bonsai by his foreman, joined the Midori

Bonsai Club, became hooked, and jumped in with both feet in 2003 by enrolling and completing the three year Bonsai Intensive Program with Boon Manakitiv-ipart. As a talented and enthusiastic graduate, he became a valued member of Bay Island Bonsai. To fund his obsession, he began his bonsai business in 2008: Peter Tea Bonsai. In 2009, at the GSBF Riverside Convention, Peter won the Joshua Roth New talent Contest. He has served as Presi-dent of Midori Bonsai Club and is chairman of the Display

workshop. These field grown trees will yield Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai. They have 1” to 2” trunks and have some interesting movement. There will be plenty of in-formation on care, design, and creation of these trees as fine bonsai.

Workshops continued


Committee for the 2010 GSBF Convention. Through bonsai, Peter has developed a connection with living trees and ap-preciates the dynamic characteristics they possess.

Peter is bringing his enthusiasm to convention goers and providing a workshop with Japanese Black Pines. They are seven to twelve years old and exhibit nice barking. The trunks are from 2½” to almost 4” in diameter. After repot-ting this spring, they were de-candled in June. By conven-tion, they will be in perfect shape for their next step. You may view these trees at Peter’s website peterteabonsai.com and also at the GSBF Convention website.

• Bob Shimon – Collected Coast Redwoods

Bob Shimon joined the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society around 1985. He first studied with Mas Imazumi, the club sensei. He has also studied with Yasuo Mitsuya, Tokita, and Taka from Japan, and Italian artist Marco Invernizzi. He continues to take regular workshops with

the current club sensei, Kathy Shaner. He has conducted demonstrations and workshops for clubs and has a reputa-tion for providing interesting material. With his son Zack, he owns Mendocino Coast Bonsai. They sell trees they have collected in Northern California such as their specialty coastal redwoods, oaks, pygmy cypress and sierra junipers. Bob is a vendor at this year’s convention.

Bob will be working on collected redwoods for this year’s convention. These redwoods have 6” – 10” bases and nice deadwood features. Some of the trees may be seen on the GSBF Convention website.

• Jim Gremel – Field Grown Shimpaku Junipers

Jim Gremel is a bonsai artist, teacher and potter living in Occidental, CA. He is the owner of Deer Meadow Bonsai and is a vendor at this year’s convention. He has studied with Mas Imazumi, Dennis Makashima, Kathy Shaner, Boon Manaki-

tivipart, and Marco Invernizzi. His style shows an emphasis on movement and strong design. His low-key approach to styling makes it easy for students to understand and learn. He has won several awards, including the 2009 Kazura Bon-sai Display competition and the grand prize in last year’s 1st U.S National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, NY.

This year Jim will be working on field grown shimpaku junipers in his workshop. These Yamadori style trees have 1½” to 2” bases with lots of movement and plenty of op-portunity for creating interesting deadwood. They will be suitable for Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai: about 7” to 16”

tall. Jim will have both the morning and afternoon to make sure you get as much done as possible on these interesting trees. Visit the GSBF convention website to see examples of these trees.

• Ryan Neil – Bring Your Own

See biography on Headliner’s Page-Headliner, Ryan Neil is ready and willing to help you design your challenging tree. Bring that tree you are not sure what you should do with or that tree that could use some refining. Whichever you choose, you will be given guidance to improve your bonsai during this session.

• Harry Hirao – Collected California Junipers

Harry Hirao is the most prolific collec-tor in California. His title as “Mr. California Juniper” is well earned and he has intro-duced more people to the joys of collecting California junipers than any other person we know. He is a most generous hearted

person and is respected and admired as a friend to the bon-sai community. Harry has received many awards including having the reception area of the National Bonsai and Pen-jing Museum at the National Arboretum named after him. He also received the Green and White Award from the Ag-ricultural Society of Japan and is a proud member of the GSBF Circle of Sensei.

This year Harry will offer six collected California Junipers (imagine that) for the convention. Harry will put his personal touch on the trees for these lucky six stu-dents. Expect interesting trunks and deadwood on these beauties.

Workshops continued

Harry Hirao - CA juniper 2008 GSBF Convention in Modesto Photo - Al Keppler


• Ted Matson – Saikei – Shimpaku Juniper and Mixed Species

Ted Matson began study in bonsai in 1979 in San Francisco with John Boyce. When he moved to Los Angeles the next year, he became involved in a number of clubs and began a serious pursuit of the

art. Ted began taking classes from leading masters in South-ern California including Ben Suzuki, Shig and Roy Nagatoshi, Melba Tucker, Warren Hill and John Naka. He has written articles, taught workshops, and demonstrated at clubs and conventions throughout the country. He is a co-founder of California Shohin Society. He has served GSBF in many capacities for years, most recently as President in 2008-2009 and as co-chair of last year’s convention in Riverside. Although Ted is a lover of Shohin bonsai, his collection in-cludes trees of all sizes, styles and a variety of species. His trees are known for proportion, refinement and detail.

Ted will be conducting a Saikei workshop with shimpaku and other mixed variety trees. It will include tray, rocks, plants, soil and dressing. It should be a very interesting and lively session with plenty of opportunity to get your hands in the dirt. Join the fun! Students should bring their own turntables and tools.

• Gordon Deeg – Field Grown Mikawa Japanese Black Pines

Gordon is a bonsai enthusiast and artist who lives in Atherton, CA. He started bonsai in 1964 with his first club being the Ameri-can Bonsai Club in Sacramento. Gordon had early teachers in Dan Buckley and Harvey Suzuki. In the early 1990’s, he joined Sei Boku Bonsai Kai, has twice been president

of the club and is a SBBK beginner’s instructor. He has been involved with GSBF as trustee from 1999 to 2006, is chair-man of the California Shohin Society and is also chairman of the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. Gordon has been to Toyohashi, Japan over several years and spent time train-ing with Professional Bonsai Master, Yasuo Mitsuya, and has learned the Master’s techniques on many species including Japanese Black Pine.

Gordon will be using 15 year old Mikawa Black pines that were grown from seed at El Dorado Bonsai Garden. He has been growing and refining these trees for several years. The trees are 18” to 24” and have bases above the nebari of 1½” to 2”. They are in seven gallon containers and have been growing in Akadama since they were collected from the field three years ago. They have developed good nebari and have started barking nicely. He will be teaching his students the same lessons that he learned in Japan from his sensei, Mr. Mitsuya, who a true master of Black Pine bonsai.

See All This and More!

2010 GSBF Convention XXXIII

Santa Clara, CA October 28 – 31, 2010

We’ll See You There!!!

2010 GSBF Convention Santa Clara Marriott

2700 Mission Blvd.

Santa Clara, CA 95054 (408) 9881500

See All This and More!

2010 GSBF Convention XXXIII

Santa Clara, CA October 28 – 31, 2010

We’ll See You There!!!

2010 GSBF Convention Santa Clara Marriott

2700 Mission Blvd.

Santa Clara, CA 95054 (408) 9881500

• Greg McDonald – Valley Oaks

Although he began his bonsai career officially in 1999, Greg has been exposed to the aesthetic principles of clean lines since he was born – his mother lived in Japan for four years and collected Japa-nese art and his father studied with Frank Lloyd Wright. When he started to study

bonsai, he joined Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai and studied with Kats Kinoshita. He became passionate about native trees when he collected oaks with Gareth Shepherd. He says he “basically found my canvas in life.” He and his brother, Jay, are now known affectionately as the Bonsai Guys. Greg now lives in Placerville in the trees.

Greg will lead the Bonsai Basics classes with Valley Oaks grown from seed. They are five to six years old and have had some root work.

Workshops continued


The Convention 2010 An Anticipation by Don White

Wow, am I excited about this year’s Convention! Yes

siree, I am excited with anticipation to see the three NEW FACES OF BONSAI. And, I think you will be excited as well, when you watch these three young men display their bonsai skills at the Golden State Bonsai Fed-eration’s convention this coming October 28th through the 31st. The Santa Clara Marriott Hotel, in downtown Santa Clara, California, will be the venue for this event.

Why am I excited about this year’s convention? Well, for one thing, I am glad to see some young blood take up the task of bonsai leadership from this part of the world. And, with two from this side of the Great Divide, and one from the British Isles, who has been to this coun-try so many times, maybe we can call him our British-American? Well, anyway, hopefully the tide is beginning to change as to where our own bonsai masters are coming from.

Ryan Neil was an apprentice to the great bonsai mas-ter Masahiko Kimura for over five years. I have watched with much admiration as Ryan worked with Kimura dur-ing their demonstrations. This was like watching a sur-geon and assistant perform an intricate operation to per-fection. I even had a brief conversation with Ryan. When I asked him what it was like to work with the great master Kimura, “Demanding!” was his short retort.

I have participated in three workshops with Peter Warren and I really appreciated his quiet demeanor, and the imparting of the vast knowledge that he has accumu-lated under the tutelage of Kunio Kobayashi. When he took one of my California junipers that I thought was a miscreant and showed me how to make it into a nice show piece, even my usual loquacious Irish nature was at a loss for words.

Michael Hagedorn. Alas, I have only read his book titled, Post-Dated. This is a fine read about his experi-ences as an apprentice under Shinji Suzuki, and it illus-trates what one must endure to pursue their bonsai quest to become a master teacher. Michael has also written many interesting articles on creating bonsai from differ-ent types of material. You should check out the article in the magazine BONSAI FOCUS, issue 125/102, (1/2010 Jan/Feb) which is an extensive article with photos on his styl-ing of a Sierra juniper. Transformation stunning, artistic ability fantastic!

Each headliner will not only be demonstrating their skills on a different type of a large tree creating a future beautiful bonsai, but will also be conducting workshops to help you perfect your own tree. So, now that the reg-istration forms are available, get them in right away or go online to www.GSBFConvention.com as the headliner’s

workshops will fill up rapidly. The three headliners will not be the only exciting

event of the convention. Let’s not forget that there will be over 40 magnificent trees on display by some of the country’s leading bonsai artists. This is a great way of observing what other artists have done with a particular tree. It might make you think twice before styling your next bonsai. Suiseki will also be featured in an exhibit.

Of course there will be workshops galore. Work-shops featuring many of California’s best bonsai teachers who will help us make nice bonsai out of different kinds of material. From pine trees to redwoods, from Monterey cypress to quinces, just to name a few types of plants that will be offered.

There are outdoor events scheduled for the GSBF Convention, as well. If you have not been to the GSBF Garden at Lake Merritt in Oakland recently, well, this is a great opportunity to see some great old beautiful bonsai in a superb setting. Also, on this same trip you can visit the private gardens of Gordon Deeg and Boon Manaki-tivipart.

But, the trip-of-trips will be the stone collecting trek to Eel River. Maybe you will find that perfect stone for your collection, or just revel in the beauty of the Eel Riv-er area. The Eel River alone is worth a day’s trip as this is one of nature’s truly beautiful creations. This trip will also fill up quickly.

One of my favorite features of these conventions is the critiques of the exhibited trees. This is when, what may be considered a finished bonsai, is given a going over by a bonsai master on how the tree might be made into a more interesting bonsai. Sure, egos can be deflated here, but only for a little while. The critique might also make the tree for a better showing the next time around.

A new wrinkle in the convention program this year is the “Luncheons and Discussions.” During the lunch break on Friday and Saturday, while we are dining on ex-cellent cuisine, the three headliners will be open for ques-tions and answers. This ought to be very interesting. Too many questions and maybe the boys will not get lunch. So keep the questions to the topic of bonsai folks! The lads need nourishment as well.

Then during the day’s activities of participating in a workshop, or simply watching a master demonstrate his skills, you probably will find that you need a new tool, or two, or different kinds of soil, a strainer, a T-shirt, a piece of jewelry, or perhaps a plant. These items are just a few of what can be purchased from the MANY VENDORS available.

Now, if you are in for some competition, get a team from your club and enter the District Competition event. This is really a neat way to find out who your friends re-ally are when working together to make a nice bonsai and


win a prize. After an exhausting day, it is always nice to sit down

with friends, have a libation or two, discuss the day’s events and then have a delectable dinner. And, I have not been to a convention yet, that has disappointed in this matter. Friday night’s “Welcome to the Convention Dinner”, and the dinner on Saturday night will provide just the opportunity to reacquaint with old friends and discuss the progress of ones bonsai collection. Or, other matters of importance?

Providing all this activity and entertainment during the Convention does not come without paying the piper. Registration fees pays only part of the GSBF Convention expenses. But, there is one other way to defer these ex-penses, and for me this is one of the most fun parts of the event -- the BENEFIT DRAWING. During the dining hours, many items of bonsai interest and non-bonsai in-terest can be won. There will be all kinds of items offered during the Benefit Drawing. And, you cannot win any-thing without a raffle ticket. So, purchase plenty of raffle tickets and help offset the convention expenses. You will be able to purchase raffle tickets throughout the day dur-ing convention hours. Who knows what you maybe tak-ing home?

One other event that creates a lot of excitement is the AUCTIONS where trees designed by the headlin-ers during their demonstrations are auctioned off after dinner on Saturday night. There are many ways that you can help with the Benefit Drawing. Personally donate an item or two! If you do not have an item such as a plant, a tool, a suiseki, scroll, an attic item, and cannot think of an item to donate, MONEY will suffice. Also, promote your club to donate something. It is always nice to hear your club’s name called out when a raffle prize is given out. The second way to help defer the convention expenses is to BUY LOTS OF RAFFLE TICKETS!! After all the GSBF is a non-profit educational organization helping to promote this great hobby of ours called bonsai. Besides, the BENEFIT DRAWING is fun, and you might win a great prize. Well, these are my thoughts from past Golden State Bonsai Federation Conventions, and what I anticipate for the Convention 2010 this coming October. And I am sure, once again it will not disappoint. It does not matter if you are an overly experienced bonsai fanatic like myself, or a part timer or a beginner, just find Highway 101 to Santa Clara and the Marriott Hotel next to the Great America Theme Park, and if even you can only go for a day instead of the entire weekend, you will enjoy the experience, and maybe you will come away with some new knowledge, maybe new friends, or a prize from the Benefit Drawing. But, more importantly you will be introduced to the NEW FACES OF BONSAI... See you there!!!!


Bonsai Bytes: Bonsai in the age of the Internet July/Aug 2010 Women in the Mud, a Final Look

Article by Joanie Berkwitz We have two more women in the mud to explore,

before we move on. Both are very different, yet they would have much to talk about over a cup of coffee and a pastry.

Elsebeth Ludvigsen lives in Denmark, a coun-try far removed from the Asian cultures. When she and

her husband took a trip in 1981, they ended up in Japan, where she was astonished and capti-vated by the tiny trees in beautifully understated pots that seemed to be everywhere. That set her foot on a long inner journey, studying Shoji Hamada’s pottery mas-terpieces, and immersing herself in the bonsai pot-ters art. Elsebeth’s pots are popular in Europe,

where their classic lines and subtle glazes show off the bonsai to good effect. Elsebeth creates her pots by hand-building or wheel throwing, using high fire stoneware and ash glazes.

You can see some of her work at www.shohin-europe.com/ELSEBETH.html

(see that delightful little ficus!) and you can purchase her pots at www.nordic-bonsai.dk .

(click on “Skale-SHOHIN-Ledsager” or “Skale-Handlavede” to see Elsebeth’s pots. You can click on the picture of the pot for a larger picture)

Wendy Heller, on the other hand, lives in North-ern California, and she started making bonsai pots for

her own use and enjoy-ment, branching out when they proved to be popular. She is inspired by the redwoods around her, and paying close at-tention to their textures

and colors, carries that inspiration into the stu-dio. Viewing her ruggedly textured, oxide stained pots immediately takes your imagination back out to the forest, a touch

of moss and the sounds of birds would make the picture complete.

She uses stone-ware and porcelain, her stoneware generally be-ing stained with oxides, and her porcelain is of-ten glazed in a delicate celadon. Of the celadon, she writes, “It’s a very sim-ple and very ancient type

of glaze, mostly composed of ash and I like it a lot. You see it in pottery of the Sung dynasty. I love to work with porcelain--it’s like playing with cream cheese.”

This tickled me, because so many women artists that I know use food imagery in their conversations! Wendy hand builds her pots, and occasionally turns them on the wheel.

She had a catalog for direct sales, which you can access here: http://pages.suddenlink.net/hellerbonsaipots/catalog.pdf The catalog’s photos does not do justice to her work, so when she sent me large copies of the photos, I was amazed at how lovely and well crafted her pots are.

In the next article, we will step into some Japanese Gardens, where we can search out the inspirations that under-lie the Japanese Garden aesthetic. Our bonsai can be enhanced by using the principles of art and

harmony in their surroundings, and the study of those principles will bring many insights. If you ever wondered how to give that authentic look to your little corner of the world, you will enjoy this series! There is a Japanese Garden Symposium being held in San Diego in October, which promises to be an interesting and well attended event.

See the website at www.niwa.org/international-japanese-garden-symposium.

Photo permissions were granted by the artists referenced in the article


Kusamura Bonsai Club 50th Anniversary Show

Article and photos by Jerry Carpenter

Kusamura Bonsai Club arose out of an initial organization named “Hokubei Kusamura Mujin-ko” with its earliest recorded formal meeting in 1956. It became known as the Northern California Kusamura Mutual Association a few years later. We became Kusamura Bonsai Club in 1960 lead by Tosh Saburomaru.

The club meets the 3rd Friday of each month, at 7 PM in Palo Alto, CA. Prospective members and visitors are welcome. Find us on the web at: http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/kusamura/ and contact the club via email at: [email protected]

Bang V’s Bougainvillea

Charlene F.’s White pine- Inherited from B. Nakata –

Restyled with direction from Mitsuya - 1980’s

John P. - Trained by Tosh Saburomaru –

Restyled by Mitsuya San Jose Juniper

trained since 1970’s

Jerry C - Originally from Tosh Saburomaru, styled by John Naka and Tokita.

Juniper ‘Sargentii’ - 1980’s

Nancy E. - Trident Maple

Rita C. – Grown by C. Young, styled by Tosh Saburomaru

Eastern Red Cedartrained since 1970’s

At right:

Display below: Tosh’s Coast Live Oak loaned by Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

March 20-21, 2010


California Bonsai Society 53rd Annual Exhibition, Huntington Library March 27-28, 2010 - Photography by Larry Ragle

Entrance. John Naka – Black pine California Bonsai Society Members

Show overview Show overview

Memorial Mas Moriguchi – Ume

Marge Blasingame, Tokonoma - Shimpaku juniper

Ben Oki – Elm with Kern River stone

Nina Ragle – Eel River stone, Crab apple

David Nguy – California juniper Bob Kinoshita – California juniperTak Shimazu - Shimpaku juniper

Mini Demo

The party’s over


Three (color-coded) Sacramento Club Exhibits from May, 2010

Heavenly bamboo Umbrella plant, Schefflera

CA Juniper

Fringe Tree

Hawthorn

Shohin - Member’s Choice

Korean Hornbeam

White Pine

Sacramento Bonsai Club Members

Juniper

Phot

os by

Luc

y Sak

aish

i- Ju

dd

Maple

Ezo Spruce Planting

Sacramento Bonsai Club Trees

Satsuki Aikpkai of Sacramento’s Trees

ABAS, American Bonsai Association, Sacramento’s Trees

The Owyoung’s CA juniper - Member’s Choice

Satsuki Aikokai of Sacramento’s Trees

Pictured Satsuki Aikokai show photos are:

1. Kobai2. Godaishu3. Hatsukan Setsu4. Shinsho no Hana

21

3 4


Three, of Sacramento’s four bonsai clubs, held May exhibitsand Lucy Sakaishi-Judd was there to capture these highlights to share

Yuzo Maruyama with the demo tree he styled

Satsuki Aikokai club show trees are:

5. Kakuo6. Kakuo7. Miyama Kirishima8. Akemi no Tsuki9. Akemi no Tsuki10. Kirin no Kagami

10

5 6 7

8

9

American Bonsai Association, Sacramento

Cryptomeria styled by Ryan Neil Trident Forest Planting Shimpaku juniper

Juko Satsuki Azalea - “drop branch” style

Trident Maple Star Jasmine Higasayama Maple

White Pine Crabapple Silverberry

Won by the Judd’s!


An Artist’s Approach Artwork and text. Copyright Peter Adams 2010Main Photography, Kate Adams

Additional material, Greg McDonald

Bonsai Studio 3

In this second look at Greg McDonald’s Valley Oak we are thinking about the shape of the particular species and how that can be woven into bonsai form and into this tree.

The last images of the tree seen in the previous article brought the developing tree quite a long way towards what is acceptable as a bonsai anywhere, but did it feel like a valley oak? If not so much, then why not? That question provides a good place to start.

In this photograph the general posture and mass of the tree generates the form of an oak. As a bonsai it falls loosely into the broom form and with de-velopment can be made into a memorable bonsai. The steps in the trunk profile on the left side are where for-mer branches fattened the trunk and they add a lot of character to this image of a rugged old oak.

The preceding future state drawing takes the Febru-ary, 2010 form through the next couple of stages and shows it with varied branch lines and ramified finer detail. The negative space works well also in revealing some of the gnarly lines and as an overall oak shape its great, but as a Valley Oak….?

This photograph was taken after another styling session with the design group in March. The branches have thickened considerably over the past year and have now been thinned, wired and shaped again. At last they are getting the real character of the Valley Oak which displays both ris-ing and descending lines. As a result, this is not just a bonsai - it is beginning to be an American bonsai!

This future state drawing emphasizes the aged framework of main branches and indicates a greater lateral branch spread. This gives the familiar wider-than-tall image of the Californian oaks but here also are branch lines that first arch and then descend slightly, the hallmark of the Valley Oak. The descending charac-teristic depicted here cannot be convincingly achieved in bonsai by wiring alone. The extending lines must be wired, grown on and cut back many times over the years to build taper and to generate the many small changes in growth direction that make up the successful bonsai image.

February, 2010 - Photo

Quercus Lobata, Valley Oak Part 2

Future State Drawing


March, 2010 - Photo


This diagram shows the greater extent of the green canopy and demonstrates the important role of negative space in the combination of lines that say “Valley Oak”. The pot is a larger version of that shown in the previous drawing.

This alternative view of the tree is one I liked as it suggested the form of a hollow trunk - a tree perhaps devastated by lightning.

There are many ancient oaks like this in my native England. From this angle too the trunk appears even more powerful and compact.

The future state drawing shows the leftward lean of the trunk visually balanced by the spread of the

Future Diagram


lower right branch complex. Those sling-shot branches near the apex have been fixed by lowering them and encouraging laterals to infill. The lower left branches are up to 100% wider and add a lot of grace to the trunk form. More has been made of the existing trunk hol-low which could be enlarged further. From this side, the roots are the weakest feature, but they can be improved with careful shaping over time.

This diagram really punch-es up the terrific width of the tree. Note how the lower right branch mass sweeps down in a subtle movement that checks and holds the leftward mo-tion of that stocky trunk. The typical arching branch shape is there but is more understated in this design. The negative space is eloquent of oak character in its exposure of the aged framework of branches. I have anticipated some surface root pattern which should be attainable without too much hassle.

The pot is a classic Japanese design in an unglazed gray/brown ware. It has a lot of length but its medium depth gives it beautiful proportions. Its form was sometimes favored by the late Kyuzo Murata, one of the greatest artists of bonsai.

March, 2010 Alternative View

May, 2010 - Photo

This photo, just in from Greg, shows the oak is spreading well now.

Join us for my design work-shops in Diamond Springs on Friday, September 17th with the Grass Root group. Contact Greg McDonald (530) 642-2521. Saturday and Sunday at Lotus Bonsai Nursery and Gardens, 1435 Lower Lake Drive, Placerville. Contact (530) 622-9681.

Peter Adams www.peteradamsbonsai.com

Diagram - Wider Profile


Repotting the Mas Imazumi Japanese Black Pine Photos by Jerry Carpenter

Retaining wires under the pot were cut Compressed roots were found It took a team 3 days to carefully work the roots

Root wrap and throttling were found Day 3: We have a pot Wet towels protect the root ballDiligence and skill will win out

Fine root work at the nebari Kathy, Gordon, Kirk place the tree

Above, the final tree now prepared for potting reveals a view of the Mas Pine that has not been seen in a very long time.

At right, newly repotted the base of the trunk looks supported, rather than appearing buried in the ground.


Repotting the Mas Imazumi Japanese Black Pine Article by Jerry CaprenterOn Feb 24th, 2010 Kathy Shaner and a team of GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt volunteers began the work of repotting the Mas Pine. Kirk Demerest, Aaron Packard, Gordon Deeg, and others chose to work on the tree. The group effort was greatly appreciated as the process would take three days to complete due to the amount of work and care required.

This tree, with its large canopy of needles and wide buttress, is very heavy. The size added to the complexity of the process but more importantly the bark of the tree could not be touched due to its fragile nature. This meant that the team could hold the tree only by the newer branches (where the bark was stronger) or by the deadwood areas.

All retaining wires were cut and removed. The pot’s slight inside edge required the team to cut along the inside of the pot as deep as possible to free the tree. The team spent almost an hour cutting along the edge when Kathy and Gordon interceded to do it again, laying the tree on its side to extract the large heavy pot. Extra care had to taken in the freeing process as not to cut a large heavy root that came very close to the edge of the pot. The pot size was 22”x17” x5.5” and was extremely heavy. With the aid of some very heavy tools the tree finally came free of the pot.

The previous documented repotting of the Mas Pine was in 2006 by Yasuo Mitsuya and Kathy Shaner. At that time only a third of the root area was worked hard. Mitsuya found a great deal of old original dirt and many heavy roots and had concentrated his work on the center area of the roots. Since that repotting, the tree has become healthier. Then in September 2009, Mitsuya worked with a team of garden volunteers to reduce the needles and thin the canopy so that it would have more strength for the repotting.

Observation of the root ball this time showed a large amount of mottled, compressed roots on the bottom. Good root growth this time indicated that the tree had repaired itself well from its early issues found in 2006. Kathy illustrates that the soil must be removed from the bottom area first and that good clean cuts must be made on the roots. The root base was then squared off and about 2” of soil and root was removed from around the sides. The team was instructed to work close to the roots ,carefully removing dirt and clearing out crevices without damaging the roots.

The plan of root work was multifaceted; roots on the left side of the pine would be cut very clean in straight lines following the direction of the root to encourage root development. Since there was evidence that the tree has not been repotted very often over a hundred years, much work will need to be planned for each of the next few repotting periods. Cutting any major root could be dangerous because it may be the one root that moves around the entire tree. There was a great deal of root wrap and root throttling going on so that root work had to be done very slowly. One of the major roots showed some chisel work done by Mitsuya and this

root would be worked some more to help develop fine root growth but a decision would be made later; if there were fine roots farther up the main root that could support the growth then a major root could be removed. That large root was then carefully pried back; behind it we found excellent root development but after careful inspection, the large root was found dead and was removed.

Roots continued to be inspected looking for a live cambium layer. If a root is seen to have just bark and hardwood then the root is dead and can be removed. Some live roots were cut and sliced with a very sharp knife to make a clean cut. This slice reduced the heaviness of a particular root and would further stimulate new fine root development. Underground, much dead material and stones were removed to allow new root growth.

After the general cleaning of the bottom and edges, the team began working on the nebari of the pine. Kathy Shaner suspected there were great roots on the nebari just below the surface of the soil that had been buried for a very long time. Exploration began with Kathy instructing the team on how to remove the old original soils from the nebari without damaging the roots by using dental picks, small metal picks with little scoops on one end and sharp pick on the other, as well as sharpened chop sticks. This was the beginning of many hours of teamwork by shifts of members working into the night carefully picking away at old punky smelling dirt around the base of the tree. Aaron, Kirk, Jerry and Kathy did the painstaking duty. Our goal was two-fold; uncover these beautiful roots and find new drainage in the area from the top down through the root mass. Periodically there would be a breakthrough wherein we could get our tool all the way through and there was much rejoicing. At the end of the first day the tree root ball was layered with towels and watered down to keep the roots safe overnight.

The following day the work continued to reveal an exciting nebari with many new canyons and holes for the water to travel through the root ball. These new water drainage areas would provide space for new healthy root growth and help to ensure there was no rot occurring in those areas. In other words, the tree will be able to breathe much better. More root work was done on the bottom of the root ball as we ended out second day. However; at the end of the second day a frantic search went out to find the correct pot for the tree. The original pot was determined to be too small and heavy, not allowing for the roots to grow sufficiently and it was just too heavy looking for the new found nebari and the tree in general. Finding the right pot for an old growth tree is not an easy challenge. Many sources were called with no luck. A tree of this quality cannot go into just any inexpensive large pot either; color, depth, size and shape were carefully considered. A pot without an inside lip was a must so that removal of the root ball in a few years will be easier and faster.

Day three: Kathy Shaner located the perfect pot to house the tree for the next few years. The pot was measured and documented for the record and then perfectly leveled on a stand to begin tree placement. It is important to ensure the pot is perfectly level when placing a tree. Its position will have to remain for a few years so it had better be done carefully and perfectly to present the tree in the best way possible.Again, like the night before, the tree soil was covered in towels


and watered heavily to keep the roots wet. An essential point was made that roots of any tree being repotted should not be allowed to dry out. A spray bottle of water with HB101 was always kept handy. If the tree were to be left unattended for any amount of time it was covered with wet towels.

The pot was then wired and prepared to receive the tree. Once balanced and leveled, the tree was carefully moved and seated inside the pot to check the size. As always, it is not perfect the first time and more material had to be removed from the side and the bottom. More detailed root work continued. We learned that every time we were ready to say it was done; well, it wasn’t and more study always revealed more that should be done for the health of the tree. Work continued and we really began exploiting those new drainage areas through the root ball. A chop stick inserted from the top would show through the bottom and presented a place to be widened some more. Careful root trimming was done to allow greater drainage areas through the root ball. This work proceeded through the late afternoon. Fine root work at the nebari continued as well. Hours later as darkness began to fall on the third day Kathy continued to refine the detailed work on the newly exposed roots. Dark black roots of the nebari were carefully excavated from the soil revealing the “new tree”. Tireless work was required to do this level of detail but on a tree this old and important, and one that will not be touched for several years to come, the time had to be found.

In the cover of darkness by then, the tree was moved into its new pot. The root ball had been reduced by nearly half its original mass. Soil preparation contained the standard Akadama mixes and was amended with charcoal, bone meal, and a secret ingredient of “Down To Earth” Root Enhancer that contains mycorrhiza.

Kathy, Gordon, and Kirk placed the tree for the final time. The tree is sitting much higher in the pot now so that it can develop new fine roots. Once the tree was set into the pot it was moved or slid from front to back and Kathy said you can just hear that the tree is solid in the soil as it did not shift much and did not make any noise. Careful new soil working was done to ensure that there were no air pockets in the roots. This process of pouring a little new soil and chop stick work continued for over an hour. Fine soil was worked into areas near the nebari and in the drainage areas that had been created. A rubber hammer was used to ensure the soil would settle well in the pot.

The final tree reveals a view of the Mas Pine that has not been seen in a very long time. The image in the upper right is the final shot of the tree before it was moved to its stand. Notice the nebari floating on top of the soil. The base of the trunk now appears supported instead of being buried in the ground. The tree also stand a bit more upright in its new position and is elegant shown in the lighter colored, wider, and shorter pot.

Be sure to come by and see the Mas Pine in all its glory. Now in May there are great signs of flourishing growth with new candles and bright green needle growth. If you have seen the tree before; you will see again for the first time.

Yamato Bonsai Kai Presents

Our 39th

Annual Bonsai Exhibition

Saturday, October 16, 2010 2:00PM to 9:00PM Sunday, October 17, 2010 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Demonstrations by Johnny Uchida

Saturday at 7:00 PM & Sunday at 1:00PM

Admission $5.00 includes entry to exhibit, sales areas, viewing of the demonstration

and a raffle entry for the demo tree.

Yamato members will serve dinner Saturday from 5:00 to 6:30 PM for a small

fee of $5.00. Come see the Exhibition, have dinner and conversation with friends

and stay for our first ever evening demonstration.

Location:

Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church 32975 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City, CA

www.yamatobonsaikai.org


The 2010 Fresno Bonsai Society Spring Exhibit Article & photos by Mike Saul

The Fresno Bonsai Society held its annual bonsai

exhibit on a beautiful spring day in April this year. We sometimes strug-

gle with defining a suc-cessful show and setting goals for these events. Is it a big crowd, generous revenue, or exceptional bonsai that awe the view-ers? Or is it the camara-derie and enjoyment of a gorgeous day in a Japanese Garden? This show was clearly a wonderful success by that standard. Is suc-cess measured by educat- ing our community about the joys of bonsai? This event was outstanding by that standard too.

I am always reminded of Bob Hilvers dictum

about bonsai: “If you ain’t having fun, you ain’t doin’ it right.” We did it right this year.

True, it is hard to replicate the beauty of the

Spring blossoms in the Shinzen Gardens with a tree on a table, but judging from the ooohs and ahhhs, the public enjoyed the small trees as much as the large ones. In this outdoor setting with noisy pea-cocks and ducks walking past, we loose a lot of the dignity of a quiet indoor show. Our exhibit is held in conjunction with the Spring Blossom Festival in the gardens. We gain a colorful community cel-ebration with Taiko drums, a Tea Ceremony and a broad spectrum of people.

We were very fortunate to have Ted Matson with us for the day. Ted drew a huge crowd for his dem-

onstration with his clear and polished presentation of the basics of bonsai design. Earlier in the day he provided a critique of several of the trees on display, which was really enjoyed by our members.

On Sunday, Ray

Theime and Richard Ramirez attracted an-other enthusiastic crowd for their demonstration.

We had a rare perfect

day for this event with cool breezes and bright sun. We enjoyed one of the largest turnouts in memory and our plant sales were robust.

Barbara Foley and her

son Donald supervised the sale of accent plants for the benefit of our Power of One Project. The handmade pots for those kusamono were produced by our club earlier this year at a meeting devoted to learning to make pinch pots.

The Fresno City Col-

lege Student Bonsai Club conducted their plant sale next to ours. Local artists and the Fresno Iris Society were there as well.

Another measure of

the success of this year’s show may be the number of people who signed up for our newsletter. If they all were to join the Fresno Bonsai Society, we would double our membership. It was, I suspect, only the beauty of the day and the smiling faces of our mem-bers that prompted their enthusiasm. But we were showing them the joy of bonsai.

Al Keppler, Steve Da Silva with Maple. (Tokonoma behind them)

FCC Student Bonsai Club

Past FBS President, Harold Mitchell enjoying the event

Al Keppler had a Tokonoma display at the FBS Show.

Taiko Drummers

Local artists selling wares

Ted Matson led a tree critique and provided a demo

Ray Theime’s Lorapedium

Barbara Foley at the Power of One sales area, a fundraiser to sponsor a member’s trip to the GSBF Convention.


by Judy Glaister

Lee Roberts, known to several generations for her bonsai, as jewelry cre-ations, recently turned 92. Last year was tough on Lee. She had a terrible fall, breaking both her wrists and hip, and she struggled with a bout of pneumonia as well. But Lee is still going strong. While

she’s a little slower in her movements and tires more quickly, her strength of character and quick wit remain unphased.

We first met Lee at a Bonsai-A-Thon, an annual event held at the Huntington. We heard about her work as soon as we began our work creating bonsai jewelry. Having just retired from own jewelry busi-ness we finally had time to do jewelry for the pure joy of it. People would drop by our booth and show us the wonderful pieces she had created for them. Each piece was a treasured remembrance, but more than that, a remembrance of Lee herself. Finally, we looked up to find a lovely petite lady who introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Lee Roberts.” We were awe struck, and have been ever since.

Born in Portland , Oregon in 1918, Lee grew up as an only child, spending much time with her father outdoors, horse back riding and enjoying nature. She graduated from the University of Oregon as an Art major, and worked in the Kaiser Shipyards during World War II where she learned engineering and mechanical drawing.

As time passed, Lee married and raised three chil-dren, all of whom still live in Oregon and Washington. Her artistic interests began to turn toward bonsai and photography. Her keen interest in Japanese culture and horticulture was enhanced by her tour of Japan in 1969. In 1972, Lee won the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon’s Photographic Competition. The same year, she was awarded 3rd place in the national photographic competition sponsored by the Japanese government.

Lee has been a member of the Pacific Asia Art Center in Pasadena for over 30 years.

Aside from her docent responsibilities, Lee became a successful jewelry designer, and pioneered the concept of bringing photos or sketches of actual bonsai trees to life in precious metals.

The original bonsai design was reduced to a size that would be in the proper proportion for the piece of jewelry created. First the pot was carved out of a hard wax, then the trunk, roots and folage were built up in wax to simulate the original photo or drawing. Finally, sprues were added to the piece for casting, and after casting, the channeling sprue was removed and the piece cleaned up and polished.

Lee’s bonsai jewelry customers were drawn from both the East and West coasts as well as from around the world. Lee always has said, “There’s something special about bonsai people. I’ve never met anyone unfriendly, and you never have to worry about their checks! They are the most honest people you’ll ever meet.”

Only an unfortunate eye surgery stopped Lee from creating her beautiful pieces, but her original molds have been preserved, and her legacy of creativ-ity and courage in the face of adversity live on. Congratulations, Lee, on a job well done!

Lucille “Lee” Roberts, a Pioneer in the Art of Bonsai in Metal

Lee Roberts - Metal Artist

Samples of Lee’s fine metal art - photos by Dave Glaister


Calling all GSBF Club Webmasters

By Joe Byrd, GSBF Website Liaison

Years ago, the GSBF created a newsletter contest for member Clubs to encourage them to create better newsletters and include certain key ingredients. The winners of that contest receive a nice prize from the GSBF at our annual Convention. There is one prize for large clubs and one for smaller ones. This seems only fair since the larger clubs tend to have more re-sources to call upon in order to create documents like newsletters.

In recent conversations at the GSBF Board meet-ing, we reached an agreement to create a similar type of contest to stimulate member Clubs to create and update web sites for their members and prospects. The aspect of having a web site that prospective members can review is very important as I regularly get people contacting me via email from reading about our Club online. From those inquires we have gotten several new members.

In an effort to identify those elements that would make up a good Club web site and thereby good contest measurement tools, I sought the assistance of Jerry Carpenter, webmaster and member of the Kusamura Club. The Kusamura site is one of the best examples of Club web sites that I have seen, so he speaks from personal experience. Here is the list measurement tools that he suggested and that I agree we should use:

• Updated and current calendar of club events

• Updated stories to promote the month’s upcoming meeting

• About section that contains: Club His-tory, mission, focus, and contact information

• Demonstration or Club project page with pictures and written details of the event and key takeaways

• Newsletter page with PDF or HTML versions of newsletters for historical refer-ence of articles

• Feedback form for getting comments

from site visitors• Colorful design that incorporates pic-

tures of the local club in action; this will put faces to events and shows the character of the club

• Link to the www.GSBF-Bonsai.org web site so we build our combined web traffic

He also suggested that we standardize on the platform that we view the web site on. We will judge the websites on two platforms: Windows PC running IE 8.0 and Mac running Firefox at a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024. This should give us a good idea of the full range of issues that can occur in web site develop-ment.

Here are the contest rules for your Club to follow:1. GSBF member Clubs who wish to have

their web sites judged should send an entry URL to me at [email protected].

2. First make sure your web site is up-to-date and that you have included as many of the elements that are listed above as you see fit.

3. Include in your request email the type of platform you create your web site on and the tools you use.

4. Be available on email to respond to any questions we might have.

5. Include the number of members in your Club.

6. Submit your entry by no later than Sep-tember 30, 2010.

Awards will be handed out on Saturday, October 30, at GSBF Convention 2010 at the Santa Clara Mar-riott. Plan on being at the 2010 Convention to receive your award or cheering on those who win.

Good luck.


Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara Trees

Photographed by Leroy Kubel

Pat Brodie Ann Marie Erb Hackberry Blue Atlas Cedar

John Kopp Banyan Fig

Keith Mautino Pomegranate

Pat Brodie - Japanese Mountain Maple

Wally Kunimoto Ginkgo

Keith Mautino Japanese Black Pine

Keith Mautino Shimpaku Juniper

John Bleck Plectranthus ernstii

Pat Brodie Japanese Maple

Edna Hesthal - Red Leaf Beech

Ann Marie Erb Trident Maple

Susanne Barrymore Japanese Black Pine

Stephen Yee Japanese Boxwood

Anne Marie Erb - Cork Bark Japanese Black Pine

Andrew Nelson Japanese Black Pine

Tom Post Silverberry

Edna Hesthal - Procumbens Nana Juniper

Wally Kunimoto Golden Cup Oak

Joe Olson Japanese Maple


Ko Yu Kai Shohin Bonsai Club members’

trees

Displayed at the 2010 Dai Ichi Show

Photography by Michael Jonas


Barrymore Scrolls pg. 34 Blue Oak Nursery pg. 32 Bonsai Fusion pg. 34 Chikugo-en Bonsai Nursery pg. 34 David Glaister Bonsai Jewelry pg. 31 Gro Power pg. 35 Grove Way Bonsai Nursery pg. 34 GSBF Convention back cover, inside cover Hisayasu Importers pg. 31 Joshua Roth Tools pg. 33 Kim’s Bonsai Nursery pg. 31 Maruyama’s Bonsai Nursery pg. 31 Mendocino Coast Bonsai pg. 27 Perfectly Built, Bonsai Stands pg.4 REBS (Redwood Empire Bonsai Show) pg 30 Ryerson Ceramics pg. 33 Shibui Bonsai, Inc. pg. 14 Telperion Farms pg. 33 Wang Antique scrolls, stands, pots pg. 34 West America Import/Export pg. 33 Window Box Bonsai Accents & Art Gallery pg. 34 Yamato Bonsai Kai pg. 34

To Advertise: Contact Michael Jonas [email protected] Tel: 818-776-0813 • 1/8 page G 3.65 x 2.35 inches $30.00 • 1/4 page G 3.65 x 4.90 inches $60.00 • 1/2 page G Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $90.00 • 1/2 page G Vertical 3.65 x 10.0 inches $90.00 • Full page G 7.50 x 10.0 inches $160.00 • Back Inside Cover C 7.50 x 10.0 inches $290.00 • Front Inside Cover C 7.50 x 10.0 inches $320.00 • Back Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $155.00 • Front Inside Cover 1/2 page C Horizontal 7.50 x 4.90 inches $170.00 • Back Outside Cover C 6.85 x 5.85 inches $215.00 (G=grayscale C=color) * Display of ads in color online magazine is free with a one-year, six-issue order. Call for more information. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Our list of Advertisers please patronize the companies that support GSBF by shopping from the companies listed below:

REDWOOD EMPIRE BONSAI SOCIETYProudly invites you

to their Free

27th ANNUAL

BONSAI SHOW

Saturday: August 28, 2010

10 am - 5 pm

Sunday: August 29, 2010

10 am - 4 pm

Simply the best, we cover all areas:

200 Bonsai exhibited

Largest vendor area

Largest member sales area

Continuous educational demos

by members

Critiques of show trees

for the public

Very large raffle and silent auction

Daily demonstrations

by accredited Bonsai master

Kathy Shaner

1:30 to 3:30 both days

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Santa Rosa Veterans

Memorial Building

1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa

(Opposite the Sonoma County Fairground)

For Information Call: Bob

Shimon: 707-884-4126

Email: [email protected]

Web Page: www.rebsbonsai.org


Welcome to Kim’s Bonsai Nursery

Website: www.kimsbonsai.comE-mail: [email protected]

One of the largest bonsai nurseries in California. (10 acres)

In business since 1988.

Open daily 7 am-6 pm (by appointment only) Closed the 4th Saturday of every month.

Kim’s Bonsai Nursery 8575-A Phelan Rd Phelan, CA 92371 Phone: 760-947-0409 Fax: 760-949-7500

1423 47th Ave • Sacramento, CA 95822

Maruyama Bonsai Nursery

(916) 421-6888 (916) 421-8306

Collected

& cultivated quality trees. accent plants


West America Import and Export, Inc.

Japanese, Chinese and Korean bonsai pots.Japanese bonsai tools.

Display stands Akadama and black scoria

David and June Nguy 323-223-9102 email: [email protected]

1653 N. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

Telperion Farms Dedicated to growing trees specially for bonsai

Featuring field-grown material:

• Japanese Black Pine • Scots Pine

• Shimpaku • Japanese Larch

• Maples • Chinese Elms

• Crabapples • Quince

• Imported Specimen Satsuki and 90 varieties of satsuki whips in development

Over 50 other species of trees available

We are a full-service bonsai resource offering pots, tools, soils & wire. Kanuma, aksdama, yamagoke, black lava rock.

Open to the public by appointment only

(503) 859-3697 (503) 881-1147

www.telperionfarms.com [email protected]


BONSAI FUSIONHand Crafted Bonsai Pots

635 North 13th Street San Jose, CA 95112Tel: 408 476 3112 Fax: 408 292 [email protected]

BONSAI

FUSION

BonsaiPre-bonsai

ToolsBooks

Japanese Pots& Accessories

Chikugo-En Bonsai Nursery18110 S. Western Ave. Gardena, CA 90248 tel/fax: 310.323.4011

email: [email protected]


Got Caption?

Captions are in . . .

“I could have been a contender!” - Michael Jonas

“If you think this tree is big, you should see the one that died!” - Ron Krause “I was just a wee tyke when I found out with lots of dirt and a little bit of water, you can make the neatest mud pies.”- Ron Krause

“Cry me a River..., even with gloves this prickly Mama may have you singing the blues too.” - Joyce Mason

Send your Caption Entry for this photo of Kenji Miyata to: [email protected]

or use the mail in Subscription/Renewal Form below Along with your check made out to Golden Statements, please provide your Name: _________________________________________ Address:________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Phone:_________________________________________ E-mail:__________________________________________ Primary Club affiliation:_________________________

Mail to: Cindy Peterson, Subscription Manager 7241 E. Rocky Ridge Drive Tucson, AZ 85750

Subscription Rates for one year (6 issue) • Regular - bulk mail (US $20) • First class in US, Canada, Mexico (US $35) • International via Air Mail (US $55) Call 520-299-5952 with any questions or email Cindy at: [email protected]

Subscribe to Golden Statements online at http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/gsbfmag_subscribe.html

• Long lasting • Organic based• Clean, no odor

(800) 473-1307www.gropower.com


information see our website at www.sandiegobonsaiclub.com or

call Joanie at 760-431-1014

September 19-20 San Mateo, California

San Mateo Bonsai Club 46th Annual Bonsai Exhibit at San

Mateo Central Park Recreation Center, 5th & El Camino Real.

Hours are Saturday, 12PM-5PM and Sunday 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration at 2 PM both days. Bonsai sale and raffle after

the demonstrations. Free Admission. For more information,

contact Sam Tachibana [email protected],

650-548-9470.

September 25, 26,27 Waikiki, Hawaii

Hawaii Bonsai Association: Bonsai Ohana II Convention at

the Pacific Beach Hotel. Featured demonstrators will be Bonsai

Master Tohru Suzuki of Japan and Bonsai Sensei Mel Ikeda of

California. Additional information and registration at

www.Hawaiibonsaiassoc.org and [email protected]

September 26 San Jose, California

Midori Bonsai Club: 48th Annual Bonsai Show at the

Northside Community Center, 488 6th St. Includes 18 separate,

2 and 3-point displays of fine bonsai. At 1:30PM, nationally

acclaimed bonsai artist, Boon Manakitivipart, will style a

bunjin Japanese Black Pine. Sales of trees, tools, pots and

bonsai accessories will be offered by Jim Gremel, Shibui

Bonsai, Inc., and others. Free styling help and advice for the

public from "Dr. Bonsai". Contact JT at (408)371-7737 or

[email protected]

October 3 Salinas, California

Salinas Bonsai Club: Annual bonsai show at the Lincoln

Avenue Presbyterian Church, 536 Lincoln Ave. Show hours

11AM-4PM. Demonstration at 1:30PM by Katsumi Kinoshita.

A raffle of the demonstration tree and other items will follow

the demonstration. Tea and cookies will be served and there is

plenty of parking. For more information please contact Don

White, 831-724-9283; [email protected] or Maggie Brubaker,

831-663-5044; [email protected]

October 3-4 Thousand Oaks, California

Conejo Valley Bonsai Society: 6th Annual Bonsai Exhibition

at the Resource Center at the Gardens of the World, 2001

Thousand Oaks Blvd. Hours are 9AM-4PM both days.

Demonstrations in the Bandstand at 11AM and 2PM, both

Saturday and Sunday. Free admission. No sales of bonsai

related items. For more information call Ken Fuentes, (805)

495-7480.

Web at: http:/www.cvbs-bonsai.org

October 16 Gardena, California

Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai: Annual Bonsai Auction at the Ken

Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St. Doors open

for preview at 6PM and the auction starts at 7PM. Sale items to

include: bonsai trees, dais, accent plants and more. The

auctioneer will be Joe James and the public is welcome. For

more information call 310-539-9365 or visit us at:

www.gsbf-bonsai.org/daiichibonsaikai

October 17-18 Union City, California

Yamato Bonsai Kai: 38th Annual Bonsai Exhibition at (new

location): South Alameda County Buddhist Church, 32975

Alvarado-Niles Road. Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and

Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Demonstrations both days at 1:00PM by

Johnny Uchida. Admission of $5.00 includes exhibit & sales

areas, demonstration, and a raffle ticket for the demonstration

tree. Additional information at www.yamatobonsaikai.org

October 24-25 Sacramento, California

Capitol City Bonsai Association: 10th Anniversary Show to

support the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt and the

Sacramento bonsai clubs. Location is the Shepard Garden and

Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. in McKinley Park. Show

hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday, 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration both days at 1PM by sponsor clubs with special

bonsai raffle drawings to follow. Vendor and club member sales

areas. Contact is Gary Judd at 916-630-1340.

November 5-8 Riverside, California

Golden State Bonsai Federation: Convention XXXII. (For

more information see ad on back inside cover.)

Nov 13-14... Ross, California

Marin Bonsai Club: Fall show at the Marin Art and Garden

Center, Livermore Room, 50 Sir Frances Drake Blvd. Hours are

Friday, 6PM-10PM, dinner, demonstration and raffle (TBA) and

Saturday,10AM-4PM. For more information call Craig

Thompson, 415-472-6685.

July 1-5 San Rafael, CaliforniaMarin Bonsai Club: Bonsai Exhibit at the Marin County Fair, Veteran’s Memorial, 10 Avenue of the Flags. Hours are 11AM-10PM daily. Admission to Fair is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and children 5 to 12. For more information contact Craig Thomp-son, 415-472-6685.

July 14 Oakland, CaliforniaEast Bay Bonsai Society: Annual Auction at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave. Preview items at 7PM; Auc-tion starts at 7:30PM. Bidding is open to the public. For more information, contact Janice Dilbeck at 925-458-3845.

August 7-8 San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco Suiseki Kai: 29th Annual Exhibition in the Union Bank Hospitality Room at the Japan Center, 1675 Post Street. Hours are 10AM-4PM both days. For further information contact Janet Roth, 510-530-1577 or [email protected]

Aug 28-29 Santa Rosa, CaliforniaRedwood Empire Bonsai Society (REBS): 27th Annual Show at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building, 1351 Maple Avenue. (Op-posite the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.) Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Over 200 trees on exhibit, large vendor area, members’ sales area, raffles and a silent auction. Demonstration both days at 1:30PM by Kathy Shaner. Free admis-sion and parking. Contact Bob Shimon at 707-884-4126/[email protected] for further information.

September 9-12 Rochester, New YorkNorth American Bonsai Symposium: Airport Holiday Inn, 911 Brooks Avenue. Featuring: David Easterbrook, Mary Madison, Ryan Neil, Marty Schmalenberg, William. N. Valavanis. Dem-onstrations, lectures, workshops, exhibits, auction and vendors. Hosted by International Bonsai Arboretum, William N. Valavanis 585-334-2595 [email protected]: www.internatio-nalbonsai.com

October 2 Salinas, CaliforniaSalinas Bonsai Club: Annual Bonsai Exhibit will be held at the Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church, 536 Lincoln Avenue. Exhibit hours are from 11AM-4:00PM with a demonstration by Katsumi Kinoshita at 1:30PM. A raffle of the demonstration tree, and other bonsai related items will follow the demonstration. Tea and cookies will be served, and there is plenty of parking for group attendance. For more information contact: Don White, 831-724-9283; e-mail: [email protected], or Maggie Brubaker, 831-663-5044; e-mail: [email protected].

October 2-3 Thousand Oaks, CaliforniaConejo Valley Bonsai Society: 7th Annual Bonsai Exhibition in the Resource Center at the Gardens of the World, 2001 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Hours are 9AM-4PM both days. Demonstrations in the Bandstand at 11AM and 2PM. Free admission. No sales of bonsai related items. For more information call Ken Fuentes, 805-495-7480 or visit our Website at: http:/www.cvbs-bonsai.org

October 9-10 Oakland, CaliforniaEast Bay Bonsai Society: 49th Annual Bonsai Show at the Lake-side Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave. Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM, and Sunday, 11AM-4PM. Demonstration on Sunday at 1PM by Dave DeGroot, followed by a raffle of bonsai and re-lated items. Large selection of bonsai and related materials on sale throughout the show. For more information contact Janice Dil-beck, 925-458-3845.

October 16-17 Union City, CaliforniaYamato Bonsai Kai: 39th Annual Bonsai Exhibition at the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church, 32975 Alvarado-Niles Road. Admission of $5.00 includes exhibit & sales areas, demonstration and a raffle ticket for the demonstration tree. Sat-urday hours are 2PM-9PM. For a small fee of $5.00 dinner will be available on Saturday evening from 5PM-6:30PM, followed by our first ever, evening demonstration at 7PM. Sunday hours are 10AM-4:00 with an afternoon demonstration at 1:30PM. Both demonstrations will feature Bonsai Master Johnny Uchida. For additional information contact Tony Hayworth, 510-289-5731 or [email protected].

October 23-24 Sacramento, CaliforniaCapitol City Bonsai Association: 11th Anniversary Show to support the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt and the Sac-ramento bonsai clubs. Location is the Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. in McKinley Park. Show hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Demonstration both days at 1:30PM by sponsor clubs with special bonsai raffle drawings to follow. Vendor and club member sales areas. Contact is Gary Judd, 916-630-1340.

October 28-31 Santa Clara, CaliforniaGolden State Bonsai Federation Convention XXXIII: “New Face of Bonsai.” The “New Faces” will shape the Art of Bonsai for years to come with the guidance and vision of these new teach-ers, and the GSBF 2010 will be the able to receive the new visions of bonsai and participate in the future of Bonsai. For more infor-mation visit http://www.gsbfconvention.com

May 15-16 Sacramento, California

Satsuki Aikokai of Sacramento: 40th Annual Show at the

Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Boulevard.

Show hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and Sunday,

10AM-4PM. Demonstration at 1:30PM both days, followed by

benefit drawings. Member and vendor sales. Free admission.

For more information visit [email protected]

or contact Ron Pigram, 916-428-8505.


American Bonsai Association: 51st Annual Show and Sale.

Hours are Saturday, 10AM-4PM, and Sunday, 10AM-3PM at

the Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley

Boulevard. Hands-on workshops for all levels from novice to

advanced enthusiasts; large member and vendor sales areas;

raffles and door prizes. Demonstration daily at 1:30PM by

Ryan Neil, who recently returned from an extended

apprenticeship in Japan with Bonsai Master Masahiko

Kimura.. Free admission. For further information contact Greg

McDonald, 530-642-2521 or [email protected]

May 22-23 Oakland, California

Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai: 16th Annual Azalea Bonsai

Show at the Lakeside Park Garden Center at Lake Merritt, 666

Bellevue Avenue. Hours are Saturday, 10AM-5PM and

Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Fabulous blossoms and bonsai display.

Demonstration both days at 1:30PM using mature bonsai

material: Rick Garcia will be featured on Saturday and Bonsai

Master Johnny Uchida on Sunday. Large selection of bonsai

trees and other bonsai related materials available for purchase.

For further information, please contact Ron Reid,

925-831-2500.

May 22-23 Anaheim, California

Orange County Bonsai Society: 47th Annual Bonsai

Exhibit at the Orange County Buddhist Church, 909 South

Dale Avenue. Exhibition hours are 10:30AM-4PM both days.

Demonstration at 1PM each day followed by a benefit raffle.

Bonsai pots, tools and accessories, along with books and

plants will be on sale. Contact [email protected] or Ken

Schlothan, 714-553-7516, for more information.

May 23 Grass Valley, California

Nevada County Bonsai Club: Second Annual Spring Show

at the Grass Valley Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 255 South

Auburn Street. Show hours are 11AM-4PM. The Show will

have a display of bonsai trees, demonstrations on the Art of

Bonsai throughout the day, refreshments, raffles, and a sales

area with trees, pots, and other bonsai-related articles. Free

admission. For further information contact Leo Martinez,

530-273-2628.

May 1-2 Gardena, California

Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai: 24th Annual Bonsai Exhibit, “Serenity

Through Bonsai” at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center,

1670 West 162nd Street. Hours are 10AM-4PM both days.

Novice to master exhibitors. Round-robin demonstration on

Saturday at 1PM, and Saikei demonstration by Frank Goya on

Sunday at 1PM. Demonstration trees will be in the benefit

drawings. Bonsai trees, tools, and accessories on sale

throughout the show. Free admission and parking. For more

information please call John Luhnow, 424-456-4429 or visit us

at: http://daiichi-bonsai.com


Sacramento Bonsai Club: 63rd Annual Bonsai and Suiseki

Show at the Sacramento Buddhist Church, 2401 Riverside

Boulevard. Show hours are Saturday, 12Noon-5PM, and

Sunday, 10AM-4PM. Demonstration by Boon Manakitivipart at

2PM both days; raffle will follow. Plants and bonsai related

items for sale. Free admission. For further information contact

Gary Judd, 916-630-1340.

May 15-16 Santa Barbara, California

Bonsai Club of Santa Barbara: Annual Bonsai Exhibition at

the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road.

Hours are Saturday, llAM-4PM and Sunday, 10AM-4PM.

Demonstration at 1PM both days. Plant sales by club members;

native plants suitable for bonsai in the Botanic Garden's

Nursery and bonsai books and other gifts in the Garden Shop.

For information, contact Ann Erb 805-929-4972, email

[email protected] or visit www.santabarbarbonsai.org.

May 15-16 Encino, California

Sansui-Kai of Southern California: Annual Bonsai

Exhibition in conjunction with the Los Angeles Department of

Recreation and Parks, Country Garden Fair. at the Sepulveda

Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Boulevard Hours are

9AM-5PM daily. Plant sales, gardening arts, good food and

entertainment galore. Admission is free. For directions go to

www.sansui-kai.com or for more information contact Michael

Jonas, 818-775-0813.

Calendar of Events

List of GSBF Events, and

Bonsai and Suiseki Shows

GSBF EventOct 28-31 GSBF Convention XXXIII

Santa Clara, California

MAY

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Dai Ichi Show

Photos by Michael Jonas

Join Dai Ichi Bonsai Club the 3rd Friday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center 1670 W. 162nd Streeet Gardena, CA

GOLDEN ®

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T H E M A G A Z I N E O F G O L D E N S T A T E B O N S A I F E D E R A T I O N V O L X X X III N O . 4

GOLDEN STATEMENTS

Golden State Bonsai Federation1038 33rd StreetSacramento, CA 95816www.gsbf-bonsai.org

Change Service Requested

The GSBF 2010 Convention Issue California Bonsai Society Show Repotting Mas Imazumi's legacy Japanese Black Pine

J U L Y / A U G 2 0 1 0

$ 7.50

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Sacramento, CA Permit No. 1453

Headliners:

Convention registration materials are inside this issue!