World Bonsai Masters - Canberra 2019

[NBPCA]

Hi Everyone

I am pleased to announce the NBPCA's upcoming event 'World Bonsai Masters'.

‘World Bonsai Masters’ is a once in a lifetime experience to meet and learn from world class bonsai artists, Master Kunio Kobayashi from Japan and Ryan Neil from United States of America (USA). Engage directly with the bonsai masters for a weekend of engaging workshops, discussions and demonstrations. ‘World Bonsai Masters’ is a chance to learn ancient and new techniques from masters who continue to shape the world of modern bonsai.

30 August 2019 - 1 September 2019

For more information and bookings:

https://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.a ... ai-masters

[LLK]

Fabulous!
I already got my ticket for the coctail evening, still have to find out when I could attend as an observer. Pity I can't manage a masterclass.

Lisa

[gnichols]

I'd love to go to the cocktail/demo night but can't get home that late. If anybody could give me a lift to upper Tuggeranong I'd be happy to contribute to petrol.

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[MJL]

Bl@@dy great opportunity.
Hmmm.... thinking ....

Would have to find relevant stock - not currently in my collection-
not cheap to buy nor easy to find; drive to Canberra; find accomodation; food (and good wine); try to explain to my wife why spending a total of $285 + tree + travel & accommodation + food and entertainment - is a good idea. and still .... I’m thinking about it ... I’ll probably convince myself it’s a good idea when it’s sold out!

Well done on organising the event; Greta stuff.


Bonsai teaches me patience.
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[pjames]

This is a great and rare opportunity especially for me who lives away from Sydney and Melbourne where all the good international masters regularly visits. Canberra is half closer than the 2 major cities. So i’m in

Thanks Leigh and team for organizing this event.

[TimS]

This is on my birthday, bloody tempting to take the weekend off work and head up to Canberra

[Matt S]

I've booked in for the Saturday events, really looking forward to it. I was looking for an excuse to visit the NBPCA again

MJL - you don't need a tree, you could go as an observer. That was my plan until I realised that Sunday was Fathers day. Boo.

Matt.

[NBPCA]

Hi Everyone

We have been overwhelmed with the interest in this event. Bookings have been streaming in and it is shaping up to be a fantastic event.

Just a heads-up if you are considering a workshop. You will have to be quick.

Ryan's Friday workshop has 3 spots left, his Sunday workshop just 1 spot left.
Kobayashi's Friday workshop is completely booked out, his Sunday workshop has 5 spots left.

Cheers
Leigh

[gnichols]

I've booked in for a workshop with Ryan and I've never really done a workshop of this nature. I've just bought a decent juniper to work on. I chose one that is needing some heavy bending using raffia and creation of some Jin/Shari to improve the movement. What sort of prep work should I be doing? Selecting the front and having a rough idea of design/direction, a little tidying up? Anyone have some suggestions?

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[kez]

Unless you are confident in deciding what will not be used I wouldn’t remove anything. Doing a sketch and choosing what you think is the beat front will be a good start, as Ryan will take your ideas into consideration. In my experience he will let you make the decision but guide you, ensuring you learn by giving you the tools to make the right choices.

You will likely learn more about selecting a front and what is a good trunk line/movement in the day with him than you would in a long time by yourself. He is a FANTASTIC teacher and coveys in a simple manner a lot of very useful information that you will draw on with every bit of material you select in the future

Post se pics of your stock, I’d love to see it

[gnichols]

I was more thinking about a basic tidy up, as in just removing dead or really weak growth.

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[kez]

Yes sure, if you are confident it won’t be utilised then remove anything you think should go.

[dansai]

You could remove any dead foliage. Any growth in the crotches at the base of the branches. Maybe some weak branches. You will get a lot done in a day under someone like Ryan. And learn a lot. Then you will know for next time what the first steps would be.

This is an amazing opportunity, and I too have booked with both. I wouldn’t be making any decisions or removing material at this stage. Think of it like this. You sit down with stock like this and think and ponder and don’t really know what to do. Have some ideas. Maybe don’t know how to achieve them. Have a go and end up disappointed and not really knowing where you went wrong. On then on the other hand, you sit down with Ryan and he gives you good sound advice right from the start, guides you through what to look for and some good design considerations and then sets you to work. Through the course of the day he comes back to you again and again. Guides you constantly. Teaches you all the way. And at the end of the session you have the start of a great tree with a clear direction and some knowledge to help you achieve it.

Keep it healthy. Give it good sun and feed and water as necessary. It looks like good material. Enjoy the opportunity.

[MikeK]

I've booked in for a workshop with Ryan and I've never really done a workshop of this nature. I've just bought a decent juniper to work on. I chose one that is needing some heavy bending using raffia and creation of some Jin/Shari to improve the movement. What sort of prep work should I be doing? Selecting the front and having a rough idea of design/direction, a little tidying up? Anyone have some suggestions?

I'm in the same boat, except I'm booked in with Kunio Kobayashi - never done one of these 'all star' workshops before either.

I don't even have a tree yet, so you're one up on me.

Must admit, it was a bit spur of the moment after Leigh posted that tix were running out and am now wondering if he'll be sitting on the plane home on Tuesday laughing (hopefully quietly to himself) about this moronic Aussie with no idea

[NBPCA]

Hi Everyone

For those of you looking for tips on workshops. Follows is an excerpt from Robert Steven about Workshops. I hope you find the info useful.

Cheers
Leigh

Bonsai Workshop
Have you been to a bonsai workshop conducted by international guest?
Have you ever been disappointed with a bonsai workshop you attended and why ?
I have been doing hundreds of bonsai workshops all over the world and I believe I had been disappointing many participants. That’s the reason I think I need to share with you, not only for those who are going to attend a bonsai workshop but also to the clubs who are going to organize workshops so you can gain the best benefit from the teachers and avoid disappointment of learning nothing.
From my experience, most of the participants are either over expected from a workshop or do not have learning target to the workshop. Many people are coming to a workshop with any material they have and expecting a nice bonsai to bring home; some are expecting the teacher to do the work for them on the material while the material is not ideal for a workshop. Some are coming with a very pre-mature material while they don’t even have a basic skill on wiring; but some are coming with an almost finished bonsai and do not know what they are exactly expecting from the workshop. So these people are either disappointed or happy but learn nothing from the workshop.
So before going for a workshop, especially workshops conducted by international guest teachers, there are few things need to understand :
• Materials
Preparing material for a workshop is very crucial, one needs to know which material fit to his purpose and works for his learning target in the workshop. In bonsai, there are different condition stages of material e.g.:
- Programming Stage. Pre-mature
The materials at this stage are not ideal for workshop because they do not have sufficient anatomical features to work on, it might be a stump with few shoots or simply a very young tree. Such material should be on a growing stage for long term programming, at least to let it grow to have more sufficient feature for styling; but unfortunately many people are coming to a workshop with such material expecting the teacher do something to make it into bonsai.
However, some intermediate or advance students might be able to use such material to learn specific design concept providing it is a complicated yamadori, then it can be used to learn how to find the hidden design potential, different design option; it is more about learning why rather than how. In this case, the student does not expect the technical aspect but rather learning the aesthetic instead.
- Styling Stage, including wiring skill.
The materials at this stage are those already have sufficient branches for styling process, looks rather wild with various design option. With such materials, the students can learn the design concept, the aesthetic principles including the technical aspect such as wiring, pruning and potting; so such materials are the best for workshop. The more complicated the better for learning something in the workshop.
- Refining Stage, including wiring, pruning skill and repotting/ pot selection.
Some students are coming to workshop with a pre-bonsai or almost finished bonsai without having clear objective of what he want to learn from the workshop. It will be absolutely a waste of chance for one to come with such material to a workshop conducted by international guest teacher, because not much he can learn neither the aesthetic nor the technical; unless he is simply expecting certain advice on restyling the tree or refinement technique or on pot selection.
Wiring technique can be learned from local club because come to an international guest teachers’ workshop to learn wiring is a waste of time and money.
• Teacher
Before coming to a workshop, one need to know who the teacher is, what his expertise is and what kind of knowledge or technique he can expect from him.
Some teachers may like to teach technical things in details and some have better knowledge in teaching advanced design concept and aesthetic principles.
By knowing the teacher, one can choose the material that works the best to learn from.
• Participant Level
One needs to understand his own level. Before coming to an international guest teacher workshop, he needs to have had sufficient basic knowledge of bonsai design and basic technique such as wiring and pruning.
Assuming a club will not invite an international teacher to just teach wiring or basic technique but to learn something more advance; so it can be frustrated for the student as well as the teacher if one comes with pre-mature material while he does not even know how to wire.
• Tools
Last but not least, one should come to a workshop with at least basic tools e.g. pruning shears, concave cutter, branch cutter, wire cutter and wires in different sizes.
Do not need to bring fancy tools while the material used does not need it.
So one should have in mind of what he want to learn, what he can learn and what he should prepare to learn before going to a workshop.
Before coming for a workshop, prepare the material accordingly in advance, do not select material on the spot. Many students come to a workshop organized by a nursery and try to select the material from the nursery stock just when the workshop is about to start. This is not a good way as he may not find proper material for the workshop that fit to his benefit.
Broadleaf (deciduous/ tropical) tree are the most difficult materials for workshop because they are unlikely conifers which can be simply bended and wired into nice shape. Broadleaf bonsai is about ramification structure which can only be obtained by long time process. Unfortunately, many broadleaf materials (especially at nurseries) are programmed instantly; most of the branches are cut too early which cause those branches stop growing thick.
Good teacher may tell you honestly to chop back all the branches and teach you how to properly program to obtain proportional ramification structure although this may be very frustrating; but some teacher are so friendly and try to make everyone happy by styling such material instantly, wiring and pruning every tiny branches into shape; but this may misdirect the student into wrong way of making good bonsai. So be very careful when selecting broadleaf tree material for workshop; always try to find one with many branches, the wilder the better !
So workshop is about learning something technically and conceptually, not a class to make bonsai instantly in few hours. Workshop is a class to practice, to make mistake and to learn, not an opportunity to have the international teacher to work on your bonsai while you learn nothing !