Workshop advice and how to

[kez]

Hey folks

With the upcoming workshops in canberra with the international masters I thought I would post a bit of a how to/what to do as far as choosing material, any prep and what to bring.

Hopefully this will be another resource that people who are unsure of how to approach a workshop can use to ensure they get the most out of the experience.

Firstly what do you hope to get out of the workshop?

> Is there a particular reason you are attending a workshop with a specific professional? is it just an opportunity due to location, or is this particular artist someone who's work you admire? Do they specialise in a species you are particularly interested in?

>What things do you hope to learn? is there anything that you are struggling with or any specific skills or species information you want to gain?

>what do you want the workshop to achieve in relation to your tree? will you be bringing material to refine, will you be bringing material that has had some work done in the past that needs to be taken to the next step as bonsai? Or are you going to bring raw stock for its first styling?


What to bring

>obviously a tree/trees, but as with the last point, what stage is the tree in and what are your hopes for the outcome? This seems to be one of the biggest questions/concerns of people new to workshops, the idea that "i dont have anything suitable" seems to keep a lot of people from committing to something that could be a fantastic learning opportunity.

A lot of people will choose to take a piece of raw material in the hopes that a master will produce an amazing bonsai out of it by the end of the day. This is not altogether out of the realms of possibility, but whether this happens or not depends solely on the material provided, and to quote an old saying, "you cant put lipstick on a pig". When selecting material, it is important to know what the tree can potentially be. It is no good showing up with something that has no obvious bonsai features and expecting to walk away with a masterpiece. In the absence of a clear direction for the chosen material, look for things that will always make quality bonsai

Trunkline/movement, special features, nebari, taper, branching options, rammification

This is also a rough outline of priorities, and the above qualities will, in the absence of any plan for the stock, always contribute positively to quality bonsai. Don't hesitate to take somebody with experience shopping with you, and if nothing else ask the nursery owner for their advice. They should always be willing to help out with potential stock, options, direction etc. If a nursery does not want to provide you with this kind of help, walk.

It is also important to consider species, do you know the species, how to care for it, is it suitable for your climate, will the instructor know what to do with it?

If you are bringing a tree from your collection, consider what you have that you may be stuck on? is there anything that needs a quality set of eyes/hands? Are there elements of elevating any of your current stock that are beyond you? or do you just want to polish something that might be ready for a show in the next few years? There is no reason why you cant bring mulitple trees from your current collection and make small tweaks to all, in fact I attended a workshop a few years ago over 3 days with Ryan Neil and one of the other attendees solely worked on developing and refining trees from his collection, and in my opinion at the end of the 3 days he walked away with by far the most impressive trees out of the whole workshop. I was impressed not only by his lack of need to create a new show stopper, and also the undeniable success of his chosen approach. Something to consider

If you are bringing raw stock, prep your tree. This will mean cleaning away anything dead, thinning out the foliage if appropriate (pines especially) and if you are confident, removing anything that wont be used, if you are unsure however, leave it on. You can always cut later.

If you are bringing bonsai from home, consider what you want done and prepare accordingly, this may mean unwiring, weeding, thinning etc. Do not bring material that has been repotted in the last 12 months, this will not be ready for major work and moving it around will likely do more harm than good.

>Tools
It is unfair to expect that you can borrow tools from other attendees, or to rely on the master to provide what you will need. Sure there are some specialist tools they will have that you will be more than welcome to use, but a basic set of tools to do what you will most likely need to do with them is a must.

These don't have to be the highest grade japanese tools, but they must at least get most of the jobs done. Include as a must
A branch cutter of some sort
Pruning sheers/scissors
wire cutters
pliers of some sort
small saw

Most of what you will need to do can be accomplished by the above, and in the absence of japanese carbon or stainless, bunnings will provide

Other items
Wire, in as many gauges as you can, and sufficient (unless for a specific reason, or you are familiar with it, I would not advise using copper wire for a workshop)
Raffia
Chopsticks
Gloves
A notebook and pen/pencil
Wedges of wood

Most likely you will find all of these at the workshop in one person or anothers possession, but nobody wants to constantly be asking if they can borrow this or that, and neither does anybody want to constantly be asked

Also depending on the size of the group, the master will need to spread their attention accordingly. Be conscious of the needs of the other participants, and after each bit of discussion/advise be prepared to work on your own carrying out the tasks outlined for you until the master makes it around to you again

Lastly don't be shy, The whole point of the day is to learn as much as possible, ask any and all questions you have, take notes, communicate with the other participants, help them wire if you are free, listen to all that the master advises and have fun. You will find most people are in the same boat as you, and everyone will be there for the same common goal

I will start another thread that is material specific with the 2 trees I will be taking and what led me to chose them, and I hope to have input from everyone on the stock, its qualities or lack of as workshop material, and how they would want to see it move forward if it was a tree they were taking to a workshop

Hopefully those attending the upcoming workshop, or anybody thinking of attending one in the future, finds this helpful

Kerrin