Here is a bit of background on our two bonsai artists:

Yannick Kiggen is a respected bonsai artist and horticulturist from Belgium. He is the founder of "Yama Bonsai Studio", where he offers a blend of traditional Japanese bonsai techniques with modern, innovative approaches. Yannick is known for his refined style and expertise in creating natural, elegant compositions that emphasize the harmony between trees and nature. He has studied with renowned bonsai masters, including Kunio Kobayashi, Takeo Kawabe and Hotsumi Terakawa, and has participated in various exhibitions such as the Noelanders trophy, the Ginkgo award and the European Bonsai San Show.

After being an apprentice and working with Keiichi Fuijikawa from Osaka for over 9 years, Bjorn Bjornholm returned to the US and established Eisei-en Bonsai Garden in Tennessee. He has a YouTube channel, which has over a 150 thousand followers. In addition to his YouTube instructional online classes, he has been the headliner for various bonsai clubs and conventions throughout the world. Earlier this year, he has moved back to Japan, opening Eisei-en in Kyoto.

If you volunteer, your admission is covered! Thank you to the awesome people who have volunteered so far. We greatly appreciate your help!

Please contact Randi Keppeler (calshohin@yahoo.com)

 NOTE: Admission into the Lake Merritt garden areas will require a color-coded wrist band starting Wednesday, October 16 thru Sunday October 20. The City of Oakland is staffing security guards on all gates starting Wednesday. Please contact me if you are planning to help for even a few hours. 

SETUP FOR THE FESTIVAL:

• Saturday October 12, 9AM-3PM

• Sunday October 13, NOON-3PM

• Thursday October 17, 9AM-5PM

FESTIVAL GUARD & DOCENT:

• Thursday October 17, 6PM-11PM

• Friday October 18, 6PM-11PM

• Saturday October 19, 6PM-11PM

TAKE DOWN/CLEAN UP:

Sunday October 20, 9AM-3PM

Recap of our September Meeting with Julian Tsai

by Idris Anderson

Julian Tsai, bonsai professional based in Southern California, was our demonstrator for the September meeting. His mild manner belies his precise and exacting instructions and advice for creating and refining bonsai. Earlier in the day, he had led a workshop for five of our members working on their own trees. We all learned so much at the workshop and at the meeting.

Julian says he has a three-tiered approach:

1. Horticulture and health come first. You can give best styling but without health of the tree, all is for naught.

2. Balance aesthetic with technique—both are important.

3. Style and refinement—these come last.

Julian demonstrated his own approach by talking about and working on a San Jose Juniper once owned by Bill Scott who started the tree as a seedling. The tree then passed through the hands of Ryan Nicols before Christoph Dressel began his work on it. Christoph had attempted to graft Itoigawa onto the tree, but those grafts failed.

Before he began working on the tree, Julian gave out one of his morsels of advice: believability is important.

With that advice in mind, he observed that the apex needs removal of a branch that is moving counter to the rest of the movement of the tree.

Other observations as Julian worked on the tree:

• Foliage is secondary to the branches, though we usually give priority to the green stuff.

• Structure of tree is pretty set. Will focus on branch building.

• We need physically shorter branches, should not just twist them around to compact them.

• The tree may be old in years, but it needs to return to a developmental stage. At this stage, avoid overlapping and layering, fan out the branches to optimize access to sunlight.

• He then began wiring branches into flat pads, thinning and clearing out, removing coarse growth.

• How you convey age in bonsai is everything. Cultivated age is a concept.

• Select whole shoots for thinning but avoid cutting tips on the branches and shoots you retain.

• At this stage prioritize the cultivation over the styling.

Among many of the tips he shared was the manner in which he recommends handling wire as it is placed on the tree. He avoids coiling the wire. Suggests that we think of the wire as in a square instead of in the round. Place the wire so that the same side is always on the outside. Or, in other words, imagine that the wire has a thin line down one side of the wire; always keep that side on the outside, so that the wire itself is not coiling. This makes for more effective hold and longevity for the wire.

Julian worked through the break to completely wire the tree before the evening was over. When we examined up close, we could see the beauty and precision of his work.

We were full of questions for him, which he answered in his characteristically modest but exact manner. It was amazing to watch his hands as he worked through the tree.

Hal Jerman will now care for the tree, putting it through an aggressive fertilizing regimen. We can’t wait to see it again when it is further along in redevelopment.

Julian was a joy!

Michael Greenstein started out with an Intro to the new format followed by a walk through the various bonsai styles typically seen in the Japanese world of bonsai. Rita Curbow then discussed what basic bonsai tools you will want to have in your tool kit and why. The topic of Tools was presented so members who want to purchase tools at Pacific Expo will know what to look for and why.

After the first hour, we broke into various groups for the critique and styling of member trees brought in. Michael and Rita were assisted in this process by Lynne O’Dell and Maryann Hinden.

Dates for Upcoming Workshops:

October: no club workshop (due to the Pacific Expo on Oct 26) 

Saturday, November 23: Wiring. 

Attendees will participate in hands-on exercises to support learning via muscle-memory. Those who have a copy of the ABS “Introduction to Bonsai: A Course Syllabus” are asked to read Chapter 5 on Wiring prior to this class. Note that wire sizes typically available for the bonsai enthusiast are listed in Appendix D. 

December: no club workshop (due to the holidays)

Saturday, January 25: Styling.

Saturday, February 22 (the Saturday after our Friday night meeting - it’s a short month): Containers/Pots.

Schedule of Workshops

12:30PM-1:30PM “Intro to Bonsai” Portion of Workshop

For those new to bonsai or who want to brush up on basis bonsai techniques, special instruction will be offered starting at the beginning of the workshop and running for about an hour. After the special instruction/exercise, attendees will have the option to work on their trees with assistance from more advanced members in the club.

Members should bring trees that can be worked on in that time of year. Club wire will be provided for beginners as needed. Some club tools will also be available, but members will be encouraged to purchase their own set of tools eventually in order to work on their trees at home, etc.

1:30PM-4:30PM for all members of the club

Members at the intermediate or advanced levels who aren’t assisting other members in the beginners level are asked to arrive starting at 1:30PM. They will setup on the side closest to the main entrance (near the closet with tables).

Most members who attended the “Intro” session in September were able to stay for the entire afternoon and were joined by two additional members at that time. Since this was a low turnout for intermediate or advanced level members, we encourage more members to join us and work on their trees in a group environment and enjoy the camaraderie in the process.

Refreshments at the Workshop

Feel free to bring refreshments to the workshop to share with fellow members. Water will not be provided so do remember to bring that. Everyone enjoyed Dave Curbow’s homemade cherry strudel at our first workshop.

Setup and Cleanup at the Workshop

The club kindly thanks everyone who helped with setup and/or cleanup at the end. We definitely filled the green recycling bin at the end. I’ll try to remember to bring some paper grocery bags for that going forward to facilitate easier cleanup of the individual tables.

“Intro to Bonsai” Syllabus

If you did not attend the “Intro to Bonsai” workshop in September and would like a free copy of the Syllabus prior to the November workshop, please contact Michael Greenstein via email at michael.greenstein@comcast.com. Note that you must be a Kusamura member to participate in these workshops.