October is a busy period as this is the time when most growth happens on the trees in our bonsai collections. Watering should now be done daily, unless rain occurs. Be sure to check afterwards that the soil is moist and the rain has penetrated the soil. As usual inspect trees which are in full […]
Last month, Allan gave a thought-provoking presentation on how to develop one’s artistic skill with bonsai and/or penjing. Using Sydney artist Lindy Lee’s advice to young visual artists, Allan introduced us, through example, to the art of appropriation and its extension into artistic practice. Lindy refers to what she calls the Second Year Crisis- ‘When
After a mild July, where I was concerned all my deciduous trees would come into leaf early, the balance was restored by a very cold August, which confirmed that the season was still very much winter! Now, at last, we should see some spring weather and hopefully time can be spent on other things besides
Artist, bonsai artist and BSA member, Michael Kempson has a new exhibition of truly beautiful etchings at the Flinders Street Gallery, Darlinghurst. A master printmaker, Michael combines an artist’s sensibility with great technical skill. These works examine ideas of bonsai- traditional and contemporary, real and imagined, and the contribution of time and place to evolving
A few members of BSA Inc attended the Shohin Comprehensive Demonstration and Presentation featuring Koji Hiramatsu, at Steve Hantos’s new venue, the custom built AusBonsai Studio set amongst a most tranquil Japanese garden in Rosehill, Sydney. Topics covered were growing techniques, styling, pots and displaying Shohin. Koji Hiramatsu lives in Kagawa Prefecture which is the
Another great demo from Ian and Sean on root over rock last month and if you’ll excuse the pun, between them they covered all facets. Root over rock can be broken down into three basic parts: selecting the material, putting the plant material onto the rock and developing the bonsai on the rock. Each stage
Allan is well known for his involvement in the Penjing Institute of Australia with Kingston Wang and his role previously in maintaining the bonsai and penjing at the Chinese Gardens of Friendship at Darling Harbour. Allan studied bonsai for fifteen years but penjing is where his heart is. Trained in China, Allan is the creator
I am sure not many of you (if any) spent time in July pruning back your figs but that is exactly what I found myself doing at the start of the month. I had noticed sooty mould on some of my figs in June, so sprayed with Confidor, to hopefully eradicate the scale that was
What is it about these two photos of the same tree taken the same morning? What is the subtle but marked difference? Why is the modified style in the second photo better? It is all about TAPER, the natural progression from thick to thin that balances a tree. In the first photo a twin apical
Neil Ryan’s theme for the AABC Conference this year was how to move a tree that had been aesthetically pleasing and well styled in the past into its next iteration. Tony Bebb’s demonstration last month was a lesson in how to achieve this. Tony chose an old Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora) that while still
