kakejiku
Chumono
I have read some of the threads about the Artisan's cup. I think that the aim of the Artisan's Cup actually is following the trends of major Japanese bonsai exhibitions. In a discussion by email I had with a Japanese bonsai artist confirmed that there are diverging trains of thought.
1. Most of the major shows focus on the tree, with maybe an accent and very few scrolls.
2. Those bonsai practitioners who focus more on the display side, seem frustrated that the major shows only focus on the grandest, most highly stylized tree...and not the overall story.
Seems pretty similar to some of the complaints on that thread. Now, with that being said, I can also understand the reasoning behind setting up Artisans Cup this particular way, and it is to support those trying to make a living as bonsai professionals. What I worry about is perhaps the lack of spreading out those dollars to the many bonsai professionals.
Does anyone know if there were any trees worked on by artists such as Owen Reich, Bjorn, Tyler Sharrod or others who also spent many years apprenticing in Japan at the Artisans Cup? Did their trees win awards?
I hope Bill Valvanis keeps his event in the format he designed it, because I really enjoy seeing the stories created and told by the artists. (Granted I nitpicked some of the finer details of the displays themselves, but that doesn't mean I did not enjoy seeing the diverse stories told by everyone.)
Just my 2 cents.
1. Most of the major shows focus on the tree, with maybe an accent and very few scrolls.
2. Those bonsai practitioners who focus more on the display side, seem frustrated that the major shows only focus on the grandest, most highly stylized tree...and not the overall story.
Seems pretty similar to some of the complaints on that thread. Now, with that being said, I can also understand the reasoning behind setting up Artisans Cup this particular way, and it is to support those trying to make a living as bonsai professionals. What I worry about is perhaps the lack of spreading out those dollars to the many bonsai professionals.
Does anyone know if there were any trees worked on by artists such as Owen Reich, Bjorn, Tyler Sharrod or others who also spent many years apprenticing in Japan at the Artisans Cup? Did their trees win awards?
I hope Bill Valvanis keeps his event in the format he designed it, because I really enjoy seeing the stories created and told by the artists. (Granted I nitpicked some of the finer details of the displays themselves, but that doesn't mean I did not enjoy seeing the diverse stories told by everyone.)
Just my 2 cents.