Bonsai on the Bayou Houston, TX April 11-14, 2019

markyscott

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Mark your calendars! April 11-14, 2019 the Houston Bonsai Society in partnership with ABS and the Lone Star Bonsai Federation will host the 2019 ABS convention. I’ve attached some of the advertising material as well as a link to the convention facebook page where you can keep up to date on all of the latest information. We’ve lined up some great headline artists, a lot of really fantastic vendors, and a very large hall for the exhibit. But that’s not all! Bonsai on the Bayou will not be all lectures and workshops. We’ll have those to be sure, but we have a number of surprises in store for our guests. All will be revealed in the months and weeks leading up to the convention.

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https://www.facebook.com/HoustonBonsai/

Hope to see you there!

Scott
 

markyscott

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One of our headline artists next year will be Bonsai Boon! For decades, Boonyarat Manakitivipart has set the standard for the development and refinement of fine-quality bonsai in the US. His artistry has been recognized around the world and his garden is filled wall-to-wall with jaw-dropping, beautiful trees in all stages of development. In Japan, as the only non-Japanese entrant in the Kindai Bonsai Styling Contest, Boon won the Grand Prize. Although he has since won numerous additional national and international awards for his work, he has been most proud of recognition for his students work. They have been consistently awarded for the beautiful trees they have developed under Boon’s patient guidance and mentorship.
Boon’s growth as a professional started after hosting Akio Kondo as a first-year professional in the US. Through this experience, Boon decided to begin serious study as an apprentice. In 1995, he traveled to Japan where he studied bonsai for his first year with Yasuo Mitsuya. Later, Boon worked and studied at Kihachi-En (a famous bonsai nursery in Japan) and was an apprentice to Kihachiro Kamiya, one of the leading bonsai professionals in Japan at the time. Kihachi-En became his “bonsai home”. Boon once said of Master Kamiya, “He showed me bonsai standards through his amazing talent and deep personal integrity.” Boon returned repeatedly to Japan for prolonged periods of study until his master’s passing in 2004. Boon returned to California after his apprenticeship and opened “Bonsai Boon” for business. In 1998 he founded “Bay Island Bonsai” in order to teach others to recognize, create, and maintain high quality bonsai.
Today, Boon continues his tireless and dedicated effort to advance the art of bonsai in the US. He is passionate about teaching and was one of the first artists to set up a school at his nursery in Northern California. In this school, students from around the world gather to undergo a “mini-apprenticeship” of intensive work on an astounding range of species and styles. Over the course of three years, students are exposed to virtually every level of bonsai work, from development through refinement to display. The course of study culminates with setting up the Bay Island Bonsai show - one of the best exhibitions of fine bonsai in the US. Many of his students have continued on to further studies through their own apprenticeships in Japan.

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Another of our headline artists is Ryan Neil. Ryan is a bonsai professional, visual artist, and entrepreneur who is redefining the world’s understanding of bonsai from a technical hobby to a fine art medium. His approach reflects the interdependent relationships between nature, culture, and the individual.
Born and raised in Western Colorado, Neil’s character was carved by the harsh climate of the Rockies and by an unprecedented 6 year apprenticeship with world-renowned bonsai master, Masahiko Kimura.
In 2010, Ryan Neil returned from his apprenticeship in Japan to Portland, OR with a drive to elevate bonsai as an respected art-form. To accomplish this, he founded Bonsai Mirai - an epicenter for bonsai - a place where people could come and see the highest quality work being produced on a daily basis. He sought to build a community of ceramicists, woodworkers, artists, and creatives working together to advance and explore this living art form.
What started as an ambition has expanded into an ‘American Bonsai Movement,’ focused particularly in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Due to Ryan Neil’s vision and efforts, a collective exploration has swept the Pacific Northwest, with individuals utilizing the power of bonsai to reconnect to their native environments.
Ryan Neil’s mission is to establish a new era in bonsai, where compositions reflect the vast array of landscapes and cultures that are formed in their midst. His numerous exhibitions have ignited controversy, expanded the public’s understanding of bonsai, and inspired many to take up the artform.
Artistically, Neil plays with context to challenge the viewer to think about the tree, themselves, and the creation as a culmination of experiences and outside forces shaping every element of design. As his work evolves and the impact of the compositions expand, his ambitions and understanding of bonsai’s power to reconnect people to the landscape only grows stronger and more fluent.
Entering his 7th year as a bonsai professional, Ryan Neil is just beginning to push the limit of bonsai design, tapping into the art form’s ability to converse with viewers near and far. Through the inherently collaborative nature of Neil’s work, he and his team are joining with craftsmen, designers, photographers, scientists, and creative visionaries across the world to rethink the environment for community-oriented, artistic engagement. With Ryan Neil’s impact, the world is only just beginning to understand bonsai’s full potential, as a vehicle for cultural, personal, and environmental transformation.
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The third headline artist for Bonsai on the Bayou, 2019 will be Enrique Castaño de la Serna. Enrique Castaño literally wrote the book on the horticultural aspects of bonsai. Born in Mexico City, Enrique is the son of Guillermo Castaño, a well known sculptor and bonsai artist, and Yolanda de la Serna. As a result, his exposure to and passion for bonsai and the visual arts began at an early age. He lives in southern Mexico where he collects, grows and trains numerous tropical species for bonsai. Enrique founded Bonsái Tropical de México and has given lectures and demos around the world, including China, Cuba, Germany, Taiwan, Mexico, USA, England, Czech Republic and Lithuania. In 2010 he was the chairman for FELAB and he has organized over a dozen Bonsai conventions. His book Botany for bonsai, the science behind the art, has been well received and is in its second edition. His work has received numerous awards including WBFF, Chase Rosade distinction award, John Naka award, Bonsai Olympics gold and silver awards, FEMEXBO award.
His love for bonsai and nature led to his studies in biology, and he subsequently received a PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Rochester (NY) in 1997. He has done post doctoral work at Harvard and the Marie Curie Research Institute in Oxted, England. He currently is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Center Investigacion Cientifica, Merida, Mexico and the Chief Executive Officer Vivero International Dedicado Arte. Enrique uses his educational background to promote Bonsai both in the US and the Latin American world. In addition to his book , Enrique teaches and gives demonstrations around the world and has written numerous articles for various bonsai publications. His trees have been featured by The World Bonsai Friendship Federation and BCI over the years.
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namnhi

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Gotta make plan for this. Would be very sad to miss since this is our back yard.
 

markyscott

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In addition to a great lineup of feature artists, we have some really nice surprises in the works. I’ll reveal what we have planned over the next few weeks as we get confirmations from our extended lineup. I think you’re going to like it.
 

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First surprise - Mike Serant, founder and owner of Microlife Fertilizer, will give a talk about the use and benefits of organic fertilizers in container gardening. I hope you’re as excited about his presentation as I am.
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Next surprise. Danny Coffey will be at the convention and will lead a workshop on some beautiful twisted trunk, shimpaku juniper.

Daniel Coffey is an American bonsai artist and instructor based in Western North Carolina. His passion for bonsai has lead him to a deep appreciation for a variety of styles and disciplines within the art form. He has spent multiple years living in Japan as a formal apprentice to Junichiro Tanaka, 4th generation bonsai master of 'Aichien', a bonsai nursery in Nagoya Japan operating for over 120 years. Additionally, he has served as intern and visiting artist for some of the United State's finest public and private bonsai collections. Including the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. and The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, Washington. His work, both original compositions and contributions to well established bonsai, have been displayed at national level exhibitions in Japan and the United States."
962543BF-7F47-4713-AE06-2163005E06C6.jpegDanny with a famous old Sub Alpine Fir bonsai named '47 Ronin' After 2 days of wiring and styling at the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way Washington.

8B6C225A-2DD7-4F9A-A716-1ACC03778618.jpegDanny working an ancient Japanese Black Pine at Aichien Bonsai nursery in Nagoya Japan during his apprenticeship.
 

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Excited to be getting into Bonsai just in time to attend such an event! Attending my first Bonsai society meeting on Wednesday, really excited to see where I can go with this new endeavor!
 

markyscott

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Excited to be getting into Bonsai just in time to attend such an event! Attending my first Bonsai society meeting on Wednesday, really excited to see where I can go with this new endeavor!

Welcome to HBS, bearded_jiggs!
 

Bearded_Jiggs

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Thanks Scott! I figured books, YouTube, and other online resources could only take me so far! I attended one workshop at Timeless Trees and had a great time (wish I had stayed longer after the class). I have little to no previous gardening experience so I'm basically learning everything from scratch the "bonsai" way. I have quickly realized this may mean very different approaches to accomplish similar tasks. I'm very cautious by nature so I haven't done any heavy pruning or repotting of what material I already have (very little). Looking forward to meeting the group and hopefully making a few friends I can learn from! I'll also be checking out the study group at Maas Nursery on Saturday with hopes of meeting bonsai folks closer to me (we both know Houston is a very broad term as far as location goes). Do you think it would be a good idea for me to bring one of my trees to the study group or should I simply mingle and observe before bringing in any of my "sub-par" collection?

Jiggs
 

markyscott

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Thanks Scott! I figured books, YouTube, and other online resources could only take me so far! I attended one workshop at Timeless Trees and had a great time (wish I had stayed longer after the class). I have little to no previous gardening experience so I'm basically learning everything from scratch the "bonsai" way. I have quickly realized this may mean very different approaches to accomplish similar tasks. I'm very cautious by nature so I haven't done any heavy pruning or repotting of what material I already have (very little). Looking forward to meeting the group and hopefully making a few friends I can learn from! I'll also be checking out the study group at Maas Nursery on Saturday with hopes of meeting bonsai folks closer to me (we both know Houston is a very broad term as far as location goes). Do you think it would be a good idea for me to bring one of my trees to the study group or should I simply mingle and observe before bringing in any of my "sub-par" collection?

Jiggs

Bring a tree, by all means. Clyde Holt leads the Maas group. He’s one of the master gardeners in the club.

S
 

Bearded_Jiggs

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Clyde Holt leads the Maas group. He’s one of the master gardeners in the club
Yes! Clyde's name has reached almost celebrity status in my mind with all the mentions I've heard of him in regards to knowledgeable folk near me, I guess I'll bring my "yardmadori" elm I dug up and potted a month ago when I first started. I figure the fact that it didn't die is an accomplishment in and of itself!
 

markyscott

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Next surprise. Will Baddeley will be at the convention and leading an all day workshop. Will’s first tree came from a Petrol station back in 1997. It lasted just long enough to hook him on the idea of using native trees as bonsai material. Will then went about collecting as many different species of tree as possible, bought as many books as he could afford and joined a local club. In 2001 Will’s club entered him in the UK New Talent Competition. Will won the UK heats and went on to represent his country in the European-wide competition in Trevarez, France where he placed third. Will is self-taught through careful observation and practice. His main influences have been Colin Lewis and Kevin Wilson through their passion for native material and deadwood work with power tools, respectively. Will’s focus is working with native European tree species, Ulmus minor in particular, and also in creating natural looking deadwood on deciduous trees with the use of power tools and scalpels. On his last visit to Houston, Will was intrigued by some of our native Cedar Elm and we have some of those available for his workshop.

Will has been very active in exhibition, demonstration and teaching throughout Europe and North America. He has exhibited trees at the Ginkgo Awards, Noelanders Trophy, and the Best of British and Joy of Bonsai shows. Two of his trees are on the register of Important British Bonsai. Will runs regular workshops and a school at his local Bonsai Nursery and has worked with students in Denmark at Bonsai Nan Kai. He has taught carving at the Burrs event, held carving classes in Belgium and taught carving at many clubs and workshops across the UK and the USA. Will has also conducted numerous demonstrations including the Bonsai Association Belgium, Nordic Bonsai in Denmark, the Best of British exhibition in addition to numerous clubs and shows across Europe and North America.

Will has a well-deserved reputation as an entertaining and engaging teacher and we have some fine collected and field-grown material you can transform under his teaching. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to spend a day with Will.

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More great news! Byron Myrick will be vending and will lead a workshop on pot making.

Byron Myrick has both an undergraduate and masters degree in art and has taught college level ceramics for 33 years.

“I have worked with clay since taking a elective class in undergraduate school. I became hooked so to speak, and have worked with clay ever since. I especially enjoyed teaching ceramics all the years that I taught and still enjoy helping people interested in working with clay.”

When you mix together Byron’s love for bonsai and his passion for clay you end up with the perfect combination for the creation of traditional, well functioning beautiful bonsai containers.

A resident of Moselle MS, member of the Mississippi Craftsmen’s Guild, Byron produces pots fulltime, vending at many bonsai events around the Southeast and Midwest.

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Next surprise. Will Baddeley will be at the convention and leading an all day workshop. Will’s first tree came from a Petrol station back in 1997. It lasted just long enough to hook him on the idea of using native trees as bonsai material. Will then went about collecting as many different species of tree as possible, bought as many books as he could afford and joined a local club. In 2001 Will’s club entered him in the UK New Talent Competition. Will won the UK heats and went on to represent his country in the European-wide competition in Trevarez, France where he placed third. Will is self-taught through careful observation and practice. His main influences have been Colin Lewis and Kevin Wilson through their passion for native material and deadwood work with power tools, respectively. Will’s focus is working with native European tree species, Ulmus minor in particular, and also in creating natural looking deadwood on deciduous trees with the use of power tools and scalpels. On his last visit to Houston, Will was intrigued by some of our native Cedar Elm and we have some of those available for his workshop.

Will has been very active in exhibition, demonstration and teaching throughout Europe and North America. He has exhibited trees at the Ginkgo Awards, Noelanders Trophy, and the Best of British and Joy of Bonsai shows. Two of his trees are on the register of Important British Bonsai. Will runs regular workshops and a school at his local Bonsai Nursery and has worked with students in Denmark at Bonsai Nan Kai. He has taught carving at the Burrs event, held carving classes in Belgium and taught carving at many clubs and workshops across the UK and the USA. Will has also conducted numerous demonstrations including the Bonsai Association Belgium, Nordic Bonsai in Denmark, the Best of British exhibition in addition to numerous clubs and shows across Europe and North America.

Will has a well-deserved reputation as an entertaining and engaging teacher and we have some fine collected and field-grown material you can transform under his teaching. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to spend a day with Will.

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I am thinking extended road trip in the new camper van. Wonder how many miles that will be round trip:eek:
 

markyscott

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I am thinking extended road trip in the new camper van. Wonder how many miles that will be round trip:eek:

LOL - I’ve made the drive from Seattle to Houston a couple of times. I’m pretty sure it’s eleventy million miles. At least that’s how it felt.

Scott
 
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