The passing of a formative Bonsai Artist (Vance Wood)

I joined,
I posted,
Vance chewed me out,
I re-framed my question,
Vance gave me good advice.

RIP Vance

Mr. Mugo.... Very sad to hear of his passing. Had many spirited discussions but never let them take away any mutual respect for each other. He was passionate about bonsai for sure and will be missed.

May his memory and expert advice live forever on this forum. Rest in peace!

This saddens me to hear. Vance was one of the first people to communicate with me on this forum. He will be missed. Onto the next journey Vance!

RIP to a legend.

We rarely saw eye to eye but I certainly appreciated his contributions here and to bonsai in general.
RIP

Very sad news, thank you for helping others on here, Vance. My knowledge of Mugo is better because you took the time to share your knowledge. Rest in peace.

He will be missed around here. Sharp wit, great knowledge and experience... the community has lost an irreplaceable personality. May he echo in all of those who knew him.

I only have limited interaction with Vance in my first year of joining the forum. His Mugo pine thread is legendary around here. He will be missed for sure.

Vance, truly an OG here and elsewhere in the bonsai scene. I remember him from my pre Bnut days back when The Gardenweb forum(s) was the place to be... that's got to be close to 20 years ago. When I moved here after Bonsai Talk collapsed, Vance was already here, fully engaged in discussions with veterans and newbies alike. Uber generous with his time helping/assisting/directing, etc. His experience was almost unparalleled among members, and I think he took it as a point of pride to make at least one comment in every new thread, be it a compliment, advice, etc., but he also came loaded for bear if you talked smack about Mugos at any level. They were his babies and he took it upon himself to preach to the unwashed about their potential beauty and utility in bonsai, as well as to protect them those who, for one reason or another, held them in disdain... and I was one of those people! Man, he loved a good argument, and those arguments were not just about Mugos! Anyway, it became obvious over the last 5 years or so that Vance was not participating here like he had in the past. I was tickled to see that he finally got to display one of his Mugo masterpieces at the NBE... I knew how proud he was to do so. Truthfully, I have missed his interaction here over the last 3 years or so, and I feel sorry for many of the newer members who never got to meet his on line persona live. Still, his contribution here is enormous and available to anyone who chooses to look back and dig around. RIP, Vance, a B'nut Original Gangster!

... so do we repot Mugo in the Summer or Spring?

namnhi said:

... so do we repot Mugo in the Summer or Spring?

Click to expand...

Yes!

I never knew Vance personally but I know of his work and have always heard good things about the man. God speed tiny tree man, you will be missed. May there be tight internodes and perfect nebari on your journey.

He was a legend. He will be missed. RIP mugoman.

This is very sad and shocking news.
May you rest in peace sir.

One of my first "friends" here on bonsai nut, all those years ago. Vey sorry to hear, I wondered where he'd been. I guess fighting cancer, unfortunately.

Daaannng... that was a true sucker punch. I had wondered recently about him. Damp eyes... dang it. He and Mugo will always go hand in hand in my head and heart.

Rest in peace my friend.

RIP Vance, a true master of mugo pine!

I’m very sorry to hear this news.
I had no idea that he met his wife in Iowa.
Maybe I did know that but forgot it.

Vance does have a YouTube channel with some bonsai work posted. It is worth watching for any mugo lover. (About 18 videos)


Vance always had a teaching heart and was very open to offering time for anyone that wanted to learn his methods. I’m thankful for the interactions that we had on this forum.
Rest in Peace Mugo Warrior, your garden in Heaven will be magnificent!

I value the advice I’ve received from him in both Mugo and Hinoki development and will continue to put it into practice. Rest in Peace, Vance.