East Coast Bonsai Education

[lordy]

It may not be as "fast track" as you want, but have you considered being a volunteer at a bonsai collection or nursery or similar? I know at the National Arboretum, many people spend unpaid time there going through maintenance tasks under the tutelage of the curator. I know many of them and their stuff is quickly becoming better than most regular club members.

 

[jk_lewis]

Finding a perosn with both of those characteristics can be the tricky part.

I dunno. I think I'd be a bit flattered if some kid wanted to attach himself to me just to learn, and to help with my trees. I don't think you could expect "formal classes," but just tagging along, watching how he does things, giving a hand when asked, and doing the grunt work as needed can be VERY educational.

Lordy's idea is excellent, too, but there would be even less time for "teaching" there and more time for sweeping the floor or watering..

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Patrick,
If you get tired of looking for a course to take I'd be glad to invite you to come here whenever you like to work with you on any trees you want to work with. You live 2 hours from me and my teacher was Pittsburgs past bonsai master Keith Scott who passed away a few years ago. Ask around the club about him. Keith was also the Phipps Conservatory Bonsai Collection Curator. Since I sold the majority of my collection a little over a year ago I'd welcome someone wanting to seriously work on trees away from a club setting. No heroes here, just an old bonsai guy thats studied bonsai since 1978 :>)

 

[tmmason10]

Now that's a good offer!

 

[JudyB]

Patrick,
If you get tired of looking for a course to take I'd be glad to invite you to come here whenever you like to work with you on any trees you want to work with. You live 2 hours from me and my teacher was Pittsburgs past bonsai master Keith Scott who passed away a few years ago. Ask around the club about him. Keith was also the Phipps Conservatory Bonsai Collection Curator. Since I sold the majority of my collection a little over a year ago I'd welcome someone wanting to seriously work on trees away from a club setting. No heroes here, just an old bonsai guy thats studied bonsai since 1978 :>)

Watch out Dale, you might have many more takers on that offer than you think! I'm wondering if you'd be averse to driving to the trees? I'd be one of those interested....

 

[pwk5017]

Patrick,
If you get tired of looking for a course to take I'd be glad to invite you to come here whenever you like to work with you on any trees you want to work with. You live 2 hours from me and my teacher was Pittsburgs past bonsai master Keith Scott who passed away a few years ago. Ask around the club about him. Keith was also the Phipps Conservatory Bonsai Collection Curator. Since I sold the majority of my collection a little over a year ago I'd welcome someone wanting to seriously work on trees away from a club setting. No heroes here, just an old bonsai guy thats studied bonsai since 1978 :>)

Dale, that is a very generous offer. I will PM you after the Holidays to try and work out availabilities. Thanks again.The way this discussion has gone, I am going to try as much as possible to stay local, and not go for the big-name-bonsai-school approach.

I did meet Keith once! We wouldnt even have this thread going if Keith were still alive. I was fortunate to acquire this scots pine of his that he grew from seed. The pic is a couple years old(I didnt put it in that pot), but it is an awesome example of a westerner growing great material from seed. A testament to the guy's skill.

 

[Dale Cochoy]

Cool! I'll bet that came out of his field out back up in NE Ohio. BTW, 3 BIG OLD Heavy Scots Pines from his field about 25-28 years ago went in my collection to Michigan at
http://www.flowermarketdundee.com/bonsai-trees.php
along with about 110 others.
You can see a lot of my old trees if you look through his Facebook shots over the last year, especially in the shots of his new bonsai sales garden.
https://www.facebook.com/dale.cochoy?ref=tn_tnmn#!/theflowermarket

I'm glad you got to meet Keith before he passed.

Let me know, maybe we can get together this spring.

Judy, I'd be glad to have you come up here. Too bad you didn't before I sold the collection.

D.

 

[augustine]

Lots happening on the east coast. Better jump in.

Augustine

 

[William N. Valavanis]

In March 2014 I'm beginning new educational bonsai opportunity in Rochester, New York, the Classical Bonsai MasterClass.



Complete details can be located in my blog:

www.valavanisbonsaiblog.com

 

[youngsai]

I can completely emphasize with your passion, it's right in line with how I feel and what I'm looking for...

As such, I feel like I should send you a blessing. So, I wish you nothing but the best of luck to you and foresee us crossing paths somewhere along this bonsai journey. Maybe at a MABS 25 years from now, both of us with old craggy gnarled trees talking about the good old days when computers were square

I feel very hopeful about the next generation of bonsai students here in America, trained in no small way by all the vets on here patient enough to kindly chide the brashness of our youth!

And if I might hijack slightly I would also like to say I'd love to have any of the veterans on this website teach me! If there is anyone who needs an extra pair of hands near central Jersey by all means send me a pm please!