For the advanced seasoned bonsaist...

[Chuah]

Hey, I suspected that was you. However, Alain is a different user there. I am also Leatherback on that forum.

Great, now I know two leatherbacks!

 

[Lazylightningny]

I am a third generation Overseas Chinese. My last name Chuah is kind of unusual. No body in China and Taiwan could recognize it because it is pronounced in my grandfather's native Fujian dialect. In China, it would be pronounced as Cai, and Tsai in Taiwan.
I have been to Korea several times. My Korean friends said it is pronunced as " Chae" there, of course my Japanese friends pronunced it as "Sai". Kind of confusing, same writing but called differently. I accept every one of them.
In Korea, I visited the Korean Punjae Association's bonsai nursery in Yangjae. I took a train there, not knowing any Korean, I just showed a piece of paper to the taxi driver, and he took me to the place. I watched how their members worked. they were very nice and showed me hands on without verbal communication. Great learning from them.

Chae is one of the most popular Korean names. According to a Korean joke, if you throw a rock off the top of a building in Korea, it will hit a Kim, Park, Lee, or Chae. They account for perhaps half of all Korean names.

 

[Chuah]

I finally finished writing a blog on this ficus's 19-year journey. Yes, it was Jelle leatherback who first suggested I wrote about it. I included more photos in the blog, expanded on what I learned working on this tree, regrets and future plan.
Since this is a ficus, I will post some photos as a new thread in the Tropical forum
Here is the link to the ficus journey blog:

https://bonsaipenjing.wordpress.com/

 

[Chuah]

Hey, I suspected that was you. However, Alain is a different user there. I am also Leatherback on that forum.

Jelle,
My apology, I confused you with Alain. Should acknowledge it was you who suggested I wrote the post. I mistook leatherback as Alain. I finally posted the blog.
https://bonsaipenjing.wordpress.com/

 

[leatherback]

No worries; It was alain who did most of the responding thereafter

 

[Potawatomi13]

25 years into bonsai. This my first tree, a garden procumbens nana juniper. Picture taken this summer.

Pretty nice.

 

[A Random User]

Been doing Bonsai for 12 years? Would not call myself Seasoned or Advanced. Am not old... nor will I probably consider myself that even when I am... and if I said I was Advanced, I would have to hear about how "Not" humble I was being. lol!

To be honest I wasn't going to even post here for various reasons other than tonight I was looking through some photos on the computer and came across the tree I did for the American Bonsai Society's Joshua Roth Competition in Sacramento. It made me proud! I
A couple of pictures


Looking back at the pictures now... I think I did a pretty kick ass job considering what I had to work with, the tools, wire, etc. that I had to bring on a plane from Florida. The hour of sleep I got the night before, from being nervous, jetlagged and wired from traveling. Then the fact that I had to deal with my poor wife, who has been on a plane maybe 5 times in her life, got motion sickness, and pretty much threw-up every waking moment of the trip! It was so bad I was actually scared for her, and was once or twice, worried we were going to have to go to the hospital! I think she had an inner ear issue, that happened when our plane going their changed altitude as we descended.

Reason why I am posting this?

Well... despite the fact that I think I was robbed... and that Kathy Shaner who judged my tree and left a response "That Trees Don't Grow Like This" ... Obviously, does not know her Butt from a Hole in the ground! (Apparently, just about every one doing a cascade juniper that I have seen on Google images, isn't aware of Kathy's great enlightenment either?) And all the other crazy stuff that happened... Doing this event and the one I did the year before in Saratoga Springs NY... really are about the coolest and best thing one can do in Bonsai!

Yes... sometimes in life things don't always go your way... or end up like you would like them... but, one of the things I have learned over the years of traveling pretty much the world... is that when things go you way or always end up the way you want them to... You don't remember them. It's all the crazy F-Bomb stuff that happens that you look back, just laugh, and shake you head and think WTF? These are often the things in life that make the Journey worth continuing!

By the way... for all of those reading who are not that far along in Bonsai yet, The Joshua Roth Competition is something I would encourage everyone to try and do! Have to of been doing Bonsai less than 10 years...
C-Yah!

 

[Vance Wood]

A queddtion and an observation: Question first. How is the tree doing and have you potted it yet? Observation: Did you ever wonder why you don't run into references of Ms. Shaner all over the place like you do Ryan Neil, Bjorn Bjorholm, and a host of others? Her making references to the fact that these trees don't grow like this is totally ignorant, I'll say it up front. If you made as a parameter that every tree used in bonsai has to be true to species most of what we use and how we use them in bonsai today would be disallowed. Shimpaku, and Needle Juniper, don't grow in the way they are often styled. I would have asked her to explain how then should this tree be styled and let's take a look at the tree that did win.

 

[A Random User]

A queddtion and an observation: Question first. How is the tree doing and have you potted it yet? Observation: Did you ever wonder why you don't run into references of Ms. Shaner all over the place like you do Ryan Neil, Bjorn Bjorholm, and a host of others? Her making references to the fact that these trees don't grow like this is totally ignorant, I'll say it up front. If you made as a parameter that every tree used in bonsai has to be true to species most of what we use and how we use them in bonsai today would be disallowed. Shimpaku, and Needle Juniper, don't grow in the way they are often styled. I would have asked her to explain how then should this tree be styled and let's take a look at the tree that did win.

She was referring to my trees style. first going up then coming back down, as well as to her belief that I have a cascading tree which I guess should not have a tall apex.
Even though I mentioned I am not seasoned, or advanced in my previous post... One thing I do know, is that if you stick around Bonsai for a while...
You begin to see how very little people we consider Masters, here in the states, actually know...
Then you realize, that you are one your way!

 

[Vance Wood]

I ran into something like this my self this last summer.

Ya know?? This is just a thought. What if all of us got together and critiqued the judges at all of these major shows? Critique their judging and critique their demos if any. Just a thought, the Irony could be interesting. I can relate at least three major incidents that I have encountered in the last several years just here in this area.

 

[A Random User]

Here is a really cool Scots Pine, That seems to have the same issues... where's Kathy Shaner at?
She needs to inform the individual who did this tree, that trees don't grow like this...

Anywho... we could devote a whole thread to Masters not knowing things...

 

[JoeR]

You know, for all the talk of Kathy I have never seen any of her trees.

 

[A Random User]

You know, for all the talk of Kathy I have never seen any of her trees.

I am sure Kathy does nice work.
My whole point of my post, was just to show that Bonsai... just like life, is going to be full of ups and downs... this is to be expected! It's just short... do and work on everything and anything you can! Don't listen to what other people say! Follow your own path, you will be happier for it... because you lived your life... not someone else's!

 

[Vance Wood]

You know, for all the talk of Kathy I have never seen any of her trees.

That's my point. Me either. This is the reason I kind of go off on people that come along and seem to be more than willing to tell everyone how to eat sushi. If you're going to talk the talk let's see you walk the walk.

 

[JoeR]

That's my point. Me either. This is the reason I kind of go off on people that come along and seem to be more than willing to tell everyone how to eat sushi. If you're going to talk the talk let's see you walk the walk.

I am not saying they are bad, they may be stunning, but I just have never seen any of hers.

 

[Lazylightningny]

A quick Internet search yielded none of her trees, only her many workshops.

 

[Vance Wood]

A quick Internet search yielded none of her trees, only her many workshops.

This is troubling. I think it is about time those of us that live in the shadows of these supposedly legendary bigger than life figures should have these individual held accountable for the kind of crap some of them deal out. Maybe in the end no one will be willing to judge a show or critique a collection? Personally I think that sometimes the results and some of these shows is due to personal issues rather than the quality of the trees.

 

[michaelj]

Kathy Shaner shows some outstanding trees. Disagreeing with her opinions is legit, and neither she nor any other teacher or show judge should get any sort of hero worship or have their word taken as Gospel, but she does actually put her trees out there to be seen, and some of them are great trees. I think I have some photos somewhere from GSBF, CBS and Nanpu Kai, among others. If I can find them, I'll post some.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This is troubling. I think it is about time those of us that live in the shadows of these supposedly legendary bigger than life figures should have these individual held accountable for the kind of crap some of them deal out. Maybe in the end no one will be willing to judge a show or critique a collection? Personally I think that sometimes the results and some of these shows is due to personal issues rather than the quality of the trees.

It's hard to tell exactly what you are saying, but it seems like you're judging someone because you can't find her work.
Let me help you out so you can form an opinion on something concrete...that's the flag you wave around here anyway. Anyone who hasn't had the privelage of studying with Kathy is truly missing an eye-opening perspective on the art.
http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/?p=3433
http://www.contracostatimes.com/bre...ke-merritts-bonsai-curator-defied-odds-become

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Nice post. This is the most I've learned about Kathy.