Intensives

[Brian Van Fleet]

Oh! I thought these high level instructors typically also offer pre-bonsai to be sold if you prefer to work on those instead of the instructors trees. Bjorn, for example, has those two options and will allow you to bring your own material if he sees pictures and pre-approves it.

This is true, and Bjorn has some massive trees, which are fun to work on. He also has rough stock that gets brought into the workshop for seasonal work. I brought several of my own trees to work on when I was able to attend, because honestly, I only have so much time to work on trees, so they might as well be mine! A few of them are trees he and I have worked on together for the past 7+ years, so it’s a similar concept.

 

[PA_Penjing]

Edit: responding to the question "who does intensives in the mid atlantic"

I assume a lot of folks but I study under Jim Doyle. Chase Rosade used to but I don't think he still does. And I'm not sure about Sergio Cuan but if or when he does do intensives I'm sure there will be a market.

 

[sorce]

What is an intensive?

Sounds intense doesn't it?

Excellent Marketing.

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Many good teachers have not been mentioned.
I've taken intensives with

Ted Matson - currently at the Huntington
Colin Lewis, - New England
Jim Doyle - Pennsylvania?
Todd Schlafer - Colorado based last I checked
Mat Reel - Pacific Northwest
Owen Reich - Midwest, I think Louisville
Suthin east coast and semi retired.
Peter Tea - California, not too far from Sacramento

All were at least good teachers, Ted was the best, well rounded whole spectrum of bonsai teacher. My first and 3 sessions a year for 4 years. Peter Tea was another favorite, Milwaukee society brought him in for 6 years, 3 times a year. For both we worked on our own trees. The situation Adair described, where you work on the teacher's trees only happens when you go to the teacher. In my case, the Milwaukee Bonsai Society brought the teachers to Milwaukee. We would sign up to share the teachers in small groups. For example, I was in a 5 person group that shared Peter Tea for a 10 hour day. The following day a 6 person group had him, then he had 2 days of single person class at that person's house. The club picked up airfares and the artist was hosted by one member for the 4 or 5 days the teacher was in town.

Many on the list donated a day to work with the local middle school bonsai club. You should see Colin Lewis with a pack of 9 to 12 year olds, he's an ideal grandfather type. Ted, Peter, Todd, Maru Stemberger, Jim Doyle all were great with the kids.

When sharing an artist, for example 5 students in 8 hours, each person gets 96 minutes with the teacher. Some one of the group serves as time keeper. We set up in the round so all can see and hear what is being said. Group discussion during lunch & breaks usually make it a long day for the artist. Hosting is at a member's house, or sometimes at the botanic garden that hosts the club.

When an artist is shared by a group, it brings the cost of studying with a top name artist down from the thousands to the low or middle hundreds. Most of the artists charge roughly the same daily rate, travel expenses are a big variable. Ryan Neil is an outlier, charging much more than the others.

It's been over 2 years since I was involved in booking an artist, so my cost information might be out of date.

 

[BobbyLane]

Peter chan says hi

 

[Adair M]

Many good teachers have not been mentioned.
I've taken intensives with

Ted Matson - currently at the Huntington
Colin Lewis, - New England
Jim Doyle - Pennsylvania?
Todd Schlafer - Colorado based last I checked
Mat Reel - Pacific Northwest
Owen Reich - Midwest, I think Louisville
Suthin east coast and semi retired.
Peter Tea - California, not too far from Sacramento

All were at least good teachers, Ted was the best, well rounded whole spectrum of bonsai teacher. My first and 3 sessions a year for 4 years. Peter Tea was another favorite, Milwaukee society brought him in for 6 years, 3 times a year. For both we worked on our own trees. The situation Adair described, where you work on the teacher's trees only happens when you go to the teacher. In my case, the Milwaukee Bonsai Society brought the teachers to Milwaukee. We would sign up to share the teachers in small groups. For example, I was in a 5 person group that shared Peter Tea for a 10 hour day. The following day a 6 person group had him, then he had 2 days of single person class at that person's house. The club picked up airfares and the artist was hosted by one member for the 4 or 5 days the teacher was in town.

Many on the list donated a day to work with the local middle school bonsai club. You should see Colin Lewis with a pack of 9 to 12 year olds, he's an ideal grandfather type. Ted, Peter, Todd, Maru Stemberger, Jim Doyle all were great with the kids.

When sharing an artist, for example 5 students in 8 hours, each person gets 96 minutes with the teacher. Some one of the group serves as time keeper. We set up in the round so all can see and hear what is being said. Group discussion during lunch & breaks usually make it a long day for the artist. Hosting is at a member's house, or sometimes at the botanic garden that hosts the club.

When an artist is shared by a group, it brings the cost of studying with a top name artist down from the thousands to the low or middle hundreds. Most of the artists charge roughly the same daily rate, travel expenses are a big variable. Ryan Neil is an outlier, charging much more than the others.

It's been over 2 years since I was involved in booking an artist, so my cost information might be out of date.

What you are describing are Traveling Masters Workshops, not “Intensives”.

 

[Agriff]

A few of them are trees he and I have worked on together for the past 7+ years

That's so cool. I would love to have a relationship like that with a teacher some day

 

[bonhe]

In my opinion, to be good in this hobby, one just need:
1- how to wire properly
2- how to make the layers of branches
3- how to see the final image of the tree when it is still in the raw phase
4- and this one is very important: how to keep the trees healthy!

David Nguy who is living in Chino, CA is the one! You will not go wrong with this master.
Thụ Thoại

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

What you are describing are Traveling Masters Workshops, not “Intensives”.

Except for Colin Lewis, who called his weekend long event an intensive, the others did simply call them classes.

The Colin Lewis classes were Friday-Saturday-Sunday affairs, about 20 hours total for the weekend, it definitely was "intense" if not an intensive. That's a lot of one on one time with Colin

I think it's semantics. Ted Matson, Peter Tea, & Colin Lewis all had syllabus distributed to the group quite a bit in advance, they were on task in covering specific aspects of Bonsai. Peter's syllabus covered a year or two at a time, with the idea you read, and assemble materials ahead of his specific class.

There is no national organization standardizing what constitutes an "intensive", The ABS is somewhat missing in action.

When in order to attend the first class, you are committed to attending the full series, for example with Peter, 3 sessions per year for 3 years, in many ways this is quite similar to signing up for "intensives" with Boon. Main difference, being who does the travelling.

But true, most referred to the events as classes.

 

[Mayank]

We just came back from a 3 day class with Todd Sclafer in Denver, CO. Kids drove there with a couple of trees (21 hr drive in an electric car) and I flew in and out. My son basically took the class while my daughter and I hung out at breweries, cideries, hot springs and hiked (not necessarily in that order! )
My son absolutely loved it and it's planning to keep going back. He plans to fly there in August to work on some of Todd's trees.