Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Just thought it would be interesting to see and review a current Video by a famous bonsai artist. I would like to know what you think?
What you see at the end of this video is all there is as far as I know. There was not a followup.Is there a photo or video of the completed tree?
I agree. It seems to me that the level of teaching coming out of Japan is far better now than it was in the 80's when Kathy was granted her mastery. JMHO.I wasn't all that impressed and I feel that the wiring work was very sloppy. I saw many poorly anchored areas and bad spacing and gaping.
I agree. It seems to me that the level of teaching coming out of Japan is far better now than it was in the 80's when Kathy was granted her mastery. JMHO.
Sure sounds like you have more to that opinion, so perhaps you’ll share it?I agree. It seems to me that the level of teaching coming out of Japan is far better now than it was in the 80's when Kathy was granted her mastery. JMHO.
I agree. It seems to me that the level of teaching coming out of Japan is far better now than it was in the 80's when Kathy was granted her mastery. JMHO.
Yeah, I will say this- I have worked with her annually for about 4-5 years now I guess... she always comes to our study group and I usually get to go for at least one day during that time...Sure sounds like you have more to that opinion, so perhaps you’ll share it?
I have no doubt Kathy was not granted, but earned her mastery. I have been granted opportunities to work with Kathy in multiple settings over the years: critiquing the Nationals, setting up local shows, judging, preparing trees, accents, displays, touring gardens, and in workshops. She, above most, is at all times teaching and learning. It’s amazing.
The fact that she didn’t turn out a finished green helmet should be points in her favor. What this partial video shows is very real insight of what it is like to be around her. She finds interest in everything, goes granular to macro and back again so fast your head spins, and thinks in terms of years and decades. She’s playing chess when most are playing checkers.
Bending #4 copper wire is tougher when you’re 70, but regardless, it doesn’t stay perfect when you’re setting primary branches by twisting and bending them; it was actually a topic of conversation when we were working on my pine in her workshop this spring. That demo tree is just starting it’s bonsai journey, it isn’t headed to a show next year. But, you can be sure that when it’s time to put a tree into a show, she will shred you on the details, so you’d better be ready; especially if she knows she can push you to perform at a higher level. That’s what masters do with their students.
A little bush-league for you isn't it Vance? You make it sound like you have an ax to grind...
I have no ax to grind I simple posted it for two reasons: One, it seems that many on this site do not utilize this asset that is on the NET and two, I wanted to hear the different points of view on this video. As to Brians question do I have other purposes for posting this? It is only to get people asking questions about the way the Japanese have been dribbling out information for the last fifty years only to the level they feel they have to. My point: We have learned enough that we should question some of this information now coming out, especially if it seems counterintuitive of what we were taught before or what we have learned by applying what we have learned. I'm sorry that some think ill of me for doing this but you guys are talking about it.A little bush-league for you isn't it Vance? You make it sound like you have an ax to grind...
It be fair, she does show a knowledge of the techniques she employed. IMO!
Also, she does explain the loose wiring and her reason for doing it. I have seen many others do it and call it something fancy like cage wiring or the likes.
Having said that, I do feel a lot of material was removed that could have lent to a better ending. But that is just from my perspective on a 2D video from Youtube. Being there may have proven the options less than I saw. I sometimes feel, especially in today's thriller/drama laced society, that cutting off huge branches etc is done as a way to shock the audience into watching what a skilled person might fear to be a boring/run of the mill demo. I personally like the run of the mill/what you would do at home demo ensuring survival of a tree and health.
I would like to see the tree repotted and fine tuned a little more. I may have missed it but did she happen to mention what stage of development the tree was in? Was it satying in a training pot to grow larger/fuller? Was she going to repot into a semi permanent pot and start refining? This could explain why nothing "amazing" was seen at the end.
That material was “raw field grown stock”. But, it was raised to become a bonsai. So, it had been cut back a couple times while in the ground. But she said it was leggy, overgrown, with most of the foliage at the ends of long branches. She cut back a lot of foliage, not just for design, but to get sunlight into the interior of the canopy. To get backbudding and eventually new branches in closer to the trunk.
Please understand my next comment: this kind of demo is part of the problem we have with bonsai education here in the US. Nothing against Kathy, she did what was needed to start this material off to a good start. Her Jin work was excellent! But, the expectation is that a Master can turn a bush into a show worthy bonsai in 30 minutes! Which is just ridiculous! That thing needs at least 5 years before it’s anywhere near showable.
All we ever see at most demos is raw stock be given an initial cutback and rough style.
Rarely is a demo made using material that that been thru the initial styling stage and be ready for the first step of refinement. Why? It’s usually because of the cost of the material. Clubs usually aren’t willing to purchase an advanced tree, because the typical approach is the tree gets auctioned off after the demo, and who knows if the club will recoup their cost!
At the Winter Silohette Show, Tyler Sherrard and Juan Andrade worked on an advanced JWP with old bark that apparently was on its own roots. Not a graft. This tree was a gift from Boon to Tyler to celebrate his graduation from apprenticeship in Japan. This tree was not overgrown, it did have interior growth, but it had not been styled. This demo, any pruning was done not to induce backbudding, but for styling: positioning, and making sure lower branches would be thicker than branches higher in the tree, etc. Yes, some branches were jinned. White pines are mountain trees and they do naturally have jins, whereas JBP are coastal trees and rarely have jins. The end result was spectacular! It should be show worthy in a year after it fills out a little.
The problem is, material like that costs about $5000!
So, the typical demo cannot show how to really begin refinement simply because of the cost of material. (Tyler’s tree was not auctioned off after the demo! Lol!!)
There was someone there filming the demo, I hope it gets posted on the Internet.
Or perhaps the idea of what is expected from a Demo should change. I for one have never liked the throw away quality of some demos. Not that the material is throw away, but that the things done to the tree compromises the future of it. I am glad to see that perhaps that is changing.Basically we need higher quality demo trees.
Vance, remember that at the time Yoshimura wrote his book was not very long after the War, and the Japanese were understandably reluctant to “share their secrets”. Also, they saw selling to Americans to be quite profitable, so again, they remained secretive. And, the whole culture of bonsai was secretive to begin with! Commercial bonsai was largely a family owned business, and highly competitive. If someone developed a technique that proved to be very effective, they tried to keep that technique to themselves! For as long as they could since it was a compatible advantage. Mr Sazuki who “discovered” decandling JBP, kept the actual technique within his own family for 20 years!It is kind of been my thoughts that the Japanese seem to think of themselves like extraterrestrial aliens with a gift of great technology for humanity that they will only parse out on a limited level. I have seen that for years starting when I first got into bonsai. You should see some of the first books that came out before or at about the same time as Yuji Yohimura book.
I have no ax to grind I simple posted it for two reasons: One, it seems that many on this site do not utilize this asset that is on the NET and two, I wanted to hear the different points of view on this video. As to Brians question do I have other purposes for posting this? It is only to get people asking questions about the way the Japanese have been dribbling out information for the last fifty years only to the level they feel they have to. My point: We have learned enough that we should question some of this information now coming out, especially if it seems counterintuitive of what we were taught before or what we have learned by applying what we have learned. I'm sorry that some think ill of me for doing this but you guys are talking about it.
I have found a couple of other videos that you might like to see.