PACIPRESA

Evenings in the Tora atelier are more and more interesting. Spring is coming, guys are excited and can't wait to do some work. Andrej (and not Aleš :-)) started his first solo project, which will ultimately be analysised and will get possible corrections.

 

Večeri v ateljeju Tora so vedno bolj zanimivi. Pomlad se bliža, prsti vse bolj srbijo. Andrej (in ne Aleš :-) ) je začel svoj prvi samostojni projekt, ki bo na koncu deležen analize in morebitnih popravkov.

 

 

Matej continued to work on his little spruce and he managed to wire it, Janez even climbed on the table to continue to work on his spruce !

 

Matej se je posvečal svoji mali smrekici in jo uspel ožičiti, Janez pa je pri nadaljevanju dela na smreki splezal kar na mizo!

 

 

Miha finally wired his Chamaecyparis. This species requires a lot of work all year long. Especially when is time to wire it. In a few years since Miha is doing bonsai, he has developed his characteristic style, so in the end, when Miha was done, the tree got just minor corrections, especially corrections of empty spaces. Everything else was done very well and in Miha's own way. The tree is very interesting, different, but still within the standards of bonsai. Shari on the trunk was formed under the influence of Willson at last year's workshop, now the tree is slowly maturing. Only the position in the pot will be slightly corrected (top tilted more towards the observer) and the work will be "complete". Miha, bravo!

 

Miha je končno dokončal žičenje grahaste paciprese. S to vrsto je vse leto ogromno dela. Ko pa jo je treba ožičiti pa sploh. Miha je v nekaj letih ukvarjanja z bonsaji že razvil svoj značilni slog, zato je bilo drevo na koncu, ko je Miha končal, deležno le nekaj popravkov, predvsem popravkov praznih prostorov, ki so bili premalo vidni. Vse ostalo je Miha opravil z odliko in na svoj način. Drevo je zato zelo zanimivo, drugačno, a še vedno znotraj vseh bonsajskih standardov. Šari na deblu je nastal pod vplivom Willsona že na lanski delavnici, zdaj drevo počasi dozoreva. Le še lego v posodi bo treba nekoliko popraviti (vrh nagniti bolj proti opazovalcu) in delo bo "dokončano". Bravo Miha!

 

 

Tomorrow I'll post a separate post about the first phase on the spruce ...

 

O smreki, s katero sva napravila prvi korak, pa bom poseben prispevek objavil jutri ...

 

 

REŠILKCA

Every bonsaist has a tree in his or her collection that holds a special place there. I don't speak about the external quality of bonsai but about its story. About the tree, which, by its appearance is not the outstanding achievement, but carries the story, the message, the energy, so that the owner just can not get rid of it. In my collection a small prunus is such a tree, it survived all stages of my learning. And still insists and pleases me. More than 15 years we already share the good and the bad, it survived all my ignorance, moving from the balcony into the atrium, from the atrium to the garden. It started as a small tree that I took off the rocks in the home village and planted in a humus in a plain plastic pot.

 

Vsak bonsajist ima v svoji zbirki drevo, ki tam zaseda posebno mesto. Tu ne mislim na zunanje kvalitete bonsaja ampak na njegovo zgodbo. Na drevo, ki po svoji zunanjosti ne sodi med vrhunske dosežke, a v sebi nosi tako zgodbo, sporočilo, energijo, da se lastnik enostavno ne more posloviti od njega. V moji zbirki je takšno drevo mala rešelikica, ki je z mano preživela vse faze učenja. In še kar vztraja in me razveseljuje. Več kot 15 let že deliva dobro in slabo, preživela je vse moje neznanje, selitve z balkona v atrij, z atrija na vrt. Začela je kot drobno drevo, ki sem jo snel s skale v domači vasi in posadil v črnico v navadni plastični lonec.

 

 

From then on every spring cheers me with tiny white buds that in late April open up in to fragrant white flowers with enticing scent. And then, with luck, a bee flies by and pollinate the flower, and then in June I can admire the small dark red or even black velvet cherrys on the tree. The miracle of nature!

 

Od takrat naprej me vsako pomlad razveseli z drobnimi belimi popki, ki se konec aprila razprejo v dehteče bele cvetove omamnega vonja. In če je sreča, če mimo prileti čebela, da cvet opraši, potem junija na drevesu lahko občudujem male temno rdeče, celo žametno črne češnjice. Čudež narave!

 

 

Now I'm trying to please it in everything; I care for it with all my knowledge I'd accumulated over the years, with its help, and slowly I develop it in beauty. After more than 15 years, we're still almost at the beginning of the way :-)! Today the time has come for the regular spring care - trimming and wiring. If I wanted lush blooms, then trimming wouldn't be done until April. The girl is combed back again and ready for the new season ...

 

Zdaj ji skušam ugoditi v vsem; zanjo skrbim z vsem znanjem, ki sem si ga nabral v teh letih tudi z njeno pomočjo in jo počasi razvijam v lepotico. Po več kot 15-ih letih sva še vedno skoraj na začetku poti :-) ! Danes je prišel čas za redno spomladansko  urejanje - obrezovanje in žičenje. Če bi hotel bujno cvetenje, potem bi obrezovanje opravil šele aprila. Deklica je spet počesana in pripravljena na novo sezono ...

 

 

Janez worked on a completely different tree this morning - mighty spruce will slowly get the first form. First, the work on dead wood was done.

 

Na povsem drugačnem drevesu je danes dopoldne delal Janez - mogočna smreka, bo počasi dobila prvo obliko. Najprej je bilo na vrsti delo na suhem lesu.

 

 

Matej also joined us and tested a new technique. I'll write about this later ...

 

Tudi Matej se nama je pridružil, lepše je delati v troje, in preizkušal novo tehniko. O tej morda kaj več kdaj kasneje ... 

 

 

PS: The regular weekly meeting of the Tora group will be back tomorrow!

 

P.S.: Redno tedensko srečanje skupine Tora bo spet jutri!

POLŽEK

Sometimes things in the studio happen so fast or there is so many things going on, that I can't document everything with my camera. Last night I missed how Matej started to style the Snail, and how Andrej cut and cut the needles on mugo pine shohin size, I missed also how Miha continued to wire the Chamaecypris (but he's really quite close to the end :-)), but I manage to capture how Tomaž worked on pine. Well, I also did take a photo of Matej, when he studied the new little spruce. But once the projects will be 'finished', I will be ready!

 

Včasih se v ateljeju stvari dogajajo tako hitro, ali pa jih je toliko, da ne utegnem vsega dokumentirati tudi s fotoaparatom. Sinoči mi je tako ušlo, kako je Matej začel ustvarjati Polžka, pa kako je Andrej strigel in strigel iglice na mugotu šohin velikosti, tudi Miha je mimo fotoaparata še naprej žičil pacipreso (ampak je res že čisto blizu konca :-) ), le Tomaža pri delu na boru mi je uspelo ujeti. No, pa Mateja, ko je študiral novo smrekico. Ko bodo projekti "dokončani", mi gotovo ne bodo ušli!

 

 

ZAČETEK

Last night, we started a new episode. In S. Primorska region (near Italy) we have officially opened a branch of Tora bonsai school and began to work. For a start there was a small group of more or less experienced bonsaists who are stuck on a certain level and now need a new push. David, Grega, Bojan, Sandi, Maurizio also dropped by for a while. At regular time together we will make rapid progress and soon we'll see the results.

 

Sinoči smo začeli na novo. Uradno smo odprli podružnico Tore na S. Primorskem in začeli z delom. Za začetek manjša skupina bolj ali manj izkušenih bonsajistov, ki pa so obstali na določenem nivoju in zdaj potrebujejo nov zagon. David, Grega, Bojan, Sandi, tudi Maurizio se je oglasil za nekaj časa. Ob rednem delu bomo skupaj hitro napredovali in kmalu bodo vidni tudi rezultati.

 

Team work in Tora bonsai school!

 

Material are most excellent deciduous trees, karst species dominated by Prunus mahaleb and Cotinus coggygria. Cotinus because of the way of it's growth is not the most suitable for bonsai, but the Prunus mahaleb is one of the best of our native species. Bojan's beauty will be one of the first completed projects in the school. Last night, the tree has experienced some analysis and early intervention, at the second meeting it will be "completed". Then a slightly more extensive report on the story of it will follow.

 

Materijal so po večini odlični listavci, kraške vrste, prevladujeta rešelika in ruj. Ruj zaradi načina svoje rasti sicer ni najbolj primeren za bonsaj, zato pa je rešelika ena najboljših naših avtohtonih vrst. Bojanova lepotica bo eden od prvih dokončanih projektov v šoli. Sinoči je drevo doživelo analizo in nekaj prvih posegov, na drugem srečanju pa bo že "dokončana". Takrat tudi nekoliko obširnejše poročilo o njeni zgodbi.

 

Prunus mahaleb in working process

 

First impressions were good on both sides, so we are already promising a new episode soon!

 

Prvi vtisi so bili obojestransko dobri, zato se že kmalu obeta nova epizoda! 

RD 1



This is the story of a red pine ... :-) Collected in April 2009, last spring still intended for sale or trade (well, at a reasonable price still is), and now, after four growing seasons in the training pot, first styling is completed.

 

To je zgodba o nekem rdečem boru ... :-) Izkopan aprila 2009, lani spomladi še namenjen prodaji oz. zamenjavi (no, saj to je za primerno ceno še vedno), zdaj pa, po štirih rastnih sezonah v trening posodi prvič oblikovan.

 

Pine in May 2012: already well rooted started to grow well

Bor maja 2012, že dodobra vkoreninjen je začel bujno poganjati

 

I have quite a lot of material in the garden, but I always wait for a specific tree to call me, that I feel it, and then I start working on it. In one year, the green mass incrised a lot, container is full of roots. Time to work!

 

V vrtu imam še kar nekaj materijala, a vedno počakam, da me določeno drevo pokliče, da ga začutim, in takrat se lotim dela na njem. V enem letu je bor še pridobil na zeleni masi, korenin v posodi pa je že tako ali tako preveč. Čas za delo! 

 

 

The analysis soon showed that this is a very difficult double-trunk material. But I still like it, because usually such material, if you are trying enough and really get the best out of it, it proves to be excellent. And I like challenge! Side, where the trunks overlap, is not good for the front, so debate about where is the front was leaving only two options. But from the right side, one can clearly see how difficult the material is. From this site the thinner and smaller trunk can not be even seen:

 

Analiza je kmalu pokazala, da gre za zelo zahteven dvodebelni materijal. Ampak to mi je vedno všeč; običajno se takšen materijal, če se dovolj potrudiš in iz njega res izvlečeš največ, kar se da, izkaže za odličnega. Pa še izziv je primeren! Strani, kjer se debli prekrivata, nista primerni za prvo stran, zato sta za resnejšo debato o tem, katera je prva stran ostali le še dve možnosti. A s strani, ki je na koncu postala stranska desna, se lepo vidi, kako zahteven je materijal. S te strani se tanjšega in manjšega debla sploh ne vidi:

 

One of the options was the side on which the tree is moving to the right. I even started to work on this side, but the tree itself, as many times, said that this is not the right front: because of the branches and the inclination of the top.

 

Ena od možnosti je bila tako stran, na kateri se drevo giblje v desno. Oblikovanje sem celo začel s te strani, pa je drevo samo, tako, kot že velikokrat, povedalo, da to ni prava stran: zaradi položaja vej in naklona vrha.

 

 

And so the role of the front was declared to the side where the pine moves to the left. Inclination in a pot was not changed, I have decided that I will create a slanting style (shakkan) and at the same time, I keep both trunks as they are extremely precious with their great bark. The tree has a really great bark, years, decades of layers, there is many natural scars and jins. This is a major focal point of future bonsai. To work on such a tree, one in the first place feels respect and humility, gratitude, but one must also be careful not to touch the bark, that it is not accidentally damaged. Really fantastic details!

 

In tako je vlogo prednje strani prevzela stran, na kateri se bor nagiba v levo. Naklona v posodi nisem spreminjal, odločil sem se, da ga bom oblikoval v nagnjenem slogu in hkrati, da bom obdržal obe debli, saj sta z svojo izjemno skorjo predragoceni, da bi ju krajšal ali celo rezal. Drevo krasi res izjemna skorja, ki se je nalagala leta in leta, desetletja, veliko je naravnih brazgotin in džinov. To je glavni adut bodočega bonsaja; ob delu na takem drevesu človek v prvi vrsti občuti spoštovanje in ponižnost, tudi hvaležnost, hkrati pa je treba paziti, da se skorje ne dotikamo, da je ne bi slučajno poškodovali. Res fantastični detajli!

 

 

 

The plan of work was made, first I started with cleaning of jins, including bending some with the help of fire, then cutting needles and the tree was ready for wiring. Well, even before I was using wooden wedges to slightly extended upper part of trunks, which were originally joined and, thus, give the impression of reverse-tappering. For bending branches I used a lot of raffia, because some branches had to be bend under a sharp angle. The dilemma was how to create the top, in which side to start the spiral, so that the top will nicely complement composition. Given the fact that I decided to style the tree in slanting style, I made a left spiral and the top leaned slightly to the left, which nicely complements the overall composition. If I'd start with the right spiral, the top would move more towards nebari, but in this case this was not desirable. In short, after several days of enjoyment in work with very demanding tree, the first phase is complete. Many things remain incomplete and this is challenge for the future. Because the pine only started the path to bonsai.

 

Načrt dela je bil napravljen, najprej sem se lotil čiščenja džinov, tudi krivljenja s pomočjo ognja, potem striženja iglic in drevo je bilo pripravljeno na žičenje. No, še prej sem s pomočjo lesenih zagozd nekoliko razširil zgornji del debel, ki sta se prvotno stikali in tako dajali vtis nasprotnega ožanja. Pri krivljenju vej sem uporabil veliko rafije, saj je bilo treba nekaj vej ukriviti pod močnim kotom. Dilema, ki se mi je zastavila pri vrhu je bila, v katero stran naj začnem spiralo, da bo vrh lepo dopolnjeval kompozicijo. Glede na to, da sem se odločil za nagnjeni slog, sem napravil levo spiralo in s tem vrh nagnil nekoliko levo, kar lepo dopolnjuje celotno kompozicijo. Če bi začel z desno spiralo, bi se vrh pomaknil bolj nad nebari, kar pa v tem primeru ni bilo zaželjeno. Skratka, po večdnevnem uživanju v delu z zelo zahtevnim drevesom, je prva faza končana. Veliko stvari ostaja še nedodelanih in izziv za prihodnost. Kajti bor je zdaj šele stopil na pot do bonsaja.

 

 

Before - after

KLEK

Last night Andrej completed the first phase of styling at his Thuja occidentalis. From gritty and cheap starting material, the interesting tree was created and with proper care it can be developed in interesting bonsai. For now, most of the shari is incomplete, there is also still a lot of work on green mass, but with correct pinching the green mass will be more compact and hard, although Thuja is always somewhat uncomed,  because of the way of its growth ...
 

Andrej je sinoči dokončal prvo fazo oblikovanja svojega kleka. Iz neuglednega in poceni začetnega materijala, je nastalo zanimivo drevo, ki se bo ob pravilni negi lahko razvilo v prav takšen bonsaj. Za zdaj je večina šarija še nedodelanega, Andreja pa čaka tudi veliko dela z zelenjem, ki se lahko ob pravilnem vršičkanju zgosti in otrdi, čeprav bo klek zaradi načina svoje rasti vedno nekoliko skuštran ...

Thuja before

and after first styling

Roland has worked on Carpinus, he removed the old leaves, and then began to repare the faults in the crown. Often it seems that the tree takes a step backward, but of course this is done with reason and only in order to then take three steps forward. Roland has decided to build a crown as it should be, which is especially importan at deciduous trees. Therefore, he removed all thick secondary branches, branch will now has a nice tapper. H also made a decision how the top will be developed. Such detailed work will pay off in two seasons. Otherwise, work on Carpinus has not finished yet, something it has remained for the next workshop ...

 

Roland je delal na gabru, ki mu je odstranil staro listje, potem pa začel odpravljati napakena krošnji. Velikokrat se zdi, da z drevesom napravimo korak nazaj, a to seveda napravimo z razlogom in samo zato, da bi potem napravili tri korake naprej. Roland se je odločil, da bo krošnjo gradil tako, kot je treba, kar je pri listavcih še posebej pomembno. Zato je odstranil vse predebele sekundarne veje, da se bo veja lepo delila in ožala proti svojemu koncu. Odločil se je tudi, kako bo vzgojil vrh. Takšno natančno delo se bo v dveh sezonah zelo obrestovalo. Sicer pa dela na gabru še ni čisti končano, nekaj ga je ostalo še za naslednjo delavnico ...

 

PS: Oh, and Nik aslo visited us, he couldn't withstand it more without bonsai :-)

 

P.S.: Aja, pa obiskal nas je tudi Nik, ki ni zdržal več brez bonsajev :-)

 

SMREKA

At the regular weekly meeting of the Tora group Andrej continued to work on Thuja, Matej continued to work with maple. Roland wired his Cotoneaster (shohin size) for the first time. Cotoneaster has good potential, slightly worse nebari as Roland expecting, but still very good tree - bonsai at the beginning of its path. Thinning out branches and wiring was necessary to prepare the tree for the new season, when the crown will be carefully built from the inside out. At the next session the tree will receive some adjustments, but after the first day of work on it the difference is obvious: the first branch is still much too thin, even positioning of the branches is not quite finished, but the base is here:

 

Na redno tedensko srečanje skupine Tora so prišli Andrej, ki je nadaljeval delo na kleku, Matej, ki se je še naprej ukvarjal z javorjem in Roland, ki je prvič ožičil svojo panešpljico (Cotoneaster) šohin velikosti. Panešpljica ima dober potencial, sicer nekoliko slabši nebari, kot je Roland pričakoval, a vseeno zelo dobro drevo, na začetku svoje bonsajske poti. Redčenje vej in žičenje je bilo nujno za pripravo na novo sezono, ko bo krošnja pazljivo grajena od znotraj navzven. Drevo bo ob naslednjem srečanju deležno še nekaj popravkov, že po prvem dnevu dela na njem, pa je razlika očitna: prva veja je sicer še veliko pretanka, tudi pozicinorianje vej še ni čisto končano, a osnova je tu:

 

 

 

Last night Janez finished wiring his spruce. This is species that requires a lot of wiring, but on the other hand, it is extremely sensitive to touching. The first rule, when working on spruce is: constantly spraying and wet fingers. When I watched Carlos Van Den Vaart at recent Noelanders Trophy at demo on the spruce, I didn't beleive what I have seen. Throughout his demonstration Carlos didn't spray the spruce, even not for once, and after a few minutes needles began to fall out of his fingers; at the end the poor spruce was like a New Year's tree which is put into a corner after New Year holidays. Without needles it was doomed. While Carlos was constantly talking that spruce do not like wiring - one in a warm place, without spraying and working on with dry hands, certainly not. Within minutes our hands soak a protective layer of essential oils from needles which are then exposed to air and dry and fall off. Therefore: always spray and work with wet hands. Janez was wiring the spruce for the last four sessions in the Tora, but there were no broken needles. But he used a lot of water :-)

 

Janez je sinoči le dokončal žičenje smreke. Gre za vrsto, ki zahteva največ žičenja, po drugi strani pa je na dotike izjemno občutljiva. Prvo pravilo pri delu na smreki je: neprestano pršenje krošnje in mokri prsti. Ko sem na nedavnem Noelanders trophyju pri demonstraciji na smreki opazoval Carlosa Van Den Vaarta, se mi je kar milo storilo. Carlos ves čas demonstracije smreke ni niti enkrat popršil in že po nekaj minutah so se izpod njegovih prstov začele usipati iglice; uboga smreka je bila na koncu demonstracije podobna novoletni smrečici, ki jo oguljeno po novoletnih praznikih postavimo v kot. Brez iglic je bila obsojena na propad. Obenem pa je Carlos ves čas govoril, da smreke nimajo rade žičenja - takšnega, v toplem prostoru, brez pršenja in z suhimi rokami gotovo ne. Naše roke že v nekaj minutah izsesajo zaščitno plast eteričnih olj z iglice, ki se nato na zraku posuši in odpade. Zato torej: ves čas pršenje in mokre roke. Janez je smreko žičil na zadnjih štirih seansah v Tori, a odpadla ni praktično niti ena iglica. Zato pa je ob žičenju porabil tudi veliko vode :-)

 

Starting material

Final adjustments

Result with inclination

Without inclination

 

Before - after

 

For the first shaping the result is more than excellent. Good work, Janez! The crown is slightly to round because the first lower branches are slightly too short. But this is the smallest problem. Meanwhile, one looking at the tree can easily imagine a powerful, ancient spruce in the mountains that grow on virtually identical manner. The final design will incorporate a little more empty spaces in the crown. Until then Janez will find a suitable pot!

 

Za prvo oblikovanje je rezultat več kot odličen. Bravo Janez! Zdaj je sicer krošnja nekoliko preokrogla, ker so prve spodnje veje nekoliko prekratke. A to je najmanjša težava. Že zdaj pa si človek ob opazovanju drevesa zlahka predstavlja mogočno, starodavno smreko v Karavankah, ki rastejo na praktično identičen način. V končnem dizajnu bo v krošnji tudi nekaj več praznega prostora, ampak o tem drugič. Do takrat pa bo Janez našel tudi primerno posodo!

 

P.S.: I started a new project with red pine. I'm in the middle of work, which will last for a week or two. The report follows of course!

 

P.S.: Jaz sem začel nov projekt z rdečim borom. Sem sredi dela, ki bo trajalo še kak teden ali dva. Poročilo seveda sledi!