STOLEN!!

Last night juniper was stolen from my yard.

 

Ponoči je bil z mojega dvorišča ukraden bonsaj - kitajski brin, ki ga vsi poznate:

 

 

Pot was broken, so the tree is bare-root and has no chance to survive. If you have any information, please contact me!

 

Nesrečniku je ob kraji drevo padlo na cesto in posoda se je razbila. Vse lepo prosim za kakršnokoli informacijo. Drevo je razkoreninjeno in nima veliko možnosti za preživetje. Morda si ga bo kdo vtaknil v vrt ali pa v rit zaradi mene. Prosim za pomoč!!!

PREOBRAZBA

Last night the studio wasn't so crowded, but no less enjoyable. Miha leisurely worked on his Pinus cembra, Gašper was involved in the make-over of Chamaecyparis. It was just full of beginners' mistakes - the worse thing were branches with the syndrome of fishing sticks, as well as clouds without any real structure.
 

Sinoči v ateljeju sicer ni bilo gneče, a zato nič manj prijetno. Miha je ležerno delal na cemprinu, Gašper pa se je ukvarjal s preobrazbo paciprese. Na njej je kar mrgolelo začetniških napak - v nebo vpijoče so bile predvsem veje z sindromom ribiške palice, pa tudi oblački brez prave strukture.

 

Before

After a few hours the tree got a completely different character. Most of the errors were eliminated, the crown still too dense but nevertheless much better than before. In a further development of the tree crown will be further reduced and the tree will be poted into a suitable container. Chamaecypris is currently planted in a huge rectangular pot in which the tree is barely noticeable ...

 

Po le nekaj urah dela je drevo dobilo popolnoma drugačen karakter. Večina napak odpravljenih, krošnja še pregosta a vendar veliko bolje kot prej. V nadaljnem razvoju drevesa pride na vrsto redčenje krošnje in pa presaditev v primerno posodo. Trenutno je namreč pacipresa posajena v ogromno pravokotno posodo, v kateri drevo komaj opazimo ...

 

After, with suitable pot

POSODA

This weekend I was in the company of colleagues from the Slovenian bonsai club. We were in Udine, Italy. At the 9th International Exhibition Autumn Leaves I exhibited my juniper, which was chosen by visitors to become the most beautiful tree in the exhibition ... Noelanders Trophy - here we come! :-)

 

Ta konec tedna sem v družbi kolegov iz Slovenskega bonsaj kluba preživel v Vidmu v Italiji. Na 9. mednarodni razstavi Jesensko listje sem razstavljal brin, ki je bil po izboru obiskovalcev razglašen za najlepše drevo na razstavi ... Noelanders Trophy - že prihajamo! :-)

 

 My Ito at winners podium

 

Moreover, I wanted to write about something else. Last time I mentioned the preparations for the exhibition. And Miha's Azalea. His composition in the exhibition was tasteful: suitable exhibition table, excellent accompanying plant, including a scroll of departing cranes ... And even though the tree is (still) not quite top, it all worked very well.

 

Sicer pa sem v tem prispevku hotel pisati o nečem drugem. Zadnjič sem omenjal priprave na razstavo. In Mihatovo azalejo. Svojo kompozicijo je na razstavi okusno opremil: primerna razstavna mizica, odlična spremljevalna rastlina, tudi zvitek z odhajajočimi žerjavi ni manjkal ... In čeprav drevo (še) ni čisto vrhunsko, je vse skupaj delovalo zelo dobro.

Miha's composition

 

Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to understand people who don't give a fair pot to the good tree. Example of Maple on this exhibition - a good crown on not very good nebari - but the tree planted in a disastrous cheap container. The overall impression is bad. In general, it seems to me that the selection of pots in the West is not receiving enough attention.

 

Zato je včasih težko razumeti ljudi, ki dobremu drevesu ne namenijo niti poštene posode. Primer javorja z razstave - dobra krošnja na sicer ne preveč dobrem nebariju - a drevo posajeno v katastrofalno, ceneno posodo. Celoten vtis je tako slab. Na sploh se mi zdi, da izboru posode na Zahodu posvečamo premalo pozornosti.

This acer was planted in to really bad pot ...

 

Adriano Bonini put on display his collection of Tokoname pots. When one observes perfection of production, it is clear why the modern potters use too much structures, glaze ... If the container is as perfect as it is a superior product of  Atsumi Hirato, then it doesn't need anything.

 

Adriano Bonini je na ogled postavil svojo zbirko Tokoname posod. Ko človek opazuje popolnost izdelave, mu je jasno, zakaj je na posodah modernih lončarjev velikokrat preveč struktur, glazure ... Če je posoda tako popolna, kot je vrhunski izdelek Acumija Hirate, potem ne potrebuje ničesar. 

 

 

 

Excellent Tokoname pots - collection of Adriano Bonini

PRIPRAVE

When the tree is ready to show? This is the question that has probably been asked by every bonsaist. The answer is not easy, nor short. The fact is that the expectations and taste are growing together with the development of the respective author. On what you were very proud just a few seasons ago, now is no longer good. Even for club exhibit. When will be a certain tree for the first time presented to the public depends on many things, but above all, depends on the author's decision. There's another thing - more the author is educated in bonsai, more courage he needs for his or her first show. In any case, it is necessary to prepare a bonsai for an exhibition: tree must be in good shape, wired without errors (if the wire is needed) , bark clean, substrate arranged, pot cleaned and oiled .

 

Kdaj je drevo pripravljeno na razstavo? Vprašanje, ki si ga je najbrž zastavil že vsak bonsajist. Odgovor ni enostaven in tudi ne kratek. Dejstvo je, da se pričakovanja in z njim naš okus dvigajo skupaj z razvojem posameznega avtorja. Na kar si bil še pred nekaj sezonami nadvse ponosen, naenkrat ni več dobro. Tudi za razstavo nižjega nivoja. Kdaj bo določeno drevo prvič predstavljeno javnosti je odvisno od marsičesa, predvsem pa je odvisno od avtorjeve odločitve. Pa še nekaj je - bolj kot je avtor bonsajsko izobražen, več poguma potrebuje, za svojo prvo razstavo. V vsakem primeru pa je treba bonsaj na razstavo pripraviti: drevo mora biti v formi, ožičeno brez napak (če žico potrebuje), skorja čista, substrat v posodi urejen, posoda očiščena in naoljena.

 

This time Miha prepared an Azalea for exhibition. He will show it to the public on Sunday in Udine, Italy. The tree is not quite mature yet, the first lower branch should be further extended, in some places crown is already too dense. But for improvements in the tree is always time, because our material is alive. Even the trees winning the largest exhibitions are experiencing new and new improvements, new design and new styling. But everything else on the tree is o.k.: bark, nebari cleaned, moss carefully prepared, pot oiled. Even the table is ready and accent plant also ...

 

Miha je tokrat na razstavo pripravljal azalejo. Javnosti jo bo pokazal v nedeljo v Vidmu v Italiji. Drevo še ni čisto zrelo, prva spodnja veja se mora še podaljšati, na nekaterih mestih je krošnja že pregosta. Ampak za izboljšave na drevesu je vedno čas, saj je naš materijal živ. Tudi drevesa, ki so zmagovala največje razstave, so doživljala nove in nove izboljšave, nova in nova oblikovanja. Toda vse ostalo na drevesu je b.p.: skorja, očiščen nebari, skrbno pripravljen mah, naoljena posoda. Tudi mizica je pripravljena in spremljevalna rastlina tudi ...

 

After layer of spagnum moss, Miha carefully added the green moss and fresh substrate

 

Miha's Azalea in March 2012, right after re-potting in first bonsai-pot

In just one and a half year time Azalea did a great step forward. Great job Miha! This project illustrates what Tora bonsai school is all about!

Roland and Tomaž were studying the mugo-pine

Janez working on his mugo

Nataša finished wiring her red pine

Gašper removed the wire from his cotoneaster

 

It was another great evening in Tora bonsai school!

 

Za nami je še en lep večer v Tori!

TROJNI

Last week I was very buisy with triple-trunk red pine. After four years of preparation in training pot it called me and we did the first styling ... It is a very large tree, one of the biggest in my collection and that is why it was and still is for sale or available for trade. However, for a better idea about it's size I  photographed it in wheelbarrow before styling ...

 

Zadnji teden me je zelo zaposloval trodebelni rdeči bor. Po štirih letih priprave v trening posodi me je poklical in opravila sva prvo oblikovanje ...Gre za zelo veliko drevo, eno največjih v moji zbirki in prav zaradi tega je bil in je še vedno naprodaj ali na voljo za zamenjavo. Kakorkoli, za boljšo predstavo je pred obdelavo slikan v samokolnici ... 

 

 

The best thing and the focus point, on which I will try to lead viewer attention first (about this more later), is now hidden in a container. It is not a classic triple-trunk material, it is a raft, which has very good movement and an even better bark. It will therefore be the focal point of a future bonsai .

 

Najboljša stvar in glavna točka, kamor bom skušal najprej speljati opazovalčevo pozornost (o tem nekaj več kasneje), je za zdaj skrita v posodi. Ne gre za klasični tridebelni materijal temveč za splav, ki ima zelo dobro gibanje in še boljšo skorjo. To bo torej osrednja točka bodočega bonsaja.

 

 

The good things are also very small needles that give the observer the character of Japanese white pine. This, of course, I'll try to keep. Crown is also adorned with numerous cones ( if I did not cut them when I shortened the branches ) and they add a special charm to the tree .

 

Dobra stvar so tudi že zelo majhne iglice, ki od daleč dajejo karakter japonskega belega bora. To lastnost se bom seveda trudil ohraniti. Krošnjo krasijo tudi številni storžki (kolikor jih nisem ob krajšanju vej porezal) in dodajajo drevesu poseben čar.

 

For wiring this huge tree I spent three full days,10 hours each day, so here and there you can find some sloppiness ... ;-)

 

Za žičenje ogromnega drevesa sem porabil tri polne dni po 10 ur, zato se tu in tam najde tudi kakšna površnost ... ;-)

 

 

 

This is the pine after first styling. The skeleton. The structure of primary branches. The movement is marked to the right , the tree is very dynamic. Lower right arm could have been even longer, but in order to direct attention to nebari I keeped it shorter.

 

Tole je bor po prvem oblikovanju. Okostje. Struktura primarnih vej. Gibanje je izrazito v desno, drevo zelo dinamično. Spodnja desna veja bi morda lahko bila celo daljša, pa je zaradi usmerjanja pozornosti na nebari krajša.

 

 

The picture below is my goal - that is, more green mass in a mature crown, less jins, some of them are still intact. Oh, and the pot will be rectangular, empty space will support the longest right branch.

 

Spodnja skica je moj cilj - torej več zelenja, kot ga je zdaj, zrela krošnja, tudi manj džinov, nekateri so še nedotaknjeni. Aja, pa posoda bo pravokotna, prazen prostor bo podpiral najdaljšo desno vejo.

 

 

For simplicity, I'll used a sketch - crown is composed of three parts: the bottom is a bit behind, the middle is higher but not so big and the largest, primary right crown. Lines in the crown facing to direction where I want to be the focal point of the tree.

 

Za lažjo predstavo bom uporabil kar skico - krošnja je sestavljena iz treh delov: spodnja je malce zadaj, srednja najmanjša a višja, ter največja, primarna desna krošnja. Linije v krošnji so obrnjene tako, da pogled usmerjajo tja, kjer naj bi bila osrednja točka drevesa.

 

 

Work on such material is a great pleasure. Although I was a little disappointed with the result immediately after styling, the tree, with minor modifications, from hour to hour gives me more inspiration. Now I'm sure that in upcoming years I can transform it in a good bonsai !

 

Delo na takšnem materijalu je velik užitek. Čeprav sem bil takoj po končanem delu nekoliko razočaran nad rezultatom, pa me je drevo, z manjšimi popravki, iz ure v uro bolj navdušuje. Zdaj sem že prepričan, da ga lahko v naslednjih letih spremenim v dober bonsaj!

SREDA

Also last Wednesday  studio was full of working atmosphere, there were six trees in styling. Tora bonsai school in full swing! :-)

Tudi prejšnjo sredo je bil atelje poln delovne vneme, tokrat je bilo v obdelavi kar šest dreves. Tora v polnem teku! :-)

MIYABI TEN

When the man on the stage is more important than the tree, when the demonstrator is eager for attention and the subject of demonstration is in the second plan, then everything loses meaning. It is true that the modern bonsai demonstrations are show first and then anything else, but sometimes, in fact many times, things go across the boundaries of good taste.

This weekend we went to Gorgo al Monticano near Venice, Italy, where we visited Miyabi bonsai ten. The exhibition promised beautiful trees and interesting demonstrator : Masashi Hirao is student of famous Saburo Kato. Perhaps I'll do injustice to someone, but with gentle words - demonstration did not work. First, the organizers started demo delayed for a whole hour, then Hirao and his stage assistant, who was in charge of music and like, prepared the scene for another hour, they moved lights around and did a real drama. When all was finally  ready and even a tree in the right place, Hirao take care of yet another show. Before starting to work on the tree, he did the ceremonial thank to organizers, and then continued with a similar ceremonial introduction to the demonstration: he revealed the golden scissors, which were the gift to him from Saburo Kato. He did the  meditation with them on the stage, and then also made ​​the first cut on the tree. Then he put them back to safety. With this ceremony he wanted to honor the spirit of his great teacher, which would then lead him during a demonstration ...

Ko je človek na odru pomembnejši od drevesa, ko je demonstrator željan pozornosti in je predmet demonstracije v drugem planu, potem vse skupaj izgubi smisel. Že res, da so moderne bonsajske demonstracije najprej šov in potem še kaj drugega, a včasih, pravzaprav vedno večkrat, gredo stvari čez mejo dobrega okusa.

 

Ta konec tedna smo se odpravili v Gorgo al Monticano pri Benetkah, kjer smo obiskali Miyabi bonsai ten. Razstava je obljubljala lepa drevesa in zanimivega demonstratorja: Masaši Hirao je učenec slovitega Sabura Kata. Morda bom komu zdaj napravil krivico, a če sem nežen z besedami - demonstracija se ni najbolj posrečila. Najprej so organizatorji z začetkom demota zamujali za debelo uro, potem pa sta Hirao in njegov odrski pomočnik, ki je skrbel za glasbo in podobne reči, še eno uro pripravljala prizorišče, premeščala luči in iz tega napravila pravo dramo. Ko je bilo končno vse nared in celo drevo na pravem mestu, je za dodaten šov poskrbel še Hirao sam. Pred začetkom dela na drevesu, se je ceremonialno zahvalil organizatorjem, potem pa nadaljeval s podobno ceremonialnim uvodom v demonstracijo: razvil je zlate škarje, ki mu jih je po končanem šolanju podaril sam Saburo Kato, z njimi na odru meditiral in nato opravil prvi rez na drevesu. Potem jih je pospravil nazaj na varno. S to ceremonijo, naj bi počastil duha svojega velikega učitelja, ki naj bi ga potem med demonstracijo vodil ...

 

Bonsai warrior Masashi Hirao

If anything, we at the West aren't used to such such intros. Instead of respect to the great Saburo Kato everything was like a one big farce. The man who calls himself a Bonsai warrior, and believes that only show is important, for me, only me, he loses all the competency ... Maybe, in the original Japanese environment, all together would looked a lot better, I also believe, not only believe, I know it, that Masashi Hirao is a bonsai master, but this time he did not show that or I did not realize so.

Če kaj, potem takšnih uvodov na Zahodu nismo vajeni. Vseskupaj je namesto spoštovanja do velikega Sabura Kata vzbudilo zgolj čudne poglede in je spominjalo na burko. Človek, ki sam sebe imenuje Bonsajski bojevnik, in meni, da je pomemben zgolj šov, zame, poudarjam, zame, izgublja vse kompetence ... Mogoče bi v originalnem japonskem okolju vse skupaj izpadlo veliko bolje; verjamem tudi, ne samo verjamem, vem, da je Masaši Hirao bonsajski mojster, a tokrat tega ni pokazal oz. jaz tega nisem tako dojel.

 

Demonstration was well-attended ... at the beginning

 

Exhibition shelves in the Villa Foscarini were prepared very well. We were fascinated by the fact that each tree has plenty of space, so the observer could really pay atention to every detail. There were some trees at a very high level, but it is interesting that there were quite a few of them from to us unknown reason planted at bad angle. They offered to viewers the wrong front. Only in our opinion, of course. Was it just a mistake of the organizers, who, after the photographing, put the trees back at the wrong angle, or the exhibitors did it on deliberately, we did not know. Well at least at one maple was clear (due to the position of pot) that the author of this tree, planted it at bad angle.
 

Razstavne police v vili Foscarini so bile zelo dobro pripravljene, navduševalo je dejstvo, da ima vsako drevo dovolj prostora, da se mu opazovalec res lahko posveti. Med razstavnimi primerki je bilo nekaj dreves na zelo visokem nivoju, zanimivo pa je, da jih je bilo kar nekaj iz nam (Janez, Miha, Jan) nerazumljivega razloga v posode posajenih pod nepravim kotom oz. so gledalcem nudila napačno prvo stran. Zgolj po naši presoji seveda. Ali je bila to zgolj napaka organizatorjev, ki so drevesa po fotografiranju napačno postavili nazaj na police ali pa namen razstavljalcev, nismo dognali. No vsaj pri enem javorju je bilo jasno (zaradi položaja posode), da je avtor drevo pod tem kotom posadil nalašč.

Janez observing the trees

This very good maple was planted at bad angle, only by our opinion of course! 

 

This sylvestris is evidence, tah even form ordinary material a good result can be achieved ... At bad angle on the shelve ...

 

Anyway, we spent a pleasant day among bonsais, Miyabi ten will long be remembered!
 

Kakorkoli, preživeli smo prijeten dan med bonsaji, Miyabi ten pa nam bo še dolgo ostal v spominu!

P.S.: The Tora bonsai school has a yet another new member!

P.S.: Šola Tora ima od sobote naprej še enega novega člana!

 

RD1

Red pine is a species that I like very much. It is difficult to find a material which would combine all gloss properties of this species, but nevertheless, each and every one can gain a lot with the time. This one is adorned with incredible old bark. One would watch and watch it, flakes, lichens, wounds of long decades are telling stories. Wabi-Sabi in its deepest sense.

 

Rdeči bor je vrsta, ki mi je zelo pri srcu. Težko je sicer najti material, ki bi združeval vse sijajne lastnosti te vrste, a ne glede na to, s časom lahko vsak primerek veliko pridobi. Tega krasi izjemna stara skorja. Človek bi jo gledal in gledal, luskine, lišaji, rane dolgih desetletij pripovedujejo zgodbe. Vabi-Sabi v svojem najglobjem pomenu.

 

 

Everything else is worse: the movement, especially long branches with needles away from the trunk. It is not quite the everyday material even: there is another thinner trunk. To find a solution in the starting material was a difficult task.

 

Vse ostalo je slabše: gibanje, predvsem pa dolge veje, z iglicami daleč stran od  debla. Da ne gre čisto za vsakdanji materijal poskrbi drugo, tanjše deblo. Najti rešitev v začetnem materijalu, je bila težka naloga.

 

Starting material: February 2013

 

After the first styling I was bothered with many things. On the outside and from a distance the tree may seem good, but the in the crown a mess was hiding and there was a lot of ad hoc solutions. I have overgrown the phase in which I styled a tree in such a way that it is good just on photo. Now, for me is very important that the tree has good structure and thus an excellent starting point for further development. First I make the skeleton, and then I start development. So, after careful consideration, I decided that the lower branch must go, It was among the most forced ones ...

 

Po prvem oblikovanju me je na drevesu motilo marsikaj. Na zunaj in od daleč je drevo morda zgledalo dobro, toda v krošnji se je skrivala zmešnjava in mnogo zasilnih rešitev. Fazo, v kateri sem drevesa oblikoval le na način, da so dobra na fotografiji, sem prerasel. Zdaj mi je pomembno predvsem to, da ima drevo dobro strukturo in s tem odlično izhodišče za nadaljni razvoj. Prvo postavim skelet in potem se lotim razvoja. Zato sem se po tehtnem premisleku odločil, da mora spodnja veja stran, saj je bila med vsemi najbolj prisiljena ...

 

After first styling

 

Mess in the crown that bothered me

 

After a long analysis I drew the sketch, where I "cut" distracting branch and turned it into a jin. In this way I get a lot more dynamic tree, especially as both trunks come more to the fore and, most importantly, the bark was in the foreground.

 

Po dolgi analizi je nastala skica, na kateri sem "odrezal" motečo vejo in jo spremenil v džin. Na ta način sem dobil veliko bolj dinamično drevo, predvsem pa sta do izraza bolj prišli obe debli in, kar je najbolj pomembno, skorja je bila v prvem planu.

Sketch

Now the drawing should be only put into practice. First, a few hours of cutting the old wire off and the preparation of the tree for new wiring. After wiring a new styling and analysis. By removing a large branch the tree is widely opened, and thus showed the number of options. The front is not necessarily the one that I set in the sketch, tree now provides a wider view. At this stage I am not so concerned about that, I was concentrated on to structure of the crown: by shortening of some other branches it has made a great step forward. At this stage I was not interested in detailed styling of needles. It turned out that the decision to remove the branch was correct and now the tree has a good base for further development!

 

Zdaj je bilo treba skico le še udejaniti. Najprej nekaj ur rezanja stare žice in priprave drevesa na novo žičenje. Po žičenju oblikovanje in nova analiza. Z odstranitvijo velike veje se je drevo na široko odprlo, s tem pa tudi več možnosti. Sprednja stran ni nujno več samo tista, ki sem jo določil na skici, ampak drevo zdaj omogoča širši pogled. V tej fazi se s tem nisem toliko ukvarjal, kot s samo strukturo krošnje, ki je po krajšanju nekaterih drugih vej, zelo napredovala. Tudi milimetersko postavljanje iglic me v tej fazi ni zanimalo. Pokazalo pa se je, da je bila odločitev o odstranitvi veje pravilna in zdaj ima drevo lepo osnovo za nadaljni razvoj!

 

First front

 

This front is maybe even better

 

P.S.: Meanwhile Miha was here for the basic workshop. He did a great job, I hope we'll see us another time!

 

P.S.: Med tem se je na začetnem tečaju oglasil tudi Miha. Odrezal se je odlično in upam, da se še vidimo!

 

Miha in action