SABINA

Juniperus sabina is European native juniper which is very good for bonsai. Trunk is usually twisted, with a lot of dead-wood, foliage on this species is also very good. This particular piece came to the TORA atelier from Rok's collection. We worked on it already last autumn, and because over-wintering was without any trouble today we completed re-styling.

 

Juniperus sabina je avtohtoni Evropski brin, ki je zelo dober za vzgojo v bonsaj. Deblo je običajno zvito, z veliko mrtvega lesa, tudi zelenje je na tej vrsti dobro. Ta brin je v TORA atelje prišel iz Rokove zbirke. Na njem sva delala že lani jeseni, ker pa je prezimil brez vsakršnih težav smo danes preobrazbo dokončali.

 

Juniperus sabina as arrived at TORA atelier, November 2014

 

In November last year Gašper cleaned the dead-wood and live veins, then we studied the material. There were several options, but at the end we decided to go with the side, where the live vein is more visible. We just wired two main branches and put them in to position. Because we felt that the tree is not ready for complete styling we stopped and postponed the work until spring.

 

Lanskega Novembra je Gašper očistil mrtev les in žive vene, potem sva material preštudirala. Ponjalo se je več opcij, toda odločila sva se za stran, kjer je živa vena bolj vidna. Ožičila sva samo dve glavni veji in jih zvila v pozicijo. Ker sva čutila, da drevo ni pripravljeno za kompletno preobrazbo, sva delo prekinila in ga nadaljevanje preložila na pomlad.

 

Possible front; but we decided to go with another side

Juniperus sabina, after first intervention, November 2014

 

Today I finished the work on the tree. I wired all branches and put them in to position. The result is very dynamic tree with great future. Now only the skeleton of the crown is set, but with pinching and proper care one can achieve great definition result in just one growing season!

 

Danes sem delo dokončal. Ožičil sem vse veje in jih pozicioniral. Rezultat je zelo dinamično drevo z lepo prihodnostjo. Za zdaj je postavljeno samo okostje krošnje, toda z vršičkanjem in pravilno oskrbo se da že v eni sezoni doseči lepo definicijo!

 

Juniperus sabina, before wiring, March 2015

 

Juniperus sabina, after wiring and re-styling, March 2015

Meanwhile Gaššper wired a neglected Pinus sylvestris in a Chinese cascade pot. If you keep in mind the pore starting material the result is very good. In the future the bottom branch will be elongated so that the lowest point of crown will be directly under the upper top. It was a funny project!

 

Medtem je Gašper ožičil zanemarjen Pinus sylvestris v kitajski kaskadni posodi. Če imate v mislih začetni materijal, potem je rezultat zelo dober. V prihodnosti bo spodnja veja podaljšana do točke, da bo najnižja točka kaskade točno pod zgornjim vrhom. To je bil zabaven projekt!

 

Pinus sylvestris, before, March 2015

 

Pinus sylvestris, after, March 2015

Gašper adjusting branches 

Pinus sylvestris, white background, March 2015

 

NIK

I put together a short video about Nik's demo. He was a guest of TORA international bonsai school. We'll continue with demos of different artists in our school in future too!

 

Tu je kratek video o Nikovi demonstraciji. Bil je gost šole TORA. Tudi v prihodnosti bomo še prirejali demonstracije različnih bonsajistov!

 

 

SMREKCA

 

I collected this spruce in Slovenian Alps and put it to rest for three years. Than the story begun. When the material is well prepared then the development is quite fast. First styling was done in February 2012.

 

To smreko sem izkopal v naših gorah in jo pustil počivati tri leta. Potem se je začela njena zgodba. Če je materijal dobro pripravljen, potem je razvoj hiter. Prvo oblikovanje je bilo opravljeno februarja 2012.

 

Picea abies, before first styling, February 2012

Work in progress - first two branches wired

Picea abies after first styling, February 2012

 

In spring 2013 spruce got its first bonsai pot. A little too big, but I couldn't reduce the root-system more. And then tree exploded! :-) After a proper care tree produce thousands of new buds, development was so quick that I have trouble to follow it. It was wired twice or even three times per year!

 

Spomladi 2013 je smreka dobila svojo prvo bonsajsko posodo. Malce preveliko, a koreninskega sistema nisem mogel še bolj zmanjšati. In potem je drevo eksplodiralo! :-) Po pravilni oskrbi je smreka nastavila na tisoče brstov, razvoj je bil tako hiter, da sem mu komaj sledil. Prežičena je bila dvakrat ali celo trikrat na leto!

 

In first bonsai pot - spring 2013

Spruce exploded with tousands of buds

 

Now the time for re-potting in to smaller pot has come. I was lucky to find this pot which suit it perfectly: with size, color and lines. After three years of hard work the spruce is almost ready for show ... 

 

Zdaj je prišel čas za presaditev v manjšo posodo. Imel sem srečo, da sem našel posodo, ki ji povsem ustreza: po velikosti, barvi in linijah. Po treh letih trdega dela, je smreka že skoraj pripravljena na razstavljanje ...

 

Picea abies in final pot, March 2015

Development 2012-2015

 

DEMO NIK

TORA international bonsai school presents: Demo with Nik Rozman, Wednesday, 25. March! Don't miss! :-)

 

Šola TORA bo v sredo 25. marca gostila Nika Rozmana, ki bo opravil demonstracijo na svojem drevesu. Začnemo ob 17-ih na običajnem naslovu, prijave so obvezne, vstopnina bo! :-) Ne zamudite priložnosti, da se naučite kaj novega, vabljeni!!!

 

 

GLOG

The spring season is on, students are coming in to atelier one after another but nevertheless I always find the time to work on my trees. This is a story about Crataegus collected in March 2012 in a Karst region. Crataegus is widely used in bonsai art but in Slovenia is somehow neglected. This is just another proof that it is a species worth to try.

 

Spomladanska sezona je v polnem teku, študentje se drug za drugim vrstijo v ateljeju. Neglede na to vedno najdem tudi čas za delo na svojih drevesih. To je zgodba o glogu, ki je bil izkopan marca 2012 na Krasu. Glog je zelo uporabljana vrsta v bonsajizmu, a v Sloveniji nekako zanemarjena. Ta zgodba je le en majhen dokaz, da je glog vrsta s katero se splača potruditi.

 

Crataegus in nature, March 2012

Collected, March 2012

After one season of growth (this is usually enough time with Karst species) in March 2013 I started to work: I selected the branches and set the main structure of the tree.

 

Po eni sezoni rasti (to je pri Kraških vrstah običajno dovolj) sem marca 2013 začel z delom: napravil sem selekcijo vej in postavil osnovni skelet drevesa.

 

Crataegus after one year of growth, March 2013

After first intervention, March 2013

Crataegus reacted well and in one year time there were a lot of secondary branches already growing. The setting of the crown structure continued.

 

Glog je dobro reagiral in čez eno leto je bilo v krošnji že veliko sekundarnih vej. Gradnja strukture krošnje se je nadaljevala.

 

Crataegus reacted well, January 2014

There were already a lot of secondary branches, January 2014

This year I decided that the time for repotting in to first bonsai pot is here. I was surprised with a quality of the root-ball, the tree could be easily potted even in to smaller pot. So the work at first potting now paid off. I prepared two pots:  first one is oval from Isabelia, the pot has a nice glaze which is quite similar to the color and texture of the bark on the tree. The second is rectangular from Sperling keramik, nice blue glaze with white clouds on the bottom. I choose the blue one.

 

Letos sem se odločil, da drevo presadim v prvo bonsajsko posodo. Prijetno sem bil presenečen nad kvaliteto koreninske grude, glog bi zlahka posadil tudi v manjšo posodo. Delo ob prvi saditvi se je torej izplačalo. Pripravil sem dve posodi: ovalno iz Isabelie, posoda ima lepo glazuro, ki je zelo podobna barvi in teksturi skorje. Druga posoda je pravokotna iz Sperling keramik, z lepo modro glazuro in belimi oblaki v spodnjem delu. Izbral sem modro.

Before work, March 2015

After wiring, March 2015, white background

After wiring, March 2015, black background

 

Development 2013-2015

 

Pot from Isabelia, or ...

... pot from Sperling?

 

The blue one! Crataegus in first bonsai pot, March 2015

The development of the tree wil now continue!

Now, as the tree is in bonsai pot, the serious work on tree will begun. The ramification will be developed, nice little twigs, I'll try to eliminate as many mistakes as I could. The tree will need several years to mature and then will be ready for showing. Nevertheless, the development of this tree is amazingly quick and I am more than happy with development so far.

 

Zdaj, ko je drevo v bonsajski posodi, se bo začelo resno delo na drevesu. Razvil bom ramifikacijo, poskušal popraviti čim več napak. Drevo bo potrebovalo nekaj let za zorenje in potem bo pripravljeno za razstavljanje. Kakorkoli - razvoj drevesa je zelo hiter in z dosedanjim razvojem sem več kot zadovoljen.

TENERIFE

I took a break before spring climax of work on trees comes, destination: Tenerife. Beautiful Canarian island in the shade of majestic El Teide volcano covered with forests of Canarian Pine - Pinus canariensis.

 

Predno se začne vrhunec spomladanskega dela na drevesih sem si privoščil oddih, cilj: Tenerife. Krasen Kanarski otok v senci mogočnega vulkana El Teide, pokrit z gozdovi Kanarskega bora - Pinus canariensis.

 

 

Tenerife is also home of Bonsai Tenerife and it's owner Jose. Of course I take a chance and visit him. He has a nice collection of trees, especially shohin-size bonsais. But most of all he has a really great collection of antic Japanese pots. Fantastic show of beauty and patina.

 

Tenerife je tudi dom Bonsai Tenerife in njegovega lastnika Joseja. Seveda sem iskoristil priložnost in ga obiskal. Ima lepo zbirko dreves, predvsem bonsajev šohin velikosti. Toda predvsem ima res izjemno zbirko antičnih japonskih posod. Fantastična predstava lepote in patine.

 

 

And because the bonsai world is so small I am sure that we'll met again. Jose, thanks for your hospitality!
 

Ker je bonsajski svet tako majhen, sem prepričan, da se bova še srečala. Jose, hvala za gostoljubnost!