ITO

In the relationship between master and disciple there is always a moment when this relationship is not one-way only anymore. Instead of that, it becames a two-way relationship, a mutual growth of both: master and his student. I found some 'masters' hard to admit that. Gašper came to Tora international school some four years ago, and started an apprentice-program a year later. He is really talented and in only two years time he completed the program. He continues to work in my atelier, but he is now more like a partner than a student. Can I still teach him something? Probably, but as I wrote before, now we can benefit both from this relationship.     

V odnosu med mojstrom in učencem vedno pride do trenutka, ko odnos ni več le enosmeren. Postane dvosmeren, skupna rast obeh: učitelja in študenta. Veliko 'mojstrov' to težko prizna. Gašper je v Toro prišel pred kakšnimi štirimi leti, vajeniški program pa začel leto kasneje. Je izjemen talent in program je končal že v dveh letih. Še vedno dela v ateljeju, toda zdaj je bolj partner kot študent. Ga še vedno lahko česa naučim? Verjetno, toda, kot sem napisal že zgoraj, zdaj lahko imava od najinega odnosa koristi oba.

Of course I don't trust my best trees to everyone. But Gašper gradually climbed up on that ladder of trust, his works were always exactly as I expected, so now It was time for the ultimate test: I trusted him a Shimpaku from my personal collection.

Seveda svojih najboljših dreves ne zaupam kar vsakemu. Toda Gašper se je počasi vzpenjal po lestvici tega zaupanja, njegovi izdelki so bili vedno točno taki, kot sem pričakoval. Zdaj je prišel čas za največji test: zaupal sem mu brin iz moje osebne zbirke.

This Shimpaku came to my collection with the help of friend Piotr Czerniachowski, who imported it from Japan. In spring 2012 it finally arrived in my garden.

Ta brin je v mojo zbirko prišel s pomočjo prijatelja Piotra Czerniachowskega, ki ga je uvozil z Japonske. Spomladi 2012 je končno prispel v moj vrt.

Shimpaku as arrived to atelier, April 2012

After a year of acclimatization, in that year it reacted extremely well, I started to work. And already after first styling it looked great.

Po letu aklimatizacije, v katerem je reagiral izjemno dobro, sem začel z delom. In že po prvem oblikovanju je izgledal odlično.

After one year of acclimatization it reacted good, April 2013

After first styling, April 2013

In Januar 2014 I prepared it for Noelanders trophy, and exhibited it in one of the biggest European show.

Januarja 2014 sem ga pripravil za Noelanders trophy in ga razstavil na eni največjih evropskih razstav.

Shimpaku at Noelanders trophy, January 2014

After repoting in spring 2015 the problems started. First one of the small branches at bottom crown died, next year two more branches died further up the tree. Dyeing of the branches was a result of a combination of two reasons: too much green mass on grafted branches, so the live veins couldn't support it anymore, and the bark beetle. The latest, so the bark beetle was far more dangerous. But luckily we found it soon enough and treated it with insecticide. 

Po presajanju spomladi 2015 so se začele težave. Najprej je odmrla manjša veja v spodnji krošnjici, naslednje leto še dve višje na drevesu. Vzrok odmiranja vej je bila kombinacija dveh stvari: preveč zelene mase na cepljenih vejah, tako da je žive vene niso mogle več hraniti, in podlubnik. Hrošček je bil seveda veliko nevarnejši. Na srečo smo ga odkrili dovolj zgodaj in drevo tretirali z insekticidom.

Traces of bark beetle on the dead branch ...

Now, with all problems solved (hopefully) the tree was ready for wiring again. I trusted this job to Gašper. He did it slowly but surely :-) and in the few weeks he completed the job:

Potem, ko so bili vsi problemi rešeni (upajmo vsaj), je bilo drevo pripravljeno za novo žičenje. Delo sem zaupal Gašperju; opravil ga je počasi a zanesljivo :-) in ga dokončal v nekaj tednih:

Shimpaku before wiring, September 2016

Gašper started to work in late summer heat ...

And finished in early fall cold :-)

Shimpaku after wiring and cleaning. Superb work by Gašper!

Yes, he did a superb job again! The Shimpaku called Mama is shining again, and Gašer - he passed the ultimate test with honors!

Da, spet je opravil sijajno delo! Brin imenovan Mama spet blesti in Gašper - največji test je opravil z odliko!

VIRGINIANA

The trees are changing and together with them also we are changing ... As we all know, bonsai art is a never ending story; but we pursue perfection and with years we get closer and closer ;-) This is a story about Juniperus virginiana.

Drevesa se spreminjajo in mi z njimi ... Kot vsi dobro vemo: bonsaizem je nikoli dokončana umetnost, toda z njo zasledujemo popolnost in z leti smo ji bliže in bliže ;-) To je zgodba o virginijskem brinu. 

Juniperus virginana species is not as highly appreciated in the bonsai world as Juniperus chinensis; but nevertheless one can obtain a very good results with it. I am not a fan of grafting Itoigawa species onto all junipers because I like diversity, different colors and character of different species. Of course, Itoigawa is still a king, and I have some of them in my garden, but I wish a diversity too. I acquired this tree from Marek Gajda in Warsaw in 2009 and started with work a year later. From the very beginning I have a dramatic shape in mind, so I started to work on deadwood and split the trunk. 

Virginijski brin v bonsajskem svetu ni tako cenjena vrsta kot kitajski brin. Toda vseeno se da z njim doseči dobre rezultate. Ker imam rad raznolikost, različne barve in karakter, nisem privrženec cepljenja itoigave na vse druge brine. Seveda je itoigava še vedno kralj in v mojem vrtu jih je kar nekaj, toda, kot rečeno, rad imam tudi raznolikost. To drevo sem leta 2009 kupil v Varšavi pri Mareku Gajdi in leto kasneje začel z delom. Že od začetka sem imel v mislih dramatično obliko, tako da sem začel z delom na mrtvem lesu in razcepil deblo.

Juniperus virginiana, starting material, 2010

After first intervention

In May 2012 I proceeded with work, further split the trunk and made the selection of branches.

Maja 2012 sem z delom nadaljeval, še bolj sem razcepil deblo in naredil selekcijo vej.

It reacted well and in spring 2013 I repoted it into a bonsai pot. Also, after repoting the tree still grew vigorously. This is a feature of Virginia junipers - they are really strong and they can undertake a lot of stress. 

Reagiral je dobro in spomladi 2013 sem ga presadil v bonsajsko posodo. Tudi po presajanju je živahno poganjal. In to je značilnost virginijskih brinov - so močni in lahko preživijo veliko stresa.

Juniperus virginiana, Jun 2013

In summer 2014 I removed the wood which devided the live trunk from dead part and wired it fully. I also started with preparation for exhibition - I registered it for the biggest show in Europe - Noelanders trophy.

Poleti 2014 sem odstranil les, ki je živo deblo ločeval od mrtvega dela ter ga popolnoma ožičil. Začel sem tudi s pripravami na razstavo - prijavil sem ga na največjo razstavo v Evropi - Noelanders trophy.

So, in February 2015 I traveled to Belgium and put it on the exhibition in Genk. This is the highlight of this tree for now. But I proved to myself that with hard and proper work one can achieve a high level even with such  material.

Februarja 2015 sem se torej odpravil v Belgijo in ga v Genku postavil na razstavne police. To je gotovo vrhunec tega drevesa do sedaj. Toda dokazal sem si, da se s trdim in pravilnim delom lahko visok nivo doseže tudi s takšnim materijalom. 

Juniperus virginiana at official photo-shooting, NT 2015

Now, after one year of rest, the tree needed a haircut and complete re-wiring. I slowly proceeded towards the top of the tree and completed the job in a few days. 

Po letu počitka je drevo potrebovalo obrezovanje in kompletno prežičenje. Počasi sem napredoval proti vrhu in delo v nekaj dneh dokončal. 

Juniperus virginiana, October 2016

After wiring

Because the lowest branch was too heavy for this design and it also covered the main feature of the tree- jin on the right side, I decided to remove it completely.

Ker je bila spodnja veja pretežka za ta dizajn in ker je tudi zakrivala eno glavnih značilnosti tega brina - džin na desni strani - sem se odločil, da jo v celoti odstranim.

Then I proceeded with work on dead-wood and live veins, cleaned all and applied lime-sulfur. The juniper Drama is now shining again and it is show-ready!

Potem sem nadaljeval z delom na mrtvem lesu in živih venah, ga očistil in premazal z apnenim žveplom. Brin Drama spet sije v vsej svoji lepoti in je pripravljen na razstavljanje.

Cleaned and wired, shining again, October 2016

White background

Composition in tokonoma

So, we, the tree and I, are 6 years older, 6 years of work, 6 years of living together. This is relatively short period of time in bonsai world, so I am looking forward for the next decades of our mutual growth!

Drevo in jaz sva 6 let starejša. 6 let dela in skupnega življenja. To je v bonsajskem svetu relativno kratko obdobje, zato se že veselim naslednji desetletij skupne rasti!