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!

GOZD

Miha completed the first styling on his stunning root-connected forest of Fagus sylvatica - "yose ue". He worked many nights in TORA atelier, but the result is great. Fantastic piece of material with so many details, this bonsai has a really great future. Now the tree will rest, in one year from now it will be potted on slab which will represent a small hill.

 

Miha je končal prvo oblikovanje svojega bukovega gozdička - yose ue. Kar nekaj večerov je trdo delal v TORA atelejeju, toda rezultat je odličen. Krasen materijal ima zelo veliko podorbnosti, ta bonsai ima res svetlo prihodnost. Zdaj bo drevo počivalo, čez leto dni pa bo posajen pa ploščo, ki bo predstavljala manjši hrib.

 

Fagus sylvatica as arrived in to atelier

Miha started a long process of cutting and wiring

 

Great root-connected nebari, one of many fine details on the tree

Miha working on last details

 

This is also a  possible front

Fagus sylvatica, yose ue, after first styling

 

NOELANDERS 2015

I am sure, that you already know everything about this year's Noelanders trophy; I'll just add some of my impressions: Noelanders Trophy 2015 was amazing show. After year or two of stagnation, the exhibition gain the momentum, the quality rises again. There were many world class trees, a lot of them really mature and really ready for show. Judges had a hard job to announced the best bonsais among this quality. The new venue is great, especially the traders have enough space now.

 

Prepričan sem, da o letošnjem Noelanders Trophyju veste že vse, dodal bom samo nekaj mojih vtisov: Noelanders Trophy 2015 je bil izjemen. Po nekaj letih stagnacije je razstava dobila nov zalet in kvaliteta se spet dviguje. Na ogled je bilo veliko mojstrovin, veliko med njimi jih je bilo res zrečih in pripravljenih na razstavljanje. Sodniki so imeli zelo težko delo, da so med takšno kvaliteto razglasili najboljše bonsaje. Nov prostor je odličen, predvsem prodajalci imajo zdaj dovolj prostora.

 

Sašo, student of TORA international bonsai school, enjoying the first contact with high quality trees at night before the official opening ...

 

Willy Evenepoel, the master photographer of Noelanders Trophy, is preparing my Juniper for official photographing

 

My other Juniper at official photographing

 

Fantastic bark on Black pine of Jesus Valero

I was atracted by this composition of Erasmo Garcia Fernandez

 

 

 
 
 

The new venue is great

Fantastic Alnus serrulata, the best decidous tree. The new owner is Mauro Stemberger (maybe for a last month or two), but all credits goes to Spanish El Tim bonsai even though on the card Mauro was credited also as artist. 

The great winner of the NT 2015: fantastic Pinus pentaphylla. The owner is Andres Alvarez Iglesias, Mario Komsta styled this tree as is correctly listed on the card ;-)

The best shohin: great composition by Mark adn Rita Cooper.

 

 

Organizers still have room for improvement, especially at reception of the trees ... Nevertheless I was proud to be a part of such a show with two of my trees. I was happy to met all my bonsai friends again and spent some quality time with them. Also the students of TORA international school enjoyed the exhibition ...

 

Organizatorji imajo še vedno kar nekaj prostora za izboljšave, predvsem pri sprejemu dreves ... Kakorkoli že, bil sem ponosen, da sem bil z dvema svojima drevesoma del takšnega dogodka. Vesel sem bil ponovnih snidenj z bonsajskimi prijatelji in časa, ki sem ga preživel z njimi. Tudi študentje šole TORA so na razstavi uživali ...