Extended bonsai study with Boon

Last fall, two bonsai students from the Southern United States visited Northern California for an extended bonsai study with Boon Manakitivipart. Tim and Tyler became fixtures at Bay Island Bonsai workshops where they worked on their technique in advance of trips to Japan.

Tyler is from Hickory, North Carolina. He’s been studying bonsai for two years and has learned quickly. Much of this study has taken place in Boon’s workshop where he’s completed four bonsai intensives. After a visit to Japan to see this year’s Kokufu exhibit, Tyler secured an apprenticeship with Shinji Suzuki in Obuse, Japan, which he hopes to begin before long. Although he likes all varieties, he is particularly looking forward to working on great pomegranate and white pine bonsai.

Tyler wiring a white pine

First trunk completed

Tim, visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina, has also completed four bonsai intensives. He’s been studying bonsai for three years and is aiming for a visit to Japan to study with Nobiuchi Urushibata at Taisho-en in Shizuoka. While in California, Tim worked on a large California juniper. The tree has been trained with the front pictured below.

Tim and large California juniper

The back of this tree boasts great deadwood. To take better advantage of this feature, Tim is working on making the back of the tree the new front.

Deadwood detail

The new front lends itself to a shorter apex, indicated by Tim’s hand below.

New front

To give an idea of what the tree will look like when the styling is complete, Tim covered the foliage to be removed with a white towel. The photo below suggests the new silhouette.

California juniper with towel covering foliage to be removed

When the work was completed, the tree was show ready. Here it is as shown at Bay Island Bonsai’s 12th annual exhibit.

California juniper

The new front does a much better job of showing off the tree’s best feature – its deadwood. In time the branch pads will fill in and create a striking silhouette.