journal of a Pacific Bonsai Museum intern

[Michael P]

Thanks for taking us along on this journey! The boost to your confidence may be one of the greatest things you take away.

 

[pandacular]

I was looking back at photos and saw this landscape white pine that I worked on at the museum last month. It was thinned pretty extensively, and the lower pad was moved with a bamboo trellis that I built. I really enjoy working on landscape trees, and it’s a skill I want to build as it’s very marketable.

 

[pandacular]

I finally finished working on this tree today. A really nice after and before. This is a legacy dissectum maple that was started by a member of the Bonsai Bums, the original Japanese American club in Seattle. It has been some time since this tree was on display and it seems to have been in a rebuilding process for several years. Not too visible in the pictures, but there were a good 15 or so wounds that I treated as well, which I plan to document once they’ve healed. A nice thing about being a trusted volunteer is that I’m encouraged to continue to do follow-up work. There’s a few that I’ve grown fond of due to this, and this maple is certainly one.

 

[River's Edge]

I finally finished working on this tree today. A really nice after and before. This is a legacy dissectum maple that was started by a member of the Bonsai Bums, the original Japanese American club in Seattle. It has been some time since this tree was on display and it seems to have been in a rebuilding process for several years. Not too visible in the pictures, but there were a good 15 or so wounds that I treated as well, which I plan to document once they’ve healed. A nice thing about being a trusted volunteer is that I’m encouraged to continue to do follow-up work. There’s a few that I’ve grown fond of due to this, and this maple is certainly one.
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Incredibly neat name for Bonsai study group. Like the aged appearance of the bark on this one.

 

[pandacular]

Incredibly neat name for Bonsai study group. Like the aged appearance of the bark on this one.

They’re certainly a fun part of the Seattle bonsai heritage—they were one of the handful of clubs that merged to form PSBA. As far as I have heard, the Bums had many members who worked in the Japanese garden trade, and their eye for selecting material is known to be strong. Members of the club taught a number of the first generation of English speaking enthusiasts in the area going back to the 1960s.

 

[M Good]

I finally finished working on this tree today. A really nice after and before. This is a legacy dissectum maple that was started by a member of the Bonsai Bums, the original Japanese American club in Seattle. It has been some time since this tree was on display and it seems to have been in a rebuilding process for several years. Not too visible in the pictures, but there were a good 15 or so wounds that I treated as well, which I plan to document once they’ve healed. A nice thing about being a trusted volunteer is that I’m encouraged to continue to do follow-up work. There’s a few that I’ve grown fond of due to this, and this maple is certainly one.
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Is this your wiring?

 

[littletreefarmer]

Wow, just now stumbling on this awesome thread. Very happy to see you taking steps to chase the dream, man. From my perspective and your initial write-up here, I think we are in pretty similar boats when it comes to our ambitions with this wonderful art form. I hope your apprenticeship was rewarding and fruitful, and that you are able to carry that new self confidence forward into your next chapter!

Remember, reality is malleable. Everything around us was built because someone had an idea and ambition.