treebeard55
Chumono
Jerry Meislik's visit to Fort Wayne was a solid success, in spite of what one might have expected. Jerry admitted to me later that he was dismayed when he first walked into the classroom where he would give his demo and workshop, and saw the trees for the workshop. Tho fat and healthy, every one had the dreaded "mallsai S!"
It is a measure of Jerry's skill as an artist and a coach that he helped all of us turn those "mallsai" into bonsai-to-be that have the potential to be superior trees.
The workshop trees were Ficus microcarpa 'Tigerbark.' Participants could also bring their own trees for guidance in styling and/or refining them.
The attendance was not as high as we would have hoped, but that cloud had a silver lining: it meant each workshop participant got more time with the teacher!
And it also meant that, in his demonstration, Jerry was able to engage his audience more. His teaching approach reminded me of Socrates: he asked questions and solicited opinions, and then waited for answers. Wrong answers were gently corrected. Right answers were acknowledged, often with "Did you hear what he/she just said?" to the rest of those there. (And believe me, that makes you feel good!)
The demo tree, also a 'Tigerbark,' was raffled off at the end of the demo. The lucky winner was Cat Nelson of South Bend.
Here are a few pictures: Jerry making a point; Jerry and Cat with the demo tree; my tree, before; my tree, after; and the probable future look for my tree.
It is a measure of Jerry's skill as an artist and a coach that he helped all of us turn those "mallsai" into bonsai-to-be that have the potential to be superior trees.
The workshop trees were Ficus microcarpa 'Tigerbark.' Participants could also bring their own trees for guidance in styling and/or refining them.
The attendance was not as high as we would have hoped, but that cloud had a silver lining: it meant each workshop participant got more time with the teacher!
And it also meant that, in his demonstration, Jerry was able to engage his audience more. His teaching approach reminded me of Socrates: he asked questions and solicited opinions, and then waited for answers. Wrong answers were gently corrected. Right answers were acknowledged, often with "Did you hear what he/she just said?" to the rest of those there. (And believe me, that makes you feel good!)
The demo tree, also a 'Tigerbark,' was raffled off at the end of the demo. The lucky winner was Cat Nelson of South Bend.
Here are a few pictures: Jerry making a point; Jerry and Cat with the demo tree; my tree, before; my tree, after; and the probable future look for my tree.
