Young bonsai artist from Tennessee..astounding bonsai

october said:
I was recently sent the link of this young, bonsai artist's homepage. He is from east Tennessee, and interned in Japan. His trees are probably among the best that I have seen. These artists are the "dark horses". They come out of no where, may not be well known and many times, win the awards at the exhibitions. Here is the link to his portfolio page.

Rob

http://bjorvalabonsaistudio.com/gallery/portfolio/#
Click to expand...

How about posting a link to some of the YouTube content? Please?
 
I love those collected J. white pines. (I like our mountain pines, too!) Thanks for sharing the site.

Best,

Augustine
central MD 7a
 
Does anybody have any thing that isn't a link to youtube or a wordpress managed blog? I have... china firewall issues...
 
Bjorn and Owen are both from Tennessee and are great.

Owen Reich was at our clubs Joy of Bonsai weekend at Kawa Bonsai Society In Burnell Fla last month. They both were apprenticeship at same nursery, Bjorn being 1st App. Owen said Bjorn was planning on living in Japan on a permanent basis . Owen is / going to be a great teacher of Bonsai. I am sure Bjorn is also, I love his videos. I especially like the set it on the ground spoof video, but all are good.
 
BUBBAFRGA said:
Bjorn and Owen are both from Tennessee and are great.

Owen Reich was at our clubs Joy of Bonsai weekend at Kawa Bonsai Society In Burnell Fla last month. They both were apprenticeship at same nursery, Bjorn being 1st App. Owen said Bjorn was planning on living in Japan on a permanent basis . Owen is / going to be a great teacher of Bonsai. I am sure Bjorn is also, I love his videos. I especially like the set it on the ground spoof video, but all are good.
Click to expand...

I hope he decides to stay in America. Japan has enough first rate bonsai Masters.
 
Heard something about a girl, he's got the whole Japanese experience going on.

From a selfish point of view... the Bonsai Art of Japan series may continue on if he does stay in Japan. Sounds better than the Bonsai art of Tennesee
 
Here is a major problem that I see. The majority of bonsai in this country are simply horrid, including mine. We seem to lack the ability or the willingness to challenge ourselves to go further and then we accept truly mediocre bonsai as the epitome of the art. I have noticed from the events I have seen by the traveling masters, either from Europe or Japan, will deliver a demo tree that is way below the standards that would be actable from either Europe or Japan. Why? Why does a cat lick it's back side? Because it can, and these bonsai gurus fall into the same category. They do what they do because they can. I am not going to name names so don't even ask but they get away with it because they hold us in such low regard.

So why do you think this young up and coming bonsai master wants to live in Japan? That is going to be difficult for him up front because the Japanese tend to be very clannish, I hope I am wrong.
 
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BigDave said:
Heard something about a girl, he's got the whole Japanese experience going on.

From a selfish point of view... the Bonsai Art of Japan series may continue on if he does stay in Japan. Sounds better than the Bonsai art of Tennesee
Click to expand...

Maybe, but wouldn't you like to see a trend setting series instilled the Bonsai art of Tennessee?
 
daygan said:
Does anybody have any thing that isn't a link to youtube or a wordpress managed blog? I have... china firewall issues...
Click to expand...

Check out;

Keiichi Fujikaw's International Bonsai School
 
Vance Wood said:
Here is a major problem that I see. The majority of bonsai in this country are simply horrid, including mine. We seem to lack the ability or the willingness to challenge ourselves to go further and then we accept truly mediocre bonsai as the epitome of the art. I have noticed from the events I have seen by the traveling masters, either from Europe or Japan, will deliver a demo tree that is way below the standards that would be actable from either Europe or Japan. Why? Why does a cat lick it's back side? Because it can, and these bonsai gurus fall into the same category. They do what they do because they can. I am not going to name names so don't even ask but they get away with it because they hold us in such low regard.

So why do you think this young up and coming bonsai master wants to live in Japan? That is going to be difficult for him up front because the Japanese tend to be very clannish, I hope I am wrong.
Click to expand...
The majority of Bonsai in the US... "WAS" horrid.
Things are changing, I see it all the time.
The "artist" are now beginning to come into the
trade...
 
I think the sometimes lack of quality bonsai in the US are due to many factors. First, many people are not that passionate about it..plain and simple. They will have a few trees, but sometimes not even try to learn more. Many are happy with maintaining a beginners amount of knowledge.

Second, money. Bonsai material seems to be getting more and more expensive in the US, as is everything else. Also, taking a micro view, depending where you are in the US, the price can be quite a bit higher. In japan, they can purchase beautiful pre bonsai material sometimes for around $300. When some places in the US would charge like $1000.

Third, attitude. Seems like more and more people seem to think they have mastered the art in a very short time. They dispute the teachings of people that have almost a life time of bonsai experience when they are only just beginniners. This, right out of the gate mentality can lead to a bonsai education that will never really develop. There is the ever present line of thinking, I want to do my own thing and I am going to do it. Doing your own thing at 20-30 years of bonsai experience is great. Doing your own thing at 1 years experience, is just not rational and leads to a huge obstacle in learning that ironically, the person has put there themselves.

Think of it like this. Look at the artists that have well respected work here in the US...How about we Use Ryan Neil since he is pretty well known. As far a I know. He interned with Kimoura in Japan for about 5 years. Now, do you see what a new, beginner bonsai artist can accomplish when he realizes that he needs to pay attention and that there is so much to learn. His learning was uninhibited because he was open to his teachers lessons. He may have questions, but did not refute, dispute and tell Kimura that he was going to do his own thing. The rewards come back a thousand times over if a new enthusiast is willing to be open to all learning.

When you first enter bonsai. Realizing that you know nothing, is actually your greatest learning tool.

Rob
 
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october said:
I think the sometimes lack of quality bonsai in the US are due to many factors. First, many people are not that passionate about it..plain and simple. They will have a few trees, but sometimes not even try to learn more. Many are happy with maintaining a beginners amount of knowledge.

Second, money. Bonsai material seems to be getting more and more expensive in the US, as is everything else. Also, taking a micro view, depending where you are in the US, the price can be quite a bit higher. In japan, they can purchase beautiful pre bonsai material sometimes for around $300. When some places in the US would charge like $1000.

Third, attitude. Seems like more and more people seem to think they have mastered the art in a very short time. They dispute the teachings of people that have almost a life time of bonsai experience when they are only just beginniners. This, right out of the gate mentality can lead to a bonsai education that will never really develop. There is the ever present line of thinking, I want to do my own thing and I am going to do it. Doing your own thing at 20-30 years of bonsai experience is great. Doing your own thing at 1 years experience, is just not rational and leads to a huge obstacle in learning that ironically, the person has put there themselves.

Think of it like this. Look at the artists that have well respected work here in the US...How about we Use Ryan Neil since he is pretty well known. As far a I know. He interned with Kimoura in Japan for about 5 years. Now, do you see what happens when a new, beginner bonsai artist can accomplish when he realizes that he needs to pay attention and that there is so much to learn. His learning was uninhibited because he was open to his teachers lessons. He may have questions, but did not refute, dispute and tell Kimura that he was going to do his own thing. The rewards come back a thousand times over if a new enthusiast is willing to be open to all learning.

When you first enter bonsai. Realizing that you know nothing, is actually your greatest learning tool.

Rob
Click to expand...

Sadly; around American bonsai there are those who not only fall into the category that you described in the beginning of your post ( your third point) they encourage other beginners to do the same thing and will attack anyone who endeavors to tell them differently.
 
october said:
.. Realizing that you know nothing, is actually your greatest learning tool.

Rob
Click to expand...

A concept in life in general. Very well said, Rob. Sometimes a humble pair of scissors can create a great bonsai. If the hand that holds the scissors is humble too, a masterpiece arises..

-Dorothy
 
october said:
I think the sometimes lack of quality bonsai in the US are due to many factors. First, many people are not that passionate about it..plain and simple. They will have a few trees, but sometimes not even try to learn more. Many are happy with maintaining a beginners amount of knowledge.

Second, money. Bonsai material seems to be getting more and more expensive in the US, as is everything else. Also, taking a micro view, depending where you are in the US, the price can be quite a bit higher. In japan, they can purchase beautiful pre bonsai material sometimes for around $300. When some places in the US would charge like $1000.

Third, attitude. Seems like more and more people seem to think they have mastered the art in a very short time. They dispute the teaching of people that have almost a life time of bonsai experience when they are only just beginniners. This, right out of the gate mentality can lead to a bonsai education that will never really develop. There is the ever present line of thinking, I want to do my own thing and I am going to do it. Doing your own thing at 20-30 years of bonsai experience is great. Doing your own thing at 1 years experience, is just not rational and leads to an huge obstacle in learning that ironically, the person has put there themselves.

Think of it like this. Look at the artists that have well respected work here in the US...How about we Use Ryan Neil since he is pretty well known. As far a I know. He interned with Kimoura in Japan for about 5 years. Now, do you see what happens when a new, beginner bonsai artist can accomplish when he realizes that he needs to pay attention and that there is so much to learn. His learning was uninhibited because he was open to his teachers lessons. He may have questions, but did not refute, dispute and tell Kimura that he was going to do his own thing. The rewards come back a thousand times over if a new enthusiast is willing to be open to all learning.

When you first enter bonsai. Realizing that you know nothing, is actually your greatest learning tool.

Rob
Click to expand...
Oh, come now... this sounds like "Old Man Talk"... Those kids will never
learn... you can't teach them a god-d@$m thing...

First let me say that the Bonsai trees of today are much better here in the
US than they were years ago... There is no comparison, period.
This is not because of "Old-Timers", somehow now, deciding not to do what
what they have been doing for years... on the contrary, it is because of those
same folks that you label as "wanting to do my own thing and I am going to do it".

They are the one's wondering why it takes fifty years to do something and are
instead figuring out "new" ways to accomplish something, in a much shorter
time... instead of butting their head against the wall, with an attitude of, "Well...
it's the way it has always been done, as well as the way I was taught..."

You talk about Kimura, as though he was somehow, part of the establishment
in Japan... On the contrary, He pretty much gave them the finger, his work
was not respected for a very long time... and arround some circles, I would
say it is still safe to say he is still not. He broke down barriers, and did things
that were not done in the Bonsai community.

Sorry, but with all due respect your whole post is bull...
 
Vance Wood said:
Sadly; around American bonsai there are those who not only fall into the category that you described in the beginning of your post ( your third point) they encourage other beginners to do the same thing and will attack anyone who endeavors to tell them differently.
Click to expand...

Guilty as charged...

:):):)

Reason being ???

You, as well as a lot of "Old-Timers" have a chip on your shoulder...
you think that for some reason, because you tell someone what
they should do... that they should "actually" do it without asking
why ??? And when they do, you get all "pissy"

There are new ideas comming out every day in the world of Bonsai...
You would know this, if you weren't always telling people not to try,
and see what happens...
 
...but even master Kimura had to spend years learning the basics before he acquired the wisdom to know which "rules" he could break.
 
sawgrass said:
Oh, come now... this sounds like "Old Man Talk"... Those kids will never
learn... you can't teach them a god-d@$m thing...

First let me say that the Bonsai trees of today are much better here in the
US than they were years ago... There is no comparison, period.
This is not because of "Old-Timers", somehow now, deciding not to do what
what they have been doing for years... on the contrary, it is because of those
same folks that you label as "wanting to do my own thing and I am going to do it".

They are the one's wondering why it takes fifty years to do something and are
instead figuring out "new" ways to accomplish something, in a much shorter
time... instead of butting their head against the wall, with an attitude of, "Well...
it's the way it has always been done, as well as the way I was taught..."

You talk about Kimura, as though he was somehow, part of the establishment
in Japan... On the contrary, He pretty much gave them the finger, his work
was not respected for a very long time... and arround some circles, I would
say it is still safe to say he is still not. He broke down barriers, and did things
that were not done in the Bonsai community.

Sorry, but with all due respect your whole post is bull...
Click to expand...

There is a saying " You are entitled to your own opinions, but not entitled to your own facts"

You don't need to reread my post. I'll just condense it.. My first point. Many people that have trees are not that passionate about bonsai. People have a juniper or 2 and are satisfied to keep them alive. This is fact. Many people dabble in bonsai. There is absolutley nothing wrong with that.

Second, money issues.. Fact, quality material is more available and much cheaper in Japan. This not opinion. It is a fact.

Third, attitude...So you are telling me that you have never seen someone with 6 months to 1 years experience talk as if they have been doing bonsai for years and can answer any bonsai related question. Sorry, but it is another fact. Happens all the time...

Like I said, you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts...You can convince yourself and believe a banana is red. However, it is not, the fact is, it is yellow.

Rob
 
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sawgrass said:
Guilty as charged...

:):):)

Reason being ???

You, as well as a lot of "Old-Timers" have a chip on your shoulder...
you think that for some reason, because you tell someone what
they should do... that they should "actually" do it without asking
why ??? And when they do, you get all "pissy"

There are new ideas comming out every day in the world of Bonsai...
You would know this, if you weren't always telling people not to try,
and see what happens...
Click to expand...

And you sir don't know and don't know you don't know. In short you are full of -------- expletive deleted.
 
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