These articles were published in the Golden Statements magazine or earlier.
Irasshaimase!
Welcome to Peter Adams
by Cheryl Petty -- February 2, 2009
Peter and Kate Adams have re-located to Washington State from England where he established a rich career, combining fine arts with bonsai and horticulture. He says he tries to emulate the tea master by being understated and helpful while guiding many successful international students and making many beautiful trees over the years.
Kate and Peter Adams
No Yokonai Bonsai
An Interview with John Thompson
by Cheryl Petty -- February 2, 2009
Oaks are common species for bonsai and rewarding to the enthusiast willing to find them. John Thompson, member of Midori Bonsai Club in San Jose, has been interested in oaks from the beginning, collecting many different kinds of oaks from all around California. He has been on collection parties with Harry Hirau to Jaw Bone Canyon in Mojave, learning and improving his technique and resulting in 60-70% success.
In November 2005 John was invited to conduct workshops and demonstrations for the Redding Bonsai Club at Turtle Bay Museum and Exploration Park in conjunction with a collection trip the next day to Whitmore, east of Redding in the foothills. This started two years of collecting at this location for John, adding several trees to his collection of 150 trees. John says, “ That’s too many for one person to handle. All your time is spent going around watering and not developing your trees.” His goal is to get down to 20-30 really good trees, including his collected oak with 6-7-inch trunk.
Quercus chrysolepis
Mini Bonsai
Saika Bonsai
by Cheryl Petty -- February 2, 2009
Dunsmuir, CA—A contemporary form of bonsai called ‘Saika’ is gaining popularity in Japan. It is like flower arranging except using rooted plants in a permanent arrangement. Japanese women use these darling potted bonsai as seasonal decorations in their homes or displayed prominently outdoors where they can be appreciated for themselves, changing them out frequently.
Saika is being promoted in Japan by a few hardy bonsai artists not afraid of bucking the predominantly male oriented, single specimen tree practice. Kaori Yamada is one of these innovating women who is also fifth generation of a family who runs a bonsai nursery called Seiko-en in Omiya Village which I visited on my trip to Japan last year. Yamada is a prolific book writer, and I purchased one of her books which I am wearing to tatters. Although it is all in Japanese, the photos are very good and show every step needed to create her designs.
Kaori Yamada
Accent Plant
SHITAKUSA VERSUS KUSAMONO
by Kora Dalager -- February 22, 2008
When we display bonsai, we usually also include an accent plant-as it has become known over the years. The correct term should be shitakusa which is translated from the Japanese into: shita=below or under, and kusa= grass. In the last 20 or so years a related or new art form has developed, commonly known as kusamono, which literally means: kusa=grass and mono=thing. Mrs. Keiko Yamane, a student of Mr. Saburo Kato, is one of the pioneers in the art of kusamono. Now we have distinct differentiations between companion plants and kusamono.
