7:00p.m. - 10p.m. Meeting
Harunobu
Tokita
At our February
13th meeting a special workshop/demonstration was
conducted by Harunobu Tokita, Mr. Mitsuya's student,
and Kathy Shaner's senior colleague.
Kathy was
on hand to interpret and give us additional
info.
Did you know?
Kathy
Shaner revealed that it is uncommon in Japan to
have club meetings where members learn how to work
on their bonsai. Instead, one typically learns by
reading books and working by yourself. If you are
very lucky you may work one-on-one with a bonsai
master like Mr. Tokita.
At Kusamura
Bonsai Club (and most others in the U.S.) our
primary goal is to teach how to create and improve
your bonsai. We believe we learn more by working
together than working alone. This is why we have
regular workshops where members are encouraged to
bring in a tree on which to work.
Kusamura Bonsai
Club is very pleased that we have been able to have
Mr. Tokita, Kathy Shaner, Mr. Mistuya and many
other fine teachers at our club meetings.
Below are some
photos from the recent workshop by Mr.
Tokita.
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Mr.
Tokita discussing additional changes he'd
like to see in a tree he has worked on
twice before.
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Mr.
Tokita working on one of our club member's
trees.
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Kathy
Shaner and Mr. Tokita discussing how to
improve the styling of this pine.
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"It's
perfect! Nothing to improve."
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President's
Message
This month's
meeting will be the same format as last month's.
However, it should be even more interesting and
informative as Harunoba Tokita, our guest
instructor from Japan, will be discussing members'
plants that have been worked on in one or more of
his three visits to our club. Workshop attendees
were requested to bring in their trees cleaned up
and wired and ready for a "next stage" critique.
Also bring tools, wire, and a table covering so
that you and he will be able to further style your
tree. Even if you don't have a tree, you will learn
a lot as an observer. Let's not disappoint Mr.
Tokita with a poor showing.
Last month I had
my docent appreciation workshop with Kathy Shaner
at the Northern Collection. Kathy also gave us a
mini tour of the trees that have been worked on
recently. Once again I urge all of you to take
advantage of the perks of being a volunteer at the
Collection. In years to come, it may be the only
way you'll get a workshop with Kathy.
The January
potting party was successful--we had donated trees
as well as those purchased by Duncan Minalga and
Pauline Wood--and 17 participants. Let's have
another well-attended workshop this month.
But note
that the date has been changed to February
22. And
again, please remember that the Plantings don't
have room to house either the trees you've styled
or any trees that remain to be styled. We have to
share caring for them until the next potting
party/until the show.
If you're like
me, you don't have enough used copper and aluminum
wire to bother going to a recycling center. Nor do
you want the wire cluttering your garage for years
until you do. The Plantings (once again) have
graciously consented to allow us to use their
garage and a collection center. Bring your wire to
either of the remaining potting parties. We'll make
it an annual event to recycle for the club's
benefit.
Show
Chairman's Update
Show time is
closer than you think, April 23, 24, and 25 will
run right up to meet us if we are not careful.
There is a lot to be done before the show.
1) Each member is
required to contribute at least three styled trees
to the plant sale. If you cannot come up with three
plants you can make a donation of fifteen dollars
for each of the plants you don't supply.
2) Something new:
We will accept consignment plants in the plant
sale. These would be better material than the usual
donation plants, but they don't count as your
donation plants. Consignment material will be sold
at the price you set with 20% of the sale going to
Kusamura. Bill Scott has graciously agreed to
administer this part of the plant sale.
3) Bill's
assistants are Duncan Minalga and Pauline Wood.
They have taken on the task of gathering materials
for the potting parties. On the night before the
first potting party, and with permission from a
landscape customer, they heroically dug a group of
boxwoods with incredible nebari. If you have any
ideas on other good places to gather more materials
for potting parties, please let them know. Contact
Pauline and Duncan.
4) Rickie Archila
has agreed to coordinate setting up an education
table. He will need help doing this. The current
plan is to have two species of trees, one
coniferous and one deciduous, and show the stages
of development from gallon can to show tree.
Jim Ransohoff
will contribute the completed trees and photos of
the steps used to develop them. Rickie will need
help gathering one-gallon stock of the two types of
trees shown and some intermediate stages as well.
He will work with Jim on this, but your help is
needed, too. Jim and Rickie should have photos of
the trees they plan to use at the next meeting. If
you have intermediate plants of the same species,
consider offering them for this display.
5) We have
kitchen coordinators in Barbara Murray and Maria
Huang. Thanks to them. Please support them by
signing up to help in the kitchen and donate
food.
6) One of the
great contributors to making our previous shows
come together is Barbara Murray, who for years has
typed the cards that identify the various plants
shown. Her hands are hurting her too much for her
to do it now. Board member Charlene Fisher said she
would help out. I have also twisted the arms of
others to say they would assist. Individual members
can help by checking the old tags on file and using
those that are applicable. For show plants that
have no old tags, members need to submit a legible
list giving, for each plant, the common name,
botanical name, and years in training. If someone
wanted to coordinate gathering information on all
plants to be shown, we could do tags in advance of
the show computer driven.
7) The usual
lists for hospitality, kitchen, food, front door
greeters, and plant sales will be at our next
meeting. Please sign up for as much time as you can
spare.
Thanks,
Sandy Vrooman
