During the recent Redwood Empire Bonsai Society’s 35th Annual Bonsai Show, August 25 and 26, 2018, held at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, Master Bonsai Artist and Club Sensei Kathy Shaner performed two demonstrations – a collected Sierra juniper on Saturday and a Procumbens juniper on Sunday, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Let’s look more closely at the Sunday’s performance on the Procumbens juniper (also known as Japanese Garden juniper or Common juniper).
The demo tree was a healthy green and full of foliage. There were several primary branches. Kathy first dug into the surface soil to discover the nebari girth (strength of the surface roots and trunk base). She removed some of the length in the foliage to give a better look at the movement of the trunk.
By removing the dense foliage, one could see the strength and interesting movement of the trunk.
Kathy cautioned about removing too much of the foliage in the initial styling. Here the apex appears as a rounded mass of foliage at the top. The primary side branch is left alone for the time being to protect the health of the tree.
After a bit more styling, it is time to raffle the tree. Kathy and Raffle Chair Wayne Culp build on the excitement in selecting the winning raffle ticket.
Club member Jim Scholz was rewarded for buying the raffle tickets by adding the Procumbens juniper to his bonsai collection.
Congratulations, Jim.
juniper.
The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society (REBS) of Santa Rosa, California, cordially invites you to join us to celebrate the 35th year for the exhibition of Japanese living art of bonsai held on August 25 and 26, 2018. The Redwood Empire Bonsai Society was founded in 1981 by a small group of bonsai enthusiasts in Sonoma County. The first exhibition may have been the displaying of 45 bonsai but has since grown to more than 200. We have been displaying bonsai at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., in Santa Rosa, now for 35 years. The exhibition is the largest in the US of its kind. Our mission is to teach and promote the living art of bonsai. Our Sensei Kathy Shaner has been involved in bonsai for over 30 years. She was trained in Japan under the apprenticeship of Bonsai Master Yasuo Mitsuya and became the first woman and non-Japanese citizen to be certified by the Nippon Bonsai Association as a professional bonsai artist and instructor. The exhibition will be open on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Demonstrations by Kathy Shaner will be held from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m., both days.
REBS Club will be hosting a beginners class in May 2018. There are two options to having the beginners class, i.e. two midweek evenings or one weekend day. Locations would be at a senior center or private home of one our club members. Tools, wire and trees will be provided for a small fee. Lead instructor is Ivan Lukrich, a senior club member and long time bonsai instructor.