The Bonsai Blog of Hans Van Meer

 

                                                                                               

Saturday May 10.

Day 1:

 

Left picture: Tom’s “SHADY SIDE BONSAI” is so big that he  and Rich had to load Rich his large Yew on the back of a small tractor to bring it up the hill, to his outdoor working aria.

Right picture: Here I am discussing the possibilities of the lovely two trunk Yew Tom provided me with for my morning demo.

 

Left picture: Looking were to start.

Right picture: Although the weather was letting us a bid down, people were waiting with anticipation.

 

Left picture: First the tree was cleaned of all unwanted branches to get a better view of the frame of the tree.

Right picture: Because the base of the left trunk was to thick in comparison with the right trunk, the to large pies of deadwood  on the left trunk was reduced, to open up the empty space between the two trunks.

 

Left picture:  After most of that excess wood was reduced and the trunks looked better in balance with its other i was able to make my design for this mother and child Yew.

Right picture: This is the drawing of the design I came up with. I almost always make these sketches of my designs. It helps me to remember my first thought, like a blue print, before I start to think to much about thinks!   Because of the lake of time  and the health of the tree that should be protected at all times, most first styling  during these demo’s are a bid ruff and unfinished and don’t always show clearly what the end result of the future bonsai will be in a few years. These  drawings are  also  pretty handy  to show people what your future plans are with your tree! It makes explaining why I am using certain  techniques to get to a curtain point  a lot easier, if those people have a clear view of were I am working towards!

 

 

Sunday May 11.

Day 2.

 

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THE STORY OF THE “H.O.G” (or, how Rich saw the light! Used it’s force and fell asleep).

You might ask: why is this story in a section of its own? Well because this is a story about courage, stubbornness, hesitation, overcoming to be rewarded! In short: creating a bonsai!

Everybody else walked past this enormous Yew, simply because it was to big! But no, not Richy! Even when everybody said, don’t Rich! it is to big, to heavy and to hard to collect, leave it! This only fired him up to do it any way. Rich is a bit stubborn some times and what he lakes in height, he easily makes up with courage! So he went for it! All alone and  for many hours! If you look at the next picture and compare the height of the  tree  to that of  the  shovel,  you can fully understand the enormous task he had to preform to get this monster Yew out!

 

GGGRRUZZ! #*#FRRUCKLESS! #*## GGODDSSF!

 

 

The above picture is titled:   Yew in front of  its new home. Or: How Richy scared the neighbors!

Richy, (with the help of a water jet stream) managed to clean off all of the hardened old soil of the massive roots! But, by doing this, he created a   bid of a mud stream, that because of the sloping street, quickly grew into a all engulfing mudslide! Twiggels, the cat from Misses Brown, from down the street, is still missing! And even furter downtown, many a toilet got clocked up for weeks!

 Saturday, day one. THE PRELUDE.

 

Left picture: All geared up for the task ahead! MMMMM!

Right picture: Richy concentrated at work on the massive deadwood sections.

                                                                           

 

 

Every now and than  I jumped in to do a bid!

  

  

  

  

                               

 

                                                      THE “H.O.G” SQUAT

More pictures cant be found on this next link to “SHADY SIDE BONSAI” .

http://www.shadysidebonsai.com/id122.html

         

 

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

 

This  magnificent statue stood in the entrance of Donna’s studio to greet us.

 

 

Above left picture: The original molt of the famous John Naka bust she made.  

Right picture: And a large poster of a stunning Murial, also from here talented hands.

 

                                                           

Above left picture: One of the several live size bronze cattle, Donna made for the “Red Bird” range.

Right  picture: Discussing the possibility of this large yamadori Boxwood that Trent brought along.

 

 

Above picture: Working on the deadwood of Donna’s Kidney wood.

 

 

Above left picture: Donna and Terry listening to me babbling!  The great thing about these workshops  is, that all people can join in, to hear a explanation!

Right  picture: Irene’s “Hubby” Terry brought a Juniperus chinensis along to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

 

   

Above left picture: We had a great lunch in the famous “PIG STAND” restaurant. This place serves good food since 1921. Their onion rings were as big as tiara’s! MMMMM!!!!

Right picture: Trend’s “Buxwood”.

 

   

Above right picture: I took this picture, right after I collapsed, tired and warm, on the steps leading into  Irene’s house. The only place around with some shadow! I was so glad to take a load off and get a breather and some cold water in to me!  But  immediately after the first  small refreshing drink I took I looked down,  alarmed as I was,  by  that  small warning bell in my head, that got stuck for ever  in the back of  our mind,   since some  guy with thick eyebrows, saw his confused grandfather trying to path a innocent looking “Sabre tooth on the head”!  Suddenly, there in front of me,  out of nowhere, sat  ”BRUN” (short for “BRUNO”),  the over sized alpha male of the “Irene’s cat clan”  who is  well known  to tackle deer and wrestling moose! Which, he than often leaves on Irene’s and Terry’s front porch as a token off his affection for them!  ”BRUN”  is  contemplating here, with out blinking, if he would eat me, or just play with me a bit…before eating me any way!  

But to be honest, after I told “BRUN”  in a soft voice and avoiding any sudden movements, that  I was good people, and to tired to move anyway! He gave me some gentle pussy cat head buds on my knees, that rattled  the teeth in my mouth!  So I  thought it would be safe to give  him a nice scratch behind  his battered  ears. Not to long though! I found out that disturbing pictures of Sigfried and Roy, do seem to pop up into once mind,  during these pressure moments! Than “BRUN” curled up beside me on the  foot board and started to wash himself. I thanked him for  the use of  his afternoon shadow spot  and took a other drink. “BRUN” was right,  this was a cool spot to hang out! And there was more than enough room for the both of use!

Hans van Meer.

 

       

Donna L. Dobberfuhl, MFA, NSS

Sculptural Designs Atelier

1514 Broadway

San Antonio TX 78215

(210) 224-0220

(210) 326-0862

www.sculpturaldesigns.com

 

 

          One of the many beautiful views at the Tsugawas Nursery!

 

 

Very early in the morning, Jason loading up the Pick up with some nice local yamadori material! Than it is of  for the 1 hour drive to  the workshop in Woodland Washington.

                                               

                                                                                                    Beautiful Baby KOI.

 

               

          Ed Imholte working hard on his Ponderosa Pine.  

 

       

Here I am posing along with the “Hemlock” that Tony discovered  between the abundance of material here at the “Tsugawas” nursery. Tony and I searched hard and than found  a lovely little tree hiding  some were  in all  those branches.

 

 

                  There it is!                                                                 Top of the world MOM!

 

                                                                                               

                                                        Joyce’s Ponderosa Pine before and after.          

 

 

Jason did good on his Pine, so I rewarded him in the proper way!

 

Tsugawas Nursery http://www.tsugawanursery.com/

 

 

Above picture: One of the amazing views on the way to the “lost Maples” park. This is a  section of  some ones  garden, SIGH!!

 

 

Picture above: Amazing deadwood on one of the many Junipers I saw! Who said the do not exist in Texas?

Above picture: I am keeping my eye on you, you might trip!

 

 

 

Above picture: Little fish, cleaning of the top layer of my skin!

 

Above picture: Oh, did I tell you it was warm that day?

 

Above picture: How great is this tree?!

 

Above picture: A cool spot in a very warm place!

 

 

 

Above picture: This is left of the last foreigner that past a long this way!

The story  that goes along with  these pics will be posted soon, together with more of my own shot’s and pictures shot by Irene B.  (Mom).

I hope you like it so far,

Hans van Meer.

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                                                    The entrance to the Portland Japanese garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture by Jason gambi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi everybody,

Wow have I got a lot to tell you all! Thursday, 01-05-’08: I left home 5 o’clock in the morning for the 2 hours drive to the airport (Schiphol) in Amsterdam. And after all the security checks I entered my plain that left 10.15, right on time  for the 10 hours flight to Portland Oregon. I never flew any longer than 3 hours, so I was a bit nervous for this long flight, bud I have to say that the friendly people on board off this Northwest airplane took good care of me. There was reasonable food and enough to drink and I saw 3 movies to pas the time. We had tailwind and arrived 20 minutes earlier than expected at Portland airport, were we than had to wait for 20 minutes in the airplane, because a German plain arrived just in front of us. GGGRR!!! Because of this the lines to get to true customs were  about a mile long and it took almost a hour to  finally get to the friendly officer, that must have heart off me, because he wanted to make a picture of me and have  my autograph. All my luggage was already waiting for me, so I could walk right out, were Jason was waiting for me. I was so pleased to finally meet him, not in the last place, because he took me right up to the bar for 2 fast pints off there locale beer, that after this long trip really hit the spot! Than we drove in his big ram truck to his house in Saint Helens.  I am a big  American car lover, and along the way  I felt like I was in car haven. All those old and new trucks I saw, were simply amazing. After a hours drive we arrived at Jason’s lovely home.

More to come, when I figured out how to upload pictures! First I am going to have some breakfast!

Well it turned out to be a very long breakfast, indeed! I was just not able to update my blog wile I was there, to tired most of the time or to late in the night or being in a plain for 7 hours again or….well you know? To busy!

So I will try to tell you some story’s to go along with all the pictures I shoot  during the many highlight I had, during this, my first trip to the U.S.

Jason took me to Randy’s Knight place (owner of Oregon bonsai), his house had a almost magical appearance to me, this light blue painted house, with beautiful in moss covered gnarly old  fruit trees  in  full bloom, growing in front of it! OH…..And did I mentioned that there were some high quality yamadori  trees….well everywhere? No! And there were some high quality yamadori  trees….well everywhere! Some of  the material  there was of unbelievable quality! (see picture above!) Randy was in Canada during my visit to his place, so he was not there to meat me, but I met his beautiful wife and his very funny dog! Randy had mailed me a few days before I left to the U.S and asked me to work on one of his yamadori while I stayed at Jason’s place. He  had poet aside about 6 trees for me to choose from. I selected the Pinus ponderosa  that we are working on in the next couple of pictures.  This small tree  had the most interesting movement for me to work with and  about the size I like to create, although the only sparsely placed long needles foliage on the end of long thin branches  (natural  on this species) would not make it any easier for me!  This  small tree  also has a beautiful, but awkward placed  root on the right side.  This  bulky root had a old shari on it and  it gives  the tree some extra movement, so I wanted to safe that character feature  of this old tree, but it  was a challenge to incorporate it into the my design and into a future pot!

       

 

 

           

       

         

 

   

 

 

 

                                                                                                                              No I was not!

                                                                                                                    I was concentrating!

 

 

 

 

 

               

                         A future Shohin “Pondarosa” in front of Randy’s place.

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                                                          THE STORY OF THE “TIN FOIL” TREE.

When Jason, on the first day I staid at his place, showed me this mountain Hemlock he collected himself, he told me a story about what happened one day when he showed it to a bonsai college ( I dont know who?) that visit his garden not to long ago. He had looked at this old tree and told Jason: that his Japanese master rated the quality and potential of bonsai material by awarding it with metal, the best being Gold off course! He then told Jason that his “Mountain Hemlock” would be rated “TIN FOIL”! In other words: useless and a waist of time! Hearing this story blow me away and reminded me of some of the arrogance I come across on the European bonsai seen and forums, unbelievable! But this being my first day in the states and in Jason’s place, I  had to bite  my tong, for now! The next day, when we finished Randy’s Pine and had some beers to break the ice, I told Jason (to his surprise) lets do your “TIN FOIL” tree now! Lets show the world that there are no bad trees, only bad designers!

 

              The “THIN FOIL” Mountain Hemlock before we started work.

                 

             

First the tree was cleaned up.  all useless and unwanted foliage and branches were removed to get a clearer  view of the tree and its branches. And then with the help of a power tool, Jason removed the bulge just below the top that caused a reverse  taper. He connected that new piece of deadwood with the beautiful old deadwood on the top, so now, no  one would even knottiest there was a “TIN FOIL” mistake there before! In this picture (below) you can see the freshly carved section.

 

Some branches, especially the one that would become the future top, needed to be bend severely! So they were protected with in water soaked raffia and heavy copper wire.

                       

Wiring the main branches and still removing unwanted branches wile we moved along the whole tree.

                                                             

                  Here the new top is almost into place.

 

                                                                                                                             

With the help of  a heavy branch bender the last branch is brought into its place and then secured with a copper wire.  To make up for the lack of trunk movement,  the tree is tilted to the left to give it more movement and make it more dynamic and interesting.

 

The final image of the “THIN FOIL” Mountain Hemlock. I wonder if we should change it name?!

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More to come!!!

Hans van Meer.