July Meeting Recap – Jonas Dupuich - Bonsai Design

by Idris Anderson

Jonas Dupuich, with his usual charm and gentle manner, led us through some good thinking and exercises about bonsai design. He began by giving us each two sheet of drawings of trunks of trees, actually many of the same drawing, and suggested that we do a little work. The instruction was to create many different designs of branches for the trunks. Some of us were better at this than others, but we all learned that there are many ways to develop a tree. (See one successful series of drawings in this newsletter.)

This exercise led Jonas then to a review of slides, most of bonsai in the first Pacific Bonsai Expo in the fall of 2022.

We were asked to identify the flow of each tree, to the right or to the left. Determining the flow of a tree can help us decide how further to develop our tree with pruning, wiring, bending, removing and growing branches.

Jonas also helped us look at several trees brought in by members as we attempted to determine how next to develop each tree.

Along the way, Jonas fielded our many questions on all kinds of topics. He had brought with him some copies of his new book The Essential Bonsai Book: Techniques for Creating Beautiful Trees, just published this spring. If you don’t have a copy yet, one should be in your future. It is full of all kinds of practical information, beautiful photographs of trees in progressive stages of development, and the wisdom of Jonas’ experience.

We look forward to Jonas’ return, he brings enlightenment and inspiration every time he visits.

by Rita Curbow

Dates for Upcoming Workshops:

Saturday, August 23: Wiring
This will be a repeat of our previous class on wiring but with additional info and improved hands-on exercises. Join us as we help you improve your wiring skills. Note that Wiring will be offered twice a year.

Saturday, September 27: Styling
This will be a repeat of the class offered earlier this year. The goal is to offer Styling twice a year. Hands-on exercises will be offered.

Schedule of Workshop:

12:30PM - 1:30PM “Intro to Bonsai”
For those new to bonsai or who want to brush up on basis bonsai techniques, special instruction will be offered starting at the beginning of the workshop and running for about an hour. After the special instruction/exercise, attendees will have the option to work on their trees with assistance from more advanced members until 4:30PM that day.

1:30PM - 4:30PM Open to all members of the club
Members at the intermediate or advanced levels who aren’t assisting other members in the beginner’s level are asked to arrive starting at 1:30pm. They will setup on the side closest to the main entrance (near the closet with tables).

Location of Workshop
Inside the Fellowship Hall at St Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave, Palo Alto

Refreshments at the Workshop
Feel free to bring refreshments to the workshop to share with fellow members. And don’t forget to bring bottled water for your personal use.

Details of the “Intro to Bonsai” Workshop Portion
Members should bring trees that can be worked on in that time of year. Club wire will be provided for beginners as needed. Some club tools will also be available, but members will be encouraged to purchase their own set of tools eventually in order to work on their trees at home, etc.

Setup and Cleanup at the Workshop
The club kindly thanks everyone who helped with setup and/or cleanup at the end. Your assistance makes a world of difference for the organizers of these events.

ABS “Intro to Bonsai” Syllabus
If you did not attend an “Intro to Bonsai” workshop in the past and have not received a free copy of the ABS Syllabus being used, please contact Michael Greenstein via email at michael.greenstein@comcast.com. Note that you must be a Kusamura member to participate in these workshops.

For those curious, ABS Syllabus refers to "Introduction to Bonsai: A Course Syllabus" by Thomas L. Zane of the American Bonsai Society.

July Workshop Update
Thanks to everyone who brought refreshments and helped break down at the end. Special shout out to Jeff Whitnack who got there early and setup all the tables by himself. We had a variety of trees and some members who attended for the first time. Michael Greenstein did a great job with the program.

Monthly Club Workshop Update

Bonsai Advanced Care Directive

by Michael Greenstein

Kusamura, typically once or twice a year, helps families of bonsai people who have passed on with preserving the legacy of the bonsai collections. This typically takes the form of coming to assess which 1) trees can be easily kept and cared for by the family as memorials, 2) trees that can be sold on commission through Kusamura, and 3) trees and pots that can be donated to Kusamura.

The Kusamura board has decided to formalize this activity with the following Bonsai Advanced Care Directive (BACD). This document is intended to facilitate the recording and the follow-through of either the bonsai collector’s direct wishes or the family’s wishes. It is simply modeled after the Advanced Care Directives seen in Living Trust documents.

The BACD is presented in two formats:

1. A PDF that can be printed out, filled out and signed for use by Kusamura Bonsai Club.

2. An MS Word Document that can be edited for use by other organizations. The required substitutions are highlighted.

Monthly Tasks

Each month there are a number of tasks you need to do to your bonsai – from repotting, to fertilizing to spraying for pests. We have put together a checklist, customized for the San Francisco Bay Area to help you. This checklist is adapted from earlier work by Mitsuo Umehara.

This month: August Tasks

July Meeting Recap – Jonas Dupuich - Bonsai Design

Monthly Club Workshop Update

Recommended Videos

Monthly Tasks