Saturday, December 5, 2015

2015 Virtual Autumn Show

Please take a moment to check out our 2015 Virtual Autumn Show over on our gallery site at http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai


There are some good shots of the bonsai sporting their colors, especially if we were lucky enough to catch them on a rare Fall sunny day here in Northeast Ohio. 

One of the great things that the art of bonsai does, is that it brings ordinary things up to eye level, and in that way it forces you to notice details that might otherwise be overlooked, details like the delightful colors and translucency of the foliage.  The steep light angles also can highlight the textures of the trunk on the older bonsai which can be seen in some of the photos. 

We didn't have as many submissions this year. Some members have reported that they lost deciduous trees, especially maples, over the past two winters.  The last two winters that have been unusually severe .

Enjoy.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

ACBS's Landscape Penjing Now on Disply at Conservatory in Avon, Ohio

by Michael Rusnak


The ACBS's club penjing landscape is on display for the month of September and into the Fall season at the Conservatory of the Miller Nature Preserve in Avon, Ohio. The Conservatory and Nature Preserve are part of the Lorain County Metro Parks system, and is located in Avon, Ohio on Route 83 on 78 acres of wooded land, according to the Nature Preserve's website.

The ACBS's landscape penjing is made up of seven separate tray plantings and is a pool-table-sized miniature landscape when fully assembled. It was designed and coordinated by ACBS member Carlton Buck as a club project in 2012. Carlton, who has always been fascinated with Chinese tray plantings or penjing, wanted to create a project that included the collaboration or multiple club members. Made up of seven tray sections, each of which was planted and maintained by a different club member. Sections can also be displayed individually or all seven can be assembled as a expansive and unified landscape planting. The penjing was first exhibited at the ACBS's June 2013 show case. Carlton shared the accompanying photos of the penjing, as exhibited in Loraine.

The Miller Nature Preserve is located at 2739 Center Road in Avon, Ohio. The conservatory is open 10 am to 6 pm daily, admission is $2. 



Tuesday, August 25, 2015

ACBS Trees Stand Out in Small August North Canton Show

by Michael Rusnak

It has been a few years since our club held and event in the Canton area. This past weekend, we put together a small show at the Main Street Festival in North Canton, Ohio. The room space we were given for the exhibit was mostly empty with white walls.  As it turned out, the white walls proved a distraction-free background to highlight bonsai--nearly ideal for a space without screens or curtains.  Such details, as the dark green foliage of the yews/ taxus just looked remarkable on display.

Going along with idea of few distractions, the members who exhibited chose to have the display without name tags--choosing instead to just highlight the trees themselves.

While this exhibit had trees from only five members, plus a smaller number of trees than the club typically exhibits, still it remained a show that drew many favorable comments from the steady stream of festival visitors.

  August is not the easiest time of the year to show trees.  Some species seem less fresh than they did in June, but at the same time others seemed at their peak.  The show contained some great trees.  In addition to the yews, the pines were mostly a happy forest green and an arborvitae on display was a fine bright and healthy deep green, almost reveling in these warmer weeks. 

As I've mentioned in the past, there are certain trees belonging to other members of the club that have become my favorites, and I really enjoy seeing how they develop from years to year at these shows --that's just one of the great joys of being part of a club like ours.  

We would like to invite our internet bonsai friends to view a short video tour of the August exhibit at this youtube link 

And we also invite you to see photographs of our trees in this and past exhibits on our gallery site at this link-- http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

ACBS Exhibition in North Canton Ohio-- August 22-23

The 

Akron Canton 

Bonsai Society 

Presents



A Bonsai Exhibition

August 22nd - 23rd     2015
at the
North Canton Main Street Festival
North Canton, Ohio    Admission: free




The exhibition will feature local bonsai artists and contain examples of bonsai various styles and species, including pines, elms, flowering and tropical trees.


Following the exhibition we will post photographs of the trees exhibited on our gallery site at http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Tree Portraits from our June 2015 Show Posted




Cool tree portraits taken by photographer Caralee Aufdenberg at our June 2015 show have been posted at our gallery site. 
 http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai





Much thanks to Caralee for taking the time to photograph our trees.  

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Mid-America Bonsai Alliance Confererence Report


MABA Conference
July 10-12
Hosted by Indianapolis Bonsai Club

by Valerie Tasker & Anne Heun


Featured Artist: Suthin Sukosolvisit
Presenters: Jim Doyle, Mark Fields, Pauline Muth, Bill Valavanis, Scott Yelich, Ken Huth, Frank Mihalic, Brian Ciskowski, Mark Thiedeman, Paul Weishaar
14 Vendors

After months of anticipation, we were delighted to attend the MABA Conference in Indianapolis. Approximately 100 trees were exhibited, and each reflected a remarkable level of accomplishment and dedication to the principles of Bonsai.
We both signed up for a workshop with Bill Valavanis. Hanoki Cypress was the subject tree. Several hours were spent deciding on a possible style, then working the tree in that direction. Bill was very helpful and fun to work with. New we just need to keep our trees alive and healthy for years to come!
Each presenter shared insight on technique, style, and horticulture. Following are a few of the tips gleaned from the
presentations we attended.
~Wine corks can be used to separate the branches of trees rather than wiring them. These can be cut to any size needed.
~Pest control can be achieved by putting a dog flea collar on the soil around the trunk of your tree, then enclosing it in a plastic bag for 24 hours. Repeat this procedure 7-10 days later. (This will not eliminate borers, however.)
~Ant Lions can be introduced to devour pests, and then they neatly devour each other!
~Foliage should be washed thoroughly from time to time to help remove pests as opposed to misting which may encourage mold growth.


The atmosphere of the weekend was one of excitement and camaraderie. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, encouraging, and very happy to see old friends as well as to make new ones. Seeing the love of Bonsai reflected in the smiles and tone of this group made us feel so very inspired!
Looking forward to future conferences!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Bonsai Pilgrimage, Part 2: A Walk Through the Bonsai Village of Omiya

By Michael Rusnak

Cool man hole covers
A map from the Bonsai Art Museum showed areas of the famous Bonsai Village and the location of its nurseries. Somehow, I headed in the wrong direction from the museum and found that I had to ask directions again from friendly people who directed me back to the areas where the nurseries were located.   

I recalled the history of the Village—established in Omiya in 1928 after an earthquake, and four requirements: 1. Possession of at least 10 bonsai,
2. Agreeing to open their gardens to the public, 3. No two story houses, and 4. The use of hedge as live fencing.

This tradition was very much alive.   It seemed that just about
Awesome bonsai garden
every side street or alleyway I crossed through had well tended gardens, and many with a line of bonsai just over a gate or under a carport or on top of an elevated deck.   Bonsai were definitely still a part of the this city's character as well as its history.  

Having been lost for a while, it was good to find a large city map posted on a street corner, and following the you are here mark, I could see one nursery was very close by. I admit that the bonsai here had a certain enchantment over me. Either that magic or just reading the map upside-down, but right across the street was an open gate—entering into long rows of gorgeous bonsai.

Omiya Street Azaleas
The character of these trees was like a beacon-- these full flowing, lush foliage outlines just screamed at me in the sunlight and let me know that this was the place to see some fine bonsai being developed and cared for. I ran across the street. The tree guy there welcomed me and I was free to look around and take all of the photos I wanted.  
  
You were just in the middle of hundreds of great trees. I wandered through the pathways between benches and just lingered. This was bonsai heaven. They just have such great material to work on. Beyond the rows of trees in this particular nursery, you could see that there was even a growing area up above on top a car port. They were making good use of their space.
Carport bonsai patio

At this nursery, deciduous trees seemed most prevalent. I was especially taken by some of the grove plantings and the trident maples. Their foliage triangles were just spreading, well shaped and glorious. 

Such great material in Japan (Owner was OK with photos)
Just up the road, another nursery had many more pines and also shimpaku junipers. The gentleman working here spoke English and when I gave him our club card, he welcomed me and made sure I saw some of the fantastically shaped shimpakus in their collection. This nursery also had some serious pines—and some especially great cascade pines. Plus there were a number of tall literati specimens that I just wanted to hug they were so cool. 
One cascading pine sported a small hen and chicken companion plant cascading over the opposite side. Sort of a counter balance of the plant world.
I visited three different nurseries. All allowed me to wander about as much as I wanted and two permitted me to take all of the pictures I wanted.  

At the end of my time in Omiya, I wandered back toward the train station, and couldn't help but to feel the sense of mixing everything good that bonsai and the trees have to offer with the everyday lives of people.
   
Having fun in the middle of it all
Some of the side streets there served as a reminder of the village's original requirements—the concept of using live hedging, only here with azaleas to form the barriers between cars and bike paths. Plus more gardens in the homes, many with bonsai next to the front door, on the porch or on top of a garage, keeping the Village's original spirit.
 
Waiting for the train back to my hotel, I realized that in all the excitement I had forgotten about things like lunch, what time of the day it was and stuff like that. For certain, bonsai can cast its spell over, an obsession that just holds on and won't let you go.


Monday, June 29, 2015

A Pilgrimage to the Bonsai Village of Omiya, Japan

by Michael Rusnak

When a friend booked a trip to Japan for his cultural studies class at Seminole State College in Florida, he thought of me and my love for bonsai right away, and invited me to tag along. Of course, any college study abroad class has a full schedule of culturally important places on its itinerary, but he assured me that I could strike out on my own on any day during the trip. Despite my aversion to flying—and lengthy 12 hour flight—it was definitely worth it to have a chance to go to the Bonsai Capital of the World and see some of the great trees of Japan.

Since we would spend most of the days in the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, I researched where I might find bonsai in those two areas. Internet sites such as Bonsai Empire noted the “Bonsai Village” in the city of Omiya, a 30 minute train ride from Tokyo, was an important destination for bonsai enthusiasts. In addition to eight bonsai nurseries, it now also has a museum dedicated to the art of bonsai.

The Bonsai Village has an interesting history. After an earth quake in 1923 damaged many parts of Tokyo, including the nurseries, a group of growers relocated to Omiya, where they could find favorable growing conditions, good resources and convenient transportation. According to the museum notes, 20 members formed the Bonsai Village in 1928 with four residency requirements:

1. Possession of at least 10 bonsai
2. Agreeing to open their gardens to the public
3. No two story houses
4. The use of hedge as live fencing

In 1936, the Village had 36 bonsai nurseries. 

More remarkable is the role the Village played in the preservation of the art. During World War II, bonsai were considered a luxury item. But the Village preserved their trees, and starting in 1946 offered exhibitions ad other events over the next decades, including one at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to reintroduce and promote the art to the world. 

So this place, the Bonsai Village Of Omiya, was the destination of my bonsai pilgrimage.

Our Japanese guide helped me plan my rout, which included a subway ride to one of the main hubs where I would find a train from Tokyo to Omyia. She also wrote out a neat little plan for me including writing the names and numbers of the trains as well as the address of the bonsai museum in Japanese, so that I could ask anybody for help

The address she wrote out in to the museum turned out to be very helpful, as one person after another pointed the way for this lost foreigner. One woman walked with me for several blocks before she stopped and pointed to a place where I needed to turn, and it lead me right to the museum doors.

 At the Museum, I presented one of our Akron Canton Bonsai Society cards, and incredibly, it wasn't long afterward that one of the curators who spoke English caught up to me, introduced herself, and gave me a personal tour of some of the important areas and trees in their collection.

She made sure that picked up a handy English version narration of the history of each tree. She also pointed out some of the trees they were most proud of in their collection, including a well-known quince that was once belonged to a Prime Minister of Japan. She was very interested in our club and enjoyed this connection. And I think she showed more interest than the customary politeness. I believe she was genuinely pleased to have one of our club logo pins.

The museum had a terrific exhibit on the 1300 year history of bonsai, the origin of the word itself, as well as the first appearances of potted trees in artwork, and texts documenting bonsai's 700 years in Japan, including the establishment of the Bonsai Village. 

It was easy to get lost in their collection of great bonsai, some belonging to the museum as well as those of guest artists. The museum has a large courtyard—like garden where many of its great specimens are displayed. Many are so large in scale that it takes two guys to move them.  Some are more than four feet tall.  You can tell right away by from a distance that here is longevity, here is something so old.
People were welcoming and wanted to be sure I enjoyed my visit. Photos are only permitted in specified areas, and while I was taking pictures of some of those trees there, even the security guard there came over to point out his favorite angle of a century old maple-- the underside, looking up into the foliage where it absolutely recalled being under a forest canopy. It also highlighted the massive fused roots of this tree.
In this place, aesthetic qualities of bonsai easily observed. The tree's over all shape—foliage masses large and distinct over a heavy trunk— catch your eye from a distance, leading you closer. It has an allure all of its own. It is at this point that more details become apparent. You notice the overall movement of the trunk. Its curves and unexpected twists, as well as the heavy girth and deep cracks and fissures in the trunk. You also see the multiple layers of bark, like some fine pastry, layer on top of layer along deep colors—and surprisingly gray to silver colors in the trunk. Such things that mark their great age, make up their aesthetic qualities.
In contrast, the healthy and vibrant greens, a lot different greens overlay such trunks. In addition to color, a contrast of textures too is revealed. The foliage has a lightness of small ovals or needles over the visual weight of the trunk. There is also a sense of living and dead and a sense of its antiquity as bright foliage and it shade rests over the parallel growth lines of bleached jin andshari. This progression of the distant view of each tree's overall triangular shape with an allure that brings you closer and closer was repeated over and over again. It made you linger. I was truly moved.
 
I couldn't help but to feel emotion at the sight of these old, ethereal specimens.  One striking species is the shimpaku junipers.  This tough species can survive on rugged mountain sides, and the harsh environments create multiple twisted and undulating trunks and limbs. Perhaps a harsh wind kills a piece of the tree. In its struggle to survive, the plant pushes out buds in other or opposite directions to seek the light and try to survive to the left or at another angle.  And so begins another turn in its movement.  Over the centuries some entire sections might die in the conditions, and many of the shimpakus feature large, almost cork screw like dead wood sections. These white trunk sections contrast in color with both the dark living areas of the trunk and the species forest green foliage. They are something to behold.  Some of the trees that the curator pointed out to me were ones that had been owned by famous people in Japan.  One was a tree from the personal collection of a former prime minister, for example.

Another unexpected surprise about the collection is that some of the trees have been in training for so long that they have acquired names, names that add a genuine sense of poetry about certain specimens with a bit of magic or folk-lore of their own.  Such names suggest stories of struggles written in physical shapes, others celebrate longevity, success and desire to live and survive in harsh conditions--"Tree of a thousand ages" and "Tree of Infinite Lengths."  Another takes a named from its shape. A large semi cascade pine called the “Blue Dragon.” In addition to its resemblance to the creature, its colors are said to shift in different light or if covered in rain or snow.  This tree with its strong horizontal trunk is depicted on one of the Museum's banners.  
One shimpaku with a fantastically contorted, windswept mix of live and dead veins under colorful foliage carries the name a “Celebration of Clouds.”

While nature formed many of these spectacular trunks, much of keeping the foliage shaped--those umbrella-like or offset triangle-like canopies and the plant health comes from the skill and vision of their bonsai artists who work with them.  It is a partnership between the tree and the people who care for it.

Coming back home, I have to admit many of my trees look sparse and almost like a bad imitation by comparison. At the same time, I could see in a few that they have more potential than I had previously imagined. I've been rethinking the development of many of several of my own trees, visualizing how they could also appear in a few seasons, and asking myself what I could do differently.  

This is good for the trees as well. Our trees can outlive us. If they become fine bonsai, the chances increase that they will be in the possession of other bonsai people, passionate enough to learn to care for them.  After all, bonsai can be thought of as a partnership between the tree and the people who care for it. 

Asia's bonsai tradition is old and ours is really just developing. Here in this small city in Japan where bonsai was a part of daily life, they have such a great collection. Seeing these world class trees made me realize what we are working toward and the kind of quality that all of us in our Akron Canton club are striving to perhaps eventually achieve. Bonsai is one of Asia's gifts to the world. They inspire. They show us what we might create here. In that sense they also invite us to reach further into this great art form. 

Monday, June 15, 2015

Annual ACBS June Exhibition Shines

We'd like to invite all of our internet bonsai friends to view photographs of our annual exhibit on our gallery site at this link-- http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai

This years' June show contained some great trees from both our experienced and newer members.  I have to admit that there are certain trees that belong to other members of the club that have become my favorites, and one of the great joys of our annual show, is getting to see how those favorites have developed and just keep getting better year after year.

Our seven section tray planting--penjing project-- was looking lush and much more fully developed in this its third time being pieced together for the event.  Despite losing some of the plant material, the landscape planting retains a neat unity.

You couldn't help but to be just delighted by Ken Huth's big azalea which he somehow managed to time just right for the show. It sported so many white blossom (as well as a few pink ones) that it looked like it was covered in snow.

Dan Tulliu's three large junipers that he salvaged from the
shredder in 1994 just keep getting better and really rocked with all of their awesome twists and dead wood sections.

Our show received many walk-in visitors from the Irish Fest which was going on, and perhaps even some new members.

Photographs of the trees at our exhibition can be found at or gallery site at this link-- http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai
and there is a 3 minute video walk through of the exhibit posted at our youtube spot at this link
https://youtu.be/1qJ4fjZK4z0
Enjoy. 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

ACBS Annual June Show

We would like to invite all of our bonsai internet friends to our annual June show, June 12-14 at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center 2131 Front Street  in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio  USA.









The Akron Canton 

Bonsai Society 


presents a







Bonsai Exhibition


June 12th- 14th 2015

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center
2131 Front Street Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Admission Free / Show runs concurrent with Irish festival

The exhibition will feature local bonsai artists and contain examples of various bonsai styles and species, including pines, elms, flowering and tropical trees. http://akroncantonbonsai.blogspot.com/

Exhibition times: 
Friday June 12          5:00pm to 10:00pm
Saturday, June 13   10:00am to 10:00 pm
Sunday, June 14     10:00 am to 4:00 pm

(Hours are roughly concurrent with Irish fest)

Following the exhibit, photographs and videos will be posted on our web gallery at 
http://picasaweb.google.com/akroncantonbonsai




Friday, May 8, 2015

Spring, that Wonderful Time of Year when Neighbors Tear Out Shrubs

by Michael Rusnak


Sure, the trees are leafing out, the pine candles are extending and even a few blossoms. But that's not all.

I want to alert all of you bonsai enthusiasts to what is becoming the real excitement of spring—it is the time of the year when so many of my neighbors tear out their shrubs. While not every shrub might be bonsai candidate, many are, and you can get some good material this way. With some imagination—see this video by Gram Potter at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt52abVVpVo —you can often put something presentable together.

Three developing junipers from the neighbor's trash
Throw away shrubs may be my favorite type of material to work with. As many authors have pointed out, there are a number of reasons that make them a great find. First, the price is right, and since you got the material for free, you don't have to have reservations over ruining a large dollar investment. Second, if it is already on the curb, the digging labor out has already been done for you, so it takes only a little time to pot it. Third, since these shrubs have growing in the ground around your neighbor's house for many years, they often have heavy trunks. They may also have been pruned back on multiple occasions, which means branches and foliage that is close in to the trunk. So they can be good stuff. Plus as a bonsai guy, I have developed a real respect for plant life, and the remarkable things they do to try to survive, giving it a whole new life as a bonsai. So there is also something about life here as well.

Juniper just after pick up
For four years in a row now I have stumbled across some great trees that have been torn out at just this right time of the year. In three of the four, they are trees I have spotted out on the curb alongside the trash. Four years ago, I picked up four overgrown junipers from the curb, three of which survived, and that at this point have developed it respectable outlines for fine bonsai. Three years ago, I found a magnificent “bird's nest spruce with a fat folding and slumping trunk that would have looked incredible had it survived.

Privet breaking out
The next season, I helped a neighbor tear out a short 30 year old privet hedge. I got 4 great privets. Two survived, and still are regaining their health after a couple of hard winters. For those of you new to bonsai, privets make wonderful material—for many of the same reasons they make good hedges. When healthy, grow vigorously, responding well to pruning. In addition, they have neat small oval leaves, can break buds from old wood. A privet stump can also offer so many bulges, knots and hollows. A well-conceived one, like this inspiring privet progression series posted on Bonsai4me by Harry Harrington can make a bonsai that looks magical. Last year, I picked up two clumps of overgrown azaleas that yielded 12 plants. Eight survived, and two should look remarkable in a few years. The photo shows one that will make a
cool clump style once it puts on some more leaves.

Azalea clump-good material
A tug of war with the trash man
This year, it took me only 15 minutes to score (plus another 30 to pot). That was great, but the window almost closed on me. I was out for a run early this morning and spotted a pile of large privet hedges piled up on the curb. When I tried to pick one up, I noticed the neighbors had neatly tied and bundled

them in the pile, so I couldn't just grab one. As I jogged home, I realized, I could grab my big cutters, go back, and just cut out the stump. It worked great. I cut across all of the long branches and pulled a terrific fused privet clump with a good 
Another discarded shrub lives
helping of roots attached. I put it off to the side, and chooses another. Just as I was cutting along came the trash truck and two guys got out and started tossing privet bundles into the truck. I started cutting frantically to free a real good one. “I'll be done in a second,” I said the the guy who was now picking up the same hedge I was cutting. He had one end of the bundle of hedges and I had the other. “I'm going to give this one a whole new life.” One more cut and it was free. Two fine stumps which I took home, hosed them down thoroughly and put in large post of wood chips and grit. Hopefully, they will survive. But for the 45 or so minutes of time invested, it was well worth a try.

So although there are some successes and some failures, such finds can be great starter material. Keep your eyes open and go for it. This is something to be on the look out for, in the sense that these are opportunities, and opportunities that only come along once and then they are gone (into the trash heap).

I cut this arborvitae our of a road ditch nearly 20 years ago
Lastly, for me, most of the fun of bonsai is in the process, the process of making something out of nothing—and in this case, someone else's throw away. Such plants tend to be five year projects, as the tree may need to regain health and replenish some of its growth, but that five year process, also builds a partnership in creativity between you and the tree itself. Such a partnership is what makes make bonsai a unique art form. You and your rescued plant might just surprise each other, beginning a project and a new life together, and create a delightful bonsai along the way. 



Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Field Dug Trees Make Fun New Projects

It's always fun to begin a new bonsai project. The April meeting kicked off the growing season with the start of several new projects. Thanks to Carlton Buck's work hand digging a number of field grown trees on a chilly spring afternoon, several trees with nicely formed trunks were available at the meeting/workshop. Carlton brought back a selection of three evergreen types, including spruce, yew and hemlocks. Participating members drew cards for their tree and most began doing some preliminary—first exchanging ideas for the a future bonsai design, along with some pruning or re-potting at the meeting. It will be exciting to see how these tress develop of the next several seasons.