Ryan Neil – Collected Ponderosa Pines
Convention Headliner

Headliner Ryan Neil’s subject for this workshop is Ponderosa Pine. Six lucky students will work on these wild trees and fashion them into what will become prized bonsai. He will demonstrate and pass along the techniques he learned while studying with Masahiko Kimura in Japan. The afternoon session will en tail analyzing, cleaning up, pruning and rough wiring the trees with detail wiring and branch placement to follow the next morning. Click here to see the trees.

Katsumi Kinoshita – Monterey Cypress

Katsumi Kinoshita is a bonsai art­ist from Monterey, CA. He joined the Monterey Bonsai Club in 1963 and studied under Ray Murakoshi, the club sensei. In 1982, Kats became president of the club. He is currently sensei of Monterey Bonsai Club, Salinas Bonsai Club, Akutsuki Bonsai Club in Fresno and the Watsonville Bonsai Club. He is a member of Nippon Bonsai Kyokai Association. He has won many awards including the Green and White Award from the Agricultural Society of Japan and the Circle of Sensei award from GSBF in 2003. Most recently, he won this year’s Kazura Bonsai Display Competition in Hanford, CA, for Best Bon­sai Display with his Monterey Cypress. Kats will conduct a workshop using Monterey Cypress 18” to 30” tall in five gal­lon containers. He will review design, cleanup, pruning and wiring. These trees will lend themselves to Moyogi, Bunjin and group planting styles. It should be a fun workshop with material you don’t see very often.

Valerie Monroe – Field grown Trident Maples

Valerie Monroe has emigrated from San Mateo to the Big Island of Hawaii. Thank goodness she has a commitment to the City of San Mateo to prune and look after their Japanese Garden. She received her first bonsai years ago and saw the magic and wonder of this art form at a very early age. She has studied with and befriended many bonsai artists who have shown her the techniques and pure art of this discipline. She has helped many members of her home club, Sei Boku Bonsai Kai, embrace the art form of bonsai. Her ability to find the flowing line and sinuous feeling in a tree is extraordinary. She works very well with students and makes it an exhilarating experience for them.

Valerie will be working on Trident Maples for this year’s 10 Golden Statements July/Aug 2010 workshop. These field grown trees will yield Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai. They have 1” to 2” trunks and have some interesting movement. There will be plenty of in­formation on care, design, and creation of these trees as fine bonsai.

Peter Warren – Collected Sierra Junipers
Convention Headliner

Our headliner, Peter Warren, will be offering six collected Sierra junipers for his workshop. The trees were collected three to seven years ago and range from 15” to 27” tall with bases in the 2” to 5” range yielding Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai. They have interesting deadwood features and will be a striking addition to the collection of the lucky six stu dents who get to work on them. He will be passing on the lessons he learned from his sensei, Kunio Kobayashi, during his apprenticeship in Japan. See photos of the trees on the GSBF convention website.

Mel Ikeda - Prostrata Juniper – Raft Style

Mel Ikeda is a bonsai artist, teacher and enthusiast from a bonsai family. He grew up working with his father Mas ayuki Ikeda at the family’s Ikeda Bonsai Garden. He has also studied with John Naka, Harry Hirao, Khan Komai and other Southern Califor nia greats and brings a lot of bonsai skill and knowledge to the table for his lucky students this year. He has given dem onstrations and workshops for clubs and conventions in the U.S. including his latest as headliner of the Bonsai Ohana II Convention in Hawaii in 2009. He has been an active or ganizer and participant in many conventions for California Bonsai Society, Kofu Kai and GSBF.

This year, Mel is conducting a workshop on Prostrata junipers in five gallon containers. He will help his 6 to 7 students create raft style or Kabudachi, multiple trunk style bonsai. Bring your tools!

Boon Manakitivipart – Collected Western Junipers

Boon Manakitivipart is a profession al bonsai artist and teacher who lives in Alameda, CA. He received a juniper bonsai for his birthday, was totally fasci nated with it and joined the Bonsai So ciety of San Francisco for his first classes in 1989. He studied with as many bonsai teachers as he could and was awarded a Teacher Development Scholarship from GSBF. In Japan, he spent one year with Yasuo Mitsuya before he began six years with Kihachiro Kamiya at famous Kihachi-en. He has won numerous awards in bonsai includ ing the Ben Oki International Design Award in 1995 and the Kindai Bonsai Styling Contest in 2000. He travels nationally and internationally teaching, demonstrating, and working on clients’ collections. He the founder and sensei of the Bay Island Bonsai Club where he conducts workshops and the Bonsai Intensive Program which is a three year course teaching the basics techniques through the nuances of bonsai.

Boon will be giving a unique workshop this year. Ten students will learn and practice techniques on collected Western Junipers in a two session workshop. The unusual part is this: The student may select one of the trees to purchase and work on and develop it during the workshop or the student may elect not to purchase the tree and enter a drawing to simply work and learn on one of the unsold trees. To view the workshop trees visit Boon’s website here. To purchase one of the trees for the workshop contact Boon at boon@bonsaiboon.com

Michael Hagedorn – Collected Engelmann Spruce
Convention Headliner

Headliner Michael Hagedorn will be featuring Engelmann Spruce as his workshop material. These upright trees and Michael’s talented eye will produce a workshop without any trunk chops or severe branch cutting and will be largely a fine wiring workshop. There is older bark and the tapers are natural and complete on branches and trunks. There is variability in style, size and feeling with these trees. Please number your preference 1 through 6 for these trees. See photos of the trees at the GSBF Convention Website to make better choices. Click here to see the trees.

Peter Tea – Japanese Black Pine

Peter Tea is a bonsai enthusiast, artist, and teacher living in San Jose, CA. His bonsai journey began when, as an automotive technician in 2001, he was introduced to bonsai by his foreman, joined the Midori Bonsai Club, became hooked, and jumped in with both feet in 2003 by enrolling and completing the three year Bonsai Intensive Program with Boon Manakitivipart. As a talented and enthusiastic graduate, he became a valued member of Bay Island Bonsai. To fund his obsession, he began his bonsai business in 2008: Peter Tea Bonsai. In 2009, at the GSBF Riverside Convention, Peter won the Joshua Roth New talent Contest. He has served as President of Midori Bonsai Club and is chairman of the Display Committee for the 2010 GSBF Convention. Through bonsai, Peter has developed a connection with living trees and ap preciates the dynamic characteristics they possess.

Peter is bringing his enthusiasm to convention goers and providing a workshop with Japanese Black Pines. They are seven to twelve years old and exhibit nice barking. The trunks are from 2½” to almost 4” in diameter. After repotting this spring, they were de-candled in June. By convention, they will be in perfect shape for their next step. You may view these trees at Peter’s website www.peterteabonsai.com.

Bob Shimon – Collected Coast Redwoods

Bob Shimon joined the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society around 1985. He first studied with Mas Imazumi, the club sensei. He has also studied with Yasuo Mitsuya, Tokita, and Taka from Japan, and Italian artist Marco Invernizzi. He continues to take regular workshops with the current club sensei, Kathy Shaner. He has conducted demonstrations and workshops for clubs and has a reputa tion for providing interesting material. With his son Zack, he owns Mendocino Coast Bonsai. They sell trees they have collected in Northern California such as their specialty coastal redwoods, oaks, pygmy cypress and sierra junipers. Bob is a vendor at this year’s convention.

Bob will be working on collected redwoods for this year’s convention. These redwoods have 6” – 10” bases and nice deadwood features. Some of the trees may be seen on the GSBF Convention website. Click here to see the trees.

Jim Gremel – Field Grown Shimpaku Junipers

Jim Gremel is a bonsai artist, teacher and potter living in Occidental, CA. He is the owner of Deer Meadow Bonsai and is a vendor at this year’s convention. He has studied with Mas Imazumi, Dennis Makashima, Kathy Shaner, Boon Manaki­tivipart, and Marco Invernizzi. His style shows an emphasis on movement and strong design. His low-key approach to styling makes it easy for students to understand and learn. He has won several awards, including the 2009 Kazura Bon­sai Display competition and the grand prize in last year’s 1st U.S National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, NY.

This year Jim will be working on field grown shimpaku junipers in his workshop. These Yamadori style trees have 1½” to 2” bases with lots of movement and plenty of op portunity for creating interesting deadwood. They will be suitable for Shohin to Chuhin sized bonsai: about 7” to 16” tall. Jim will have both the morning and afternoon to make sure you get as much done as possible on these interesting trees. Visit the GSBF convention website to see examples of these trees.

Ryan Neil – Bring Your Own
Convention Headliner

Headliner, Ryan Neil is ready and willing to help you design your challenging tree. Bring that tree you are not sure what you should do with or that tree that could use some refining. Whichever you choose, you will be given guidance to improve your bonsai during this session.

Harry Hirao – Collected California Junipers

Harry Hirao is the most prolific collec tor in California. His title as “Mr. California Juniper” is well earned and he has intro duced more people to the joys of collecting California junipers than any other person we know. He is a most generous hearted person and is respected and admired as a friend to the bon sai community. Harry has received many awards including having the reception area of the National Bonsai and Pen jing Museum at the National Arboretum named after him. He also received the Green and White Award from the Agricultural Society of Japan and is a proud member of the GSBF Circle of Sensei.

This year Harry will offer six collected California Junipers (imagine that) for the convention. Harry will put his personal touch on the trees for these lucky six students. Expect interesting trunks and deadwood on these beauties.

Ted Matson – Saikei – Shimpaku Juniper and Mixed Species

Ted Matson began study in bonsai in 1979 in San Francisco with John Boyce. When he moved to Los Angeles the next year, he became involved in a number of clubs and began a serious pursuit of the art. Ted began taking classes from leading masters in South ern California including Ben Suzuki, Shig and Roy Nagatoshi, Melba Tucker, Warren Hill and John Naka. He has written articles, taught workshops, and demonstrated at clubs and conventions throughout the country. He is a co-founder of California Shohin Society. He has served GSBF in many capacities for years, most recently as President in 2008-2009 and as co-chair of last year’s convention in Riverside. Although Ted is a lover of Shohin bonsai, his collection includes trees of all sizes, styles and a variety of species. His trees are known for proportion, refinement and detail.

Ted will be conducting a Seikei workshop with shimpaku and other mixed variety trees. It will include tray, rocks, plants, soil and dressing. It should be a very interesting and lively session with plenty of opportunity to get your hands in the dirt. Join the fun! Students should bring their own turntables and tools.

Gordon Deeg – Field Grown Mikawa Japanese Black Pines

Gordon is a bonsai enthusiast and artist who lives in Atherton, CA. He started bonsai in 1964 with his first club being the Ameri can Bonsai Club in Sacramento. Gordon had early teachers in Dan Buckley and Harvey Suzuki. In the early 1990’s, he joined Sei Boku Bonsai Kai, has twice been president of the club and is a SBBK beginner’s instructor. He has been involved with GSBF as trustee from 1999 to 2006, is chairman of the California Shohin Society and is also chairman of the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. Gordon has been to Toyohashi, Japan over several years and spent time train ing with Professional Bonsai Master, Yasuo Mitsuya, and has learned the Master’s techniques on many species including Japanese Black Pine.

Gordon will be using 15 year old Mikawa Black pines that were grown from seed at El Dorado Bonsai Garden. He has been growing and refining these trees for several years. The trees are 18” to 24” and have bases above the nebari of 1½” to 2”. They are in seven gallon containers and have been growing in Akadama since they were collected from the field three years ago. They have developed good nebari and have started barking nicely. He will be teaching his students the same lessons that he learned in Japan from his sensei, Mr. Mitsuya, who a true master of Black Pine bonsai.