Looking back….we can tell a tree’s story…..admire an image…..capture a moment…..remember a special event…..be inspired – to create a memory for tomorrow.
I hope you enjoy this regular peep into some of John’s bonsai history.
Memory Lane – New Zealand’s First National Bonsai Exhibition 2009 (October)
It was a great honour to be invited to demonstrate at this prestigious bonsai event on the other side of the world. In addition to carrying out demonstrations on the Saturday and Sunday with workshops on the Monday, I also had to judge several bonsai displays over the weekend. One of those was the first National Exhibition.
This post will feature pictures of some of the trees from that exhibition. Subsequent posts will feature extracts from other displays and my bonsai work during the trip. At the opening ceremony on the Friday evening I had to give a critique on what I considered the best 7 trees in the exhibition without divulging which of them was the winning tree….not an easy task by any means…..
The bonsai enthusiasts in New Zealand don’t enjoy our luxury of being able to work on imported material from Japan and China. They have to source/start their own material. Europe also had the advantage of the Ginkgo Award bringing artists and enthusiasts together from all over Europe which ultimately resulted in an unprecedented rapid rise in the standards of bonsai trees, shows, artists and technique.
I was amazed just how old some of the trees were in this exhibition. It is a credit to all the exhibitors that they achieved such a good standard with relatively little outside help. I hope that this and future exhibitions will act like the Ginkgo award and be a catalyst/inspiration to greater things.
The tree on the right was selected as the overall winner. Nothofagus Solandri or “Black Beech”, native to New Zealand…..an appropriate winner for the first national exhibition.
In training since 1988.
John Grimmer
February 11, 2013 at 5:58 pmHi John, I have just got back from a bonsai holiday in Japan. Only eight of us in the group, four from the Uk and four from New Zealand. Two of the New Zealand ladies mentioned that you did a demo for their club whist you were there and said that you was very good. They asked to be remembered to you. I think you could have stayed at one of their homes. They are Julie and Cedric Steffens and Helen and Ken Bain from Christchurch.
We all had a brilliant time in Japan and some of the highlights we visited were meeting Mr Kimuras and seeing his collection, meeting Mr Kobayashi and seeing his collection and bonsai museum, the Kokufu Bonsai-ten exhibition and a visit to the Kinashi bonsai village in Okayama.
I have taken over as chairman of the N. E. Lincs. Bonsai Club now as John Dickie has moved to Ireland. How are you fixed for doing a demo/talk for us at our club in Grimsby this year? What would your costs be for this now.
Best wishes
John Grimmer