Memory Lane – Joy of Bonsai, Bath 2000…..My Demo…..

It was a great honour to be asked by Dan Barton to demonstrate at one of his Joy of Bonsai events. These events were held annually, were very popular with the wider bonsai community and well attended.

It was the second time I had demonstrated at one of these events and it was great to be meeting up with Dan and his dedicated organising team once again.

Whilst out walking I had come across a large lump of driftwood which I managed to drag home. I decided to use this and a Juniper Chinensis imported from Japan for my demonstration.

Prior to the event I cleaned up the “lump” and treated it with preservative. The branches and trunk on the Juniper were wired where I thought necessary.

During the two day weekend demo I hoped to bring the two together and create a landscape on a large slate. On the Saturday many of the visitors watching were bewildered as to exactly what was going on and where it was all leading (at times me too!!!) especially when the exposed but wet Juniper roots were wrapped in sphagnum moss and sealed in a polythene bag.

Once the two were joined together the Juniper roots were covered with soil and keto. Keto was also used higher on the driftwood to provide a base for moss and to help conceal the trunk.

On completion of the landscaping work the branches were then arranged to represent small individual trees and enable the creation of a raft-style bonsai. I must admit I was pleased with my efforts and how a whim of an idea had come to fruition and resulted in the creation of a dramatic bonsai landscape.

I hope the pictures will help you follow the story of my work. I am afraid that over the years the disc containing the final pictures had become corrupted and they were lost. The final image picture was actually taken in the polytonal several weeks after the event.

Just remember the next time you are out walking to keep your eyes and mind open…..you never know what you might come across!