by Ross Clark
Ed. note: One of our newest members is Ross Clark of Richmond, KY. He is completing his 40th year as a botany instructor and 16th year at EKU. His main professional expertise relates to the classification and ecology of woody plants.
Back Into Bonsai!
It is good to be back in bonsai, and back with bonsai people. When the demands of my day job dictated taking an extended break from bonsai, it meant giving up an important psychological refuge. For years I’ve resisted the pull to return to bonsai. Obviously, efforts to resist finally have failed.
George Buehler has asked if I would contribute to the newsletter, so I will try to do that from time to time. I hope my combined background of academic botanist, educator, and bonsai enthusiast will be helpful for the Greater Louisville Bonsai Society. Future topics will include information on the classification, features, biology and culture of various species, and on various aspects of woody plant biology and physiology intended to help you understand the plants better and keep them healthy.
Mentors Remembered
As many of us know, learning bonsai by working in isolation and by trial and error can be an extremely slow and expensive way to learn. It is inevitable that our outlook and success in bonsai will show the influence of those who aided our development. That is why most of us can trace our interest and development directly back in time to people who first helped increase our confidence and understanding. Individual and collective success in bonsai depends on the person-to-person transmission of philosophy and technique. You just can’t get it all from books. Therefore, my first thoughts for you are focused on people rather than on trees. As I recall aspects of how I was influenced, I invite you to reflect on the special bonsai-related qualities which others have engendered in each of you. As we know, what our teachers have given us is priceless, because they have enriched our lives.
My principal mentor in bonsai was Ivan Watters, who is now Curator of Bonsai at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I first met Ivan in 1982 while searching for a bonsai artist to do a demo at the Morton Arboretum where I worked. So, without a connection to the bonsai world, how does someone find a bonsai instructor–search the Yellow Pages? My wife suggested we might find a connection or two at a bonsai show. We did that and, as a result, Ivan became a regular instructor at the Arboretum. His leadership was responsible for forming and developing a group which is now the Prairie State Bonsai Society, as well as providing the central guidance for high quality shows and many visits from nationally and internationally known bonsai artists. Since I was the arboretum’s liaison for all of the bonsai activity, I was in the fortunate position of participating and/or observing everything, usually without paying full price. Ivan was persistent in his efforts, generous with his knowledge, uncompromising in his insistence on quality, and tireless in his efforts to extend the understanding and benefits of bonsai to everyone. In my opinion, that is why today he is deeply respected as a teacher, and less widely known (but extremely accomplished nevertheless) as a practicing artist.
Toshio Saburomaru was one of Ivan’s main mentors. He sometimes came to Chicago to work with Ivan and give workshops in the region. Tosh was perhaps the most talented, unselfish and kind-hearted person I’ve ever known. He gave the same thoughtful attention and lack of condescension to novices (including me) as he did to practitioners at the highest level. He also was one of the least egotistical and self-promoting people, and on one occasion was even an accomplished fishing buddy. For me, he was the embodiment of the philosophy at the very heart of bonsai, a truly great role model for life as well as for bonsai. You can find out a little more about Tosh by going to http://www.lost-oasis.com/bonsai/whoiswho/itm00019.htm. That connects you to the Golden State site, and when you click on the appropriate link, you will see links to Tosh and Yoshimura.
I would also like to hear your stories, but that’s enough nostalgia from me. From now on, I promise to try to avoid personal history and concentrate on the plants. Please let me know if what I write in the future is appropriate and useful.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/louisvillebonsai/~3/262305349/post.aspx
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