Page 37 - Tạp chí bonsai BCI Q12011

BOON MANAKITIVIPART
RYAN NEIL were very instrumental in Doug’s early exposure to bonsai
Boon’s start in bonsai was Ryan Neil was born and knowledge, politics and hands on experience.
the result of a birthday gift: a raised in Colorado, on the The years following until the present have been filled with
small juniper bonsai. Before western slope of the Rocky as much bonsai exposure and learning as possible, attending
long, he joined the Bonsai Mountains. Throughout his all GSBF conventions and taking classes and workshops with
Society of San Francisco, the youth the fantastic array of visiting bonsai masters and teachers. Doug has been active
club through which he took photo: Walter Pall tortured and stunted trees in club politics, taught beginner classes and has given several
his first beginner class in the surrounding his home cre- club demonstrations.
spring of 1989. Anxious to ated a deep appreciation and In 1991 Doug was the recipient of a GSBF educational grant,
learn as much as possible about bonsai, Boon studied with as fascination with nature and the resilient nature of plants. Upon and was also a member of an import group that brought
many teachers as he could find in California. graduating high school, Ryan decided to pursue an education premier bonsai pots into the U.S. from Japan.
Serious study began when he hosted Akio Kondo, Kihachiro in horticulture at California Polytechnic State University in San In 1996 Doug started specializing in several species of plant
Kamiya’s first apprentice. Mr. Kondo arrived as what the Luis Obispo, California. He already had the intention of pursu- material that were of particular interest to him. These were
Japanese call a first-year professional, and stayed at Boon’s ing bonsai professionally and apprenticing in Japan, however, personally collected Sierra and California junipers, local Olive
home for one year. it wasn’t until he was introduced to Ben Oki of Los Angeles, trees, and Bald Cypress from Louisiana, also San Jose Junipers,
California that his dream of apprenticing with Mr. Kimura
In 1993, the Golden State Bonsai Federation awarded Boon a would become a reality. small leaf Olives and Prostrata Junipers from cuttings, and last
Teacher Development Scholarship; two years later, he received but not least, fused trunk Trident Maples. If there were two real
the Ben Oki International Design Award for styling a Sierra Ryan is now in his fifth year of his apprenticeship under the favorites of his, they would have to be Tridents and Olives.
juniper. In 1995, Boon received several informal offers to study guidance of world renowned Masahiko Kimura. His five years
bonsai in Japan. Months later he traveled to Japan where he in Japan have been dauntingly challenging and full of triumph MARTIN SCHMALENBERG
studied bonsai for his first year as an apprentice with Yasuo and failure. However, all of his experiences have allowed him
Mitsuya. to grow and develop as a bonsai professional. Ryan’s objective Martin Schmalenberg has
and interest upon returning to the United States is to continue been involved in bonsai and
Later, his “bonsai home” became Kihachi-En and his master to help promote the art of bonsai throughout the United stone appreciation for over
became Kihachiro Kamiya, a great bonsai master with multiple States, and more importantly to raise the level and knowledge 30 years and has been an
national awards. Boon said once, “He showed me bonsai stan- of bonsai in the U.S. avid collector of native tree
dards through his amazing talent and deep personal integrity.” material throughout North
Boon returned repeatedly to Japan for prolonged periods of America and stones from
bonsai study until his master’s passing in January, 2004. CHIARA PADRINI
all over the world. He has
In 1998, Boon founded and became the teacher of Bay Island Chiara developed an interest traveled and studied extensively in Asia, Africa and Europe to
Bonsai, and started his business, Bonsai Boon. in bonsai in 1988 and suiseki further his knowledge of bonsai and viewing stone art. Martin
In April 2000, Boon won the Grand Prize in the Kindai Bonsai in 1990. She became the first has lived and studied in Japan, and offers Asian Studies courses
Styling Contest in Japan (sponsored by Kindai Bonsai Maga- Italian on the Board of Direc- on the history and culture of Japan and China at Blair Academy
zine). Contestants styled large Japanese white pines. Boon was tors of the European Bonsai in New Jersey. Mr. Schmalenberg has been a prolific write of
the only non-Japanese in the contest. Association and served 4 articles pertaining to these art forms and has combined his
years as its treasurer. In
The World Bonsai Contest recognized Boon’s trees in 2000, 2003 she was elected to the many decades of bonsai, viewing stone appreciation and Asian
2001, and 2002 as among the world’s top 100 entries, and his Board of directors of BCI and was placed in charge of suiseki for culture studies into stimulating and educational programs at
students’ trees have been recognized in every contest to date. bonsai gatherings throughout North America. He currently re-
Europe. Among her many accomplishments in both bonsai and sides in Stillwater, New Jersey, and operates Stillwater Studio.
Today Boon makes his living as a full-time bonsai artist in suiseki are: founding member of Bonsai and Suiseki Clubs and
Northern California. He styles client trees, lectures, puts on Associations, President of the National College of Bonsai and
demonstrations, holds workshops, and finds show-quality Suiseki Instructors (which she helped found), and author of ANDY SMITH
bonsai for clients. articles that have appeared in French, English, Spanish, Swiss In 1994, Andy and his wife
and Chinese magazines. She has won many awards including Judy were doing a timber
JONATHAN MAPLES the BCI 2008 excellence award and the 2009 Gold medal of the survey in the Black Hills
World Bonsai Congress. National Forest when Judy
Jonathan Maples works as a found what Andy calls an
表装師 (Hyousoushi). ancient pine. They both liked
Hyousou is the Japanese DOUG PHILIPS the uniqueness of these
word for framing or mount- Doug Philips received his small trees and began hunt-
ing. He has trained for 5 initial introduction to bonsai ing for them. The Forest Service gave Andy a contract to collect
years in the art of Hyousou in 1986. After finding and core samples from the old trees to use for drought/climate
and been a direct student reading the Sunset book on research. During this research, pine seedlings were sampled
under Sagawa Taishin in bonsai, he began practicing
Tokyo, Japan. Hyousou is craftsmanship in paper, cloth, glue what was written, and was to get a better estimate of their growth habits during their
juvenile years. Using this data, it was determined that some
and wood to create traditional Japanese products such as suffering much frustration. of these dwarfed trees were over 100 years old. Andy planned
shoji (sliding paper doors), fusuma (Sliding Doors made with As a result, Doug went on collecting one of these trees and putting it in a bucket on
Hardened Paper), and kakejiku (Wall Scrolls). A hyousoushi is a looking for more information and in 1989 was directed to his porch when his wife presented him with a small present - a
person that works in these arts. He operates Custom Japanese the Midori Bonsai club. At that time the club was the home bonsai tree purchased from K-Mart. From then on, Andy was
Calligraphy. to Kathy Shaner, John Thompson, and Les Steele. All of who hooked on bonsai. In the years since then, he focused on col-

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