Page 18 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2014Q1

ancients knew how to do this, and it was part of their
daily lives. There is incredible mystery to stones and
mystery is mystery! Why validate it?
bci: You have studied with notable bonsai masters in
Japan. What were some important early lessons?
ms: I worked in the bonsai growing fields of rural
Shikoku, Japan for Hiroyoshi Yamaji during the
winter/spring of 1989/90. The following winter and
spring, I stayed with Mikio Oshima in Okayama,
Japan. The most important trait from Mr. Oshima
was the intense discipline, and he allowed me to be
totally immersed in it— he drove me quite hard! The
great practitioners and artists that I was around in
Japan, demonstrated that without discipline, one
does not advance. I stayed with Mikio Oshima, and
he lived it, it was very intense and he drilled it into
me constantly. You had to sweat the details, try to be
a virtual perfectionist and understand time-honored
traditions in bonsai. You had to be serious.
bci: Which teacher impressed you the most and why?
ms: As mentioned, Mikio Oshima, his focus and work
ethic and a wonderful advanced sense of aesthetics.
If you kept your eyes and ears open constantly, you
saw and heard another dimension. He allowed me
to be immersed in it. In this country, Bill Valavanis
was a strong early influence when I met him almost
35 years ago. He understood the discipline of Classi-
cal Bonsai training. Nick Lenz was also a motivation
years ago which helped me balance my affection for
Japanese style and what he called “German Romanti-
cism.” It allowed for a bit more freedom.

bci: Who do you admire among your fellow bonsai
teachers and why?
ms: There are bonsai practitioners that are artists,
and there are those that are natural teachers. Some
say they are both, but most are one or the other. I’m
impressed with my colleagues who truly are teachers,
because they love to share, but they also know how to
create beautiful bonsai. Ted Matson from California
fits this description, as well as Bill Valavanis, Suthin
Sukosolvisit, Kathy Shaner, who are just an example
of some of the fine teachers in America. There is a new
generation now coming to the forefront of the bonsai
world in this country, and Ryan Neal demonstrates
very well how to teach the intricacies of making ar-
tistic trees.
bci: Do you have a favorite species for creating bonsai?
ms: I do not have a favorite. They all excite me, but I
do have a particular passion for pines, eastern white
cedar and maples.
bci: How are your trees cared for when you are away
on trips and teaching tours?
ms: I’m fortunate to have several friends who do
bonsai as well as neighbors who are master gardeners
who know how to water. Sometimes on a protracted
long trip (overseas), I have to pay them; it’s a chore
with as many trees as I have!
16 | BCI | January/February/March 2014