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Website Review: http://course.bonsaiempire.com

The Bonsai Beginner’s Course

Teaching a new generation

of bonsai enthusiasts

Photos courtesy Bonsai Empire and Bjorvala Bonsai Studio

o you remember a time when you knew
next to nothing about bonsai? You were
aware of bonsai because you appreciat-
ed Asian art, perhaps the Japanese aes-
Dthetic in particular, and maybe you were
exposed to bonsai on a trip to Japan or on a visit to
one of the first bonsai museums and arboreta around
the world. Maybe it was the subplot in the movie, The
Karate Kid, the part where Mr. Miyagi performs an
emergency repotting on a pine bonsai damaged by the
bad guys. Whatever it was, you became extremely cu-
rious about bonsai in this chance encounter and with
motivation and determination, you resolved to learn
all you could about this incomprehensible art form
shrouded in tradition and mystery.
Was that twenty years ago or was it just last spring? Top; The Bonsai Beginner’s
Whether you are new to bonsai and wonder what Course if a new offering on the
it’s all about, or if your knowledge or grasp of certain Bonsai Empire website <http://
techniques still needs work, consider purchasing The course.bonsaiempire.com>
Bonsai Beginner’s Course from Bjorvala Bonsai Stu- The course is taught by two
professional and highly experi-
dio and Bonsai Empire, their first joint effort and their enced teachers.
first online bonsai course introduced this past June. Middle; Bjorn Bjorholm is
For those new to bonsai, this course provides an un- a bonsai professional who
derstanding of what Bonsai is, and which techniques studied this living art for
can be applied to shape and maintain the miniature over six years while living in
trees. Although the course is aimed at beginners, it Japan, apprenticing under the
famous Bonsai master Keiichi
can also reinforce best bonsai practices for those with Fujikawa. Bjorn is well-known
more experience. for his technical skills in wiring
There have been other publications and films that and styling Bonsai. He travels
have introduced Westerners to bonsai, such as the fine around the world to teach and
film, The Growing Art of Bonsai by Arthur Skolnik, demonstrate. <http://www.
bjorvalabonsaistudio.com>
first released in VHS and then on DVD. The Introduc- Bottom; Oscar Jonkers is
tion to Bonsai Course designed by Thomas L Zane, author of the best-seller
promoted by The American Bonsai Society (ABS) and “Bonsai, a beginners guide” and
BCI was used by many clubs in the US to teach bonsai owner of Bonsai Empire. While
to newcomers. Bjorn handles the techniques
The Bonsai Beginner’s Course is a new twist on the is the powerful combination of knowledge and expe- and application part, Oscar
Japanese bonsai aesthetic covered by many authors rience provided by two young bonsai professionals, discusses the backgrounds of
what Bonsai is and means.
in past decades, as they presented a similar program, Bjorn Bjorholm and Oscar Jonkers and their ability to
mostly in book form, with individual flair and their relate to their young peers. Bjorn’s access to top quality
own distinctive bonsai creations. What makes The bonsai specimens adds much credibility and authority
Bonsai Beginner’s Course such a compelling offering to the offering.

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