The San Diego Bonsai Club held their 51st Annual Fall Show on September 24th & 25th. Having never been to a bonsai show, I had to set aside time for this one. Thanks to my daughter’s soccer game on Saturday afternoon, I had to get up early and catch the show when the doors first opened in order to avoid the wrath of my wife if I missed her game. Just like with the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society shows, this one was held at Casa del Prado in Balboa Park.
Once inside the San Diego Bonsai Club exhibition area, one thing really stood out to me at first glance. It was the openness and cleanliness of the displays. It was set up much closer to what you would find at an art gallery rather than a typical plant show. This of course makes sense, as bonsai is a Japanese art dating back as far as 1200 AD.
Note the clean background and separation between each display? Nothing to distract the eye away from the art in front of the viewer. Now go compare this to, let’s say, the a succulent society’s show.
Another thing to take notice of is that almost every individual display had four things in common: a featured bonsai tree, a pot, a wooden stand of some sort and an accent item. Some displays also had a hanging scroll. When presented correctly, these elements help the artist convey in the mind of the viewer a certain landscape or season, or it might even help tell a story.
Before taking photographs of the amazing bonsai I would see, I decided to first walk around the exhibition and find out what else was going on. In the back, the San Diego Bonsai Club had a bonsai demonstration table set up where you could find people working on their art or where visitors could ask questions.
Just some of the tools needed for this art form.
Of course you can not have a plant show without having a plant sale. It just doesn’t work that way. No, you couldn’t buy an instant masterpiece to display in your home, but they did offer some fine starter plants. Remember, bonsai is an active art, as the subject is a living, growing thing. It isn’t like buying a painting where you can just hang it up and the only thing left to do is admire it. With bonsai, if you can’t put in the ongoing time and effort required to take care of a specimen, then you have two choices for ownership. One, find the time and learn the art, or two, hire someone to come do it for you. I was told this actually happens more often than one would think.
Huge bonsai fan? Good thing the tables were elevated…if you know what I mean.
Pottery was available for purchase just like you would find at a cactus and succulent sale. The one thing about bonsai pottery is that the pieces are not gaudy or overly complex. The succulent society shows tend to be moving more and more towards a plant and pottery show. In many cases the pots are more eye-catching than the plants the person is trying to show. With bonsai it is all about the featured specimen, and the pot it’s in should only compliment the tree, not distract from it.
Scattered around the exhibition were some stones on display. Only after I got home and did some research did I find out this is a completely separate art from bonsai. It is called “Suiseki” and it is the Japanese art of stone appreciation. Also called “Viewing Stones,” they represent stability, longevity and immortality.
On to the display plants. First up were a few nice Shohin displays. “Shohin” is the Japanese word meaning “tiny thing.” This is a category of bonsai that is for plants under 10 inches tall. Creating these mini bonsai can be even more laborious then the standard bonsai we will see next. Each of these Shohin displays still have their accent plant(s). Multiple Suiseki (viewing stones) could be found in the displays as well.
If a traditional Japanese home were to show a bonsai inside, a formal display alcove would be used. This alcove makes it easier to view only the bonsai and not be distracted by anything else around the home. The San Diego Bonsai Club had one example of this at the exhibition. This one included a Haiku on the scroll.
Before I show the photos of the individual bonsai specimens, I wanted to share a few details about the displaying of the plants that I read about while researching for this post. First, what makes a great bonsai? The best bonsai plants are those with the proportions that mimic a full-grown tree as closely as possible. Second, all bonsai displays show the bonsai specimen from the most advantageous position. The artist always has a front side to their bonsai and it is this front that is always displayed prominently. All the display tables you will see are used to raise the bonsai specimen up to the ideal viewing height. Most artists use halfway up the trunk of the tree as the ideal viewing height in their displays.
The first few photographs show the “Upright Style” of bonsai.
Korean Hornbeam (Carpinus coreana).
Japanese Black Pine (Pinus thunbergii).
Cork Oak (Quercus suber).
Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus).
Olive Tree (Olea europaea).
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum). This was one of my favorites at the exhibition.
Foemina Juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Foemina’).
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum).
Brazilian Rain Tree (Pithecellobium tortum).
Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola).
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia). This was another impressive bonsai. Looking closely at the center of it, you really felt as though you could be in the middle of an Elm forest.
SDBC Exhibition Kingsville Boxwood (Buxus microphylla ‘Kingsville’). This one kid of went against the standard ‘rules’ on ancient bonsai I think. Still really cool.
Here are a few “Slant Style” bonsai.
Kishu Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii). In this bonsai the artist created the illusion there are trees growing on a rocky peak.
Kishu Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii). Playing amateur bonsai judge, I had to go with this as my favorite overall. There was just something about the weathered and ancient look of the tree trunk.
Kishu Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii).
Procumbens Nana (Juniperus chinensis var. porum). Terrible photograph of this bonsai tree, as the key parts are out of focus.
Yes, even a Bougainvillea can be a bonsai specimen.
Finally, two “Cascade Style” bonsai.
Kishu Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii).
Kishu Shimpaku (Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii).
As I stated earlier, an artist will use the various elements of bonsai to help convey in the mind of the viewer a certain landscape or season, or it might even help tell a story (called “Keido” in Japanese). Looking at the accent piece and the bonsai Bougainvillea below, what do you think this artist’s story was?
The artist’s story is that the tree below reminded him/her of a camping trip in 1960 that the family took to see the giant Sequoia trees. This bonsai specimen reminds him of the famous Sequoia tree that you could drive through.
I had a really good time touring the exhibition and I know that I will return for next year’s San Diego Bonsai Club Annual Fall Show. It was not crowded, I didn’t have people elbowing me out of the way to get photos of plants, and I had a great opportunity to learn a bunch of new things that I didn’t know before the day started. So even if you don’t think bonsai is really your thing, I still highly recommend stopping by an exhibition. It’s free and you just might awaken that bonsai lover hiding inside. For more information about the San Diego Bonsai Club, you can visit their website.
I Love Bonsai Tree. But I do Try to Bonsai Tree.
San Diego Bonsai Club is reaching another level in educating our members in the art of bonsai. Every month in 2019, except May and October when we meet elsewhere, our club will recruit a well-known bonsai artist to conduct a presentation during our monthly meetings. In addition, we will have two workshops: morning and afternoon. This is a wonderful opportunity for our members to have a one-on-one workshop with a bonsai master. Take advantage of this unique occasion; educate yourselves to a higher level in the art of bonsai. You probably have a collection of trees; bring your trees to a workshop and change it to a piece of art that gives you satisfaction.