A Peek into the Life of a Fanatic

Part of this story started 4 years ago in 2016. I decided to make a few stands. I was going to make them all the same, two larger ones and two smaller. One each for me and one each to sell off. They were going to be simple and bare bones. Mostly functional, with nothing fancy. All The alder wood is cut and ripped into the correct widths.

Again, very simple and just functional as far as displaying a tree.

Here is where it begins to slide off the rails. My wife was getting pretty sick by now with the cancer and I did not finish one of the stands for a year. In that year I began putting together the components of my display for the Kazari. I had this pink pot by Bunzan that I bought specifically to plant black mondo grass in. I thought the pink and black would really pop. In my head I thought wouldn’t it be interesting if I introduced a colored stand to the world. Something not seen before. A pop of color rarely seen outside of the accent plant. Yes, this is going to be something not yet seen before.

I assembled my components at the Kazari. I chose the pyracantha because of the pot. The stark white pot would be the perfect foil for the stand. The subtle turquoise in the border of the scroll played well with the color of the table. A seasonal moon with Ume. Black mondo grass in a pink pot. The playful splash of color is just what the season calls for, waking up from Winter, in a display not often seen in bonsai circles. I didn’t place, but I think Mike Saul was the judge. Maybe he has some insight as to feelings of the display from a judging POV.

So now three years later and I decide that for this year at the club show it might be nice to finish the other smaller stand. The stand was done except for the finish. I thought the open space between the top and the bottom stretcher was too boring. I found these laser cut wood cutouts and fitted them in. Continued with finishing the stand with a custom Rosewood dye I make myself with denatured alcohol as the base. Little did I know, California in it’s infinite wisdom has decided that denatured alcohol should become a controlled substance and is no longer sold in California in anything larger than a pint. I guess drunks are drinking it to get high, and go blind in the process! I only drink it on special occasions, and my cape keeps me from going blind!

The Boss asked me to bring extra stands so one more is in the fold. I think that makes 21 or 22. I thought it might be fun to take some cheap procumbens and wire them up and sell them. I purchased four. This town is really juniper proof. If you want junipers for your garden your going to have to go someplace other than Fresno to buy them. If you do find one they will be scrawny little plants with a pencil trunk and barely out of 4 inch liner pot. Pathetic really. These were pretty robust and I bought all they had with any future as bonsai. Ther are a few left , but good luck making a tree out of them.

I wired the four and made two upright and two semi cascade. Nothing fancy, just starter plants for the people interested in starting with bonsai. Not very often does one find stuff at a bonsai show that is ready for a show pot, and frankly could be shown right now. I’ve seen worse at shows. It takes me a couple hours and some wire to turn these out.

I left some of the dead wood long and it can be cut back by the new owner.

In my email from the “Boss”, I was asked to bring along any accents I might have as well as the stands. I thought I would touch up a few today as some of the plants were looking pretty tattered. You already seen the mondo grass in pink pot earlier from 2017, and I still have it!

Pot by Dick Ryerson

Pot by Gary Wood

Pot by Bunzan

Pot by Pauline Muth

Pot by April Grigsby

Pot by Yozan

Pot by Bunzan

Pot by Yozan

Pot by Yamaaki -Toshio

Pot by Big Dave Rochester

Pot by Gary Wood

This has been the last two weeks. Fifty to go!

If there would be any interest in seeing the tree displays from the 2018 Kazari and given the opportunity to judge it for yourself, please comment and ask for the trees. I can post them up if the interest is there.