WBC2013NABF Poster:Info - North American Bonsai Federation

North American Demonstrators
2013-WBC Jintan, China
7th World Bonsai Convention
6 PAGES
Bjorn Bjorholm
was born and raised in East
Tennessee, USA at the foothills
of the Smoky Mountains,
which undoubtedly played a major
role in his love of nature and
eventual involvement in bonsai
beginning at the age of 13.
At
the age of 16 he helped found the
Knoxville Bonsai Society, and later,
single-handedly developed the Tennessee Bonsai Exhibition, now an annual and continually
expanding event. From 2008, Bjorn has been an apprentice at Kouka-en under Master Keiichi
Fujikawa, former student of WBFF founder Saburo Kato.
Since then, Bjorn's works have been featured in the Kokufu-ten, Taikan-ten, and Sakufu-ten
exhibitions, and several have won awards at those events. Bjorn is now based in Kyoto, Japan and
is a co-founder and instructor at the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai in Osaka, as well as
the owner of Bjorvala Bonsai Studio, through which he regularly teaches students from around the
world.
Brussel Martin, USA,
started
bonsai after his father, an architect, brought
back several bonsai from California in 1955.
They grew these bonsai for several years. This
sparked a desire to pursue bonsai as a hobby
in his parents backyard. In the late 50’s and
early 60’s Brussel even made many of his own
ceramic bonsai pots as they were not
available.
After outgrowing his parents backyard
around 1970 he leased a small nursery.
About 1979 he bought his first nursery and operated there until 2004 when he moved to his
current location. Brussel has been importing bonsai from Asia since 1969, probably longer than
anyone in the USA.
Brussel has grown bonsai professionally since 1969. His bonsai have won several awards
including Best of Show and Viewer’s Choice. One of his bonsai is in permanent display at The
National Arboretum in Washington D.C.. Brussel also owns and operates Brussel’s Bonsai Nursery
which is the largest grower and importer of bonsai in the USA.
North American Demonstrators
2013-WBC Jintan, China
7th World Bonsai Convention
6 PAGES
Randy Clark, USA,
has been
learning the art bonsai for more than a quarter
century and for the past two decades, has
traveled throughout the United States and
Europe teaching the subject. He strongly
encourages his students to develop an
individual approach to the art .
!
“One must have more than a simple
classical understanding of the principals of
bonsai design if one wishes to grow and
develop in the art. It is certainly important to
honor our Japanese teachers by understanding
the time tested principals upon which classical bonsai design is based,... but it is even more
important that each student strives to bring new insights into what they do,” he said. “One must
learn and understand when to apply the rules as well as when to bend them. Bonsai is an art... and
all art forms, by definition, are interpretive.”
During his twenty-five year involvement with the art of bonsai, Mr. Clark has spent seven of
them serving as a vice president of the National Bonsai Foundation in Washington D.C. as well as
two terms as president of the Minnesota Bonsai Society and as Chairman of the 1987
International Bonsai Conference which was held in Minnesota. He also served two years as the
managing editor of Bonsai Magazine, the official publication of Bonsai Clubs International and is
the author of Outstanding American Bonsai, a book, published by Timber Press in Portland,
Oregon. His bonsai have won numerous first place and best in show awards at both the local and
regional level.
For nine years he operated White Dragon Bonsai Studio out of his former home in
Minnesota. In 1995 he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina where he operated The Bonsai
Learning Center.
Daniel LaFortune, CANADA
was born in 1956. His occupation is a full time
gardener and a full time collector of yamadori.
Daniel has been involved in bonsai since 1981, he
has been a member of the Bonsai Society of
Montréal for over 30 years and continues to be very
active. His main pleasure is penjing, creating
beautiful mountain and water scenes on marble
trays. He will be taking one of his creations to
WBC 2013 to Jintan, China.
North American Demonstrators
2013-WBC Jintan, China
7th World Bonsai Convention
6 PAGES
Jack Sustic, USA,
is curator of
the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, located
at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington,
DC. His interest in bonsai began in the mid
1980’s while serving in the Army in South Korea.
In 1990 he attended Michigan State
University majoring in ornamental horticulture.
In 1995 he worked as Greenhouse/Nursery
manager at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in
Columbia, SC, where he also served as president
of the Bonsai Club of South Carolina. In 1996 Jack was selected as the National Bonsai & Penjing
Museum’s first intern and in 2002 was appointed curator. He has received formal bonsai
training from masters in both the United States and Japan. In 2005 one of his trees was selected
as an International winner in the WBFF photo contest and his trees have been exhibited in the
2nd and 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions. Jack is a member of several bonsai organizations
including Kofu Kai, Potomac Bonsai Association, he is an honorary member of Nampu Kai, a
group comprised of John Naka’s students. He served as co-chair of the 5th World Bonsai
Convention in 2005 and currently serves as Eastern United States Vice-President of the North
American Bonsai Federation (NABF) of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF) and
serves as advisor to the National Bonsai Foundation (NBF).
Suthin Sukosolvisit,
USA, a native of Thailand, is
recognized as one of the premier
Bonsai Masters in the United States.
He has extensive experience with
tropical bonsai and his expertise also
extends to Japanese Maples, Junipers,
Azaleas and Black Pines. A true artist,
he is proficient with many other species
and is particularly known for his
'Shohin'; small-sized, elegant Bonsai.
Having been involved in Bonsai since 1970, Suthin has won National Bonsai Awards in Thailand
and the United States.
North American Demonstrators
2013-WBC Jintan, China
7th World Bonsai Convention
6 PAGES
He teaches his unique Bonsai techniques throughout the New England area and the
United States. Suthin cheerfully shares new information and techniques everywhere he teaches.
His Bonsai are known for their proportion, refinement and detail. Suthin and his wife operate
Royal Bonsai Garden, Inc. in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
William N. Valavanis,
USA, became interested in bonsai and
!
horticulture at age 11 and pursued his
interest by studying Ornamental
Horticulture at SUNY Farmingdale and
Cornell University. He has made over 50
trips to Japan and formally apprenticed
with Kyuzo Murata and Kakutaro Komuro
in Omiya Bonsai Village in Japan.
Additionally a 30-year study and
association with Yuji Yoshimura combined
with his formal horticultural degrees,
apprenticeships in Japan and his artistic
talent provide Bill with the solid
background to promote and teach classical
bonsai art around the world. His
educational programs have been presented
throughout the United States, Canada,
Brazil, England, Italy, Belgium, China,
Indonesia, Australia, China, Taiwan, South Africa and Japan.
He is the proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester, New York where
he maintains a fine personal collection of classical bonsai. He offers introductory and advanced
classes as well as seminars and symposia in Rochester, New York. He also maintains a busy teaching
schedule for bonsai and horticultural organizations worldwide. In order to further promote the
artistic and horticultural expression of classical bonsai art around the world he began publishing
International BONSAI magazine 36 years ago. He has authored seven books and many articles
published in English, Japanese and other European languages. His newest book published to
commemorate his 50th year of bonsai: Classical Bonsai Art- A Half-Century of Bonsai Study- The
Creations & Passion of William N. Valavanis, is receiving excellent reviews.
Bill is an active member and officer of numerous local, national and international bonsai
and horticultural organizations. His distinctive bonsai and displays have received many awards
both in the United States and abroad. In 2008 he organized the First US National Bonsai
Exhibition which was very successful. This historic event displayed 192 bonsai from 23 states across
America and drew visitors from around the world. The second and third exhibitions were held in
2010 and 2012. The next US National Bonsai Exhibition will be held in September 2014.
North American Demonstrators
2013-WBC Jintan, China
7th World Bonsai Convention
6 PAGES
Brian Donnelly, from
CANADA , born in 1941
has been engaged in bonsai since
1983. He is a retired ecology
teacher. Brian is an active
member of three different bonsai
societies and a member of the
study group Karamatsu in the
province of Québec. He gives
lectures, demonstrations,
workshops and bonsai courses.
Brian has won many awards in
bonsai exhibitions in Québec
province. as well as international
awards such as JAL 2003 and
2005 World Bonsai Contest .
Robert Smith, CANADA, was born in 1949 in Arthabaska, Quebec.
He graduated
in 1968 with a Master watch-maker. He worked 25 years as an optical-technician at CBCTelevision (Society Broadcasting television Canada )
He took pre-retirement in 1993 and started his passion: bonsai & penjing. Many courses
were taken at Botanic Garden in Montreal with Chinese, Japanese, U.S. & Canadian masters.
In 1997 he founded the Society of Bonsai &
Penjing Quebec. The objective is to promote art of
penjing & bonsai. The society presentely has more
them 330 members and every year there is an
exhibition at Robert’s nursery Bonsaï GrosBec where one international master is invited as a
guest speaker. In 2012, Robert won the first price at
the exhibition of the Society of Bonsai & Penjing of
Quebec. Since 2001, he has given more them sixty
conference & 100 “Introductory courses, many
workshops and he taught level primate & secondary
school and also at many horticulture schools in all
the region of Quebec.