An open window into the comings and goings of students and their trees attending our regular weekend and midweek bonsai classes under the ever watchful eyes of John Hanby.
Classroom Corner – Beginners Class June 2016
Our latest Beginners Course concluded last Sunday and hopefully we have inspired a few more people to aspire to greater things as they enter this bonsai world we all live in.
There were six participants on the class and it never ceases to amaze me how far people will travel to learn about bonsai. One gentleman could not have been closer….he lived in Havercroft……but the others…….one from Anglesey, one from Stockport, one from Liverpool, and two from Grantham! Truly amazing…..and I hope their long journeys proved worthwhile.
The second day is all about styling trees. Some selected from our own raw material whilst others had brought their own. The base of the trunks were exposed by removing some surface soil and then each tree was discussed.
Styling options were explained, decisions were made, and then I pruned away basically everything that I thought we would not need. With some brilliant help from Derek, Len and Ian the students then undertook their first attempt at wiring. All the branches I had left on the tree were duly wired and where appropriate some deadwood was also created.
It was then back to me to help with the final styling…..the placement of branches and manipulation of the deadwood. The pictures below will give you some idea of the transformations achieved but really don’t do the efforts of the students justice. I hope they were as pleased with the outcome as I was!
