Literati Style of Bonsai William Valavanis

B
March 2012
Volume 41 Number 3
illboard
Newsletter of The Bonsai Society of Upstate New York
March Meeting:
O
Literati Style of Bonsai
William Valavanis
ur March meeting will feature a program and workshop by Bill
Valavanis. He will first show a PowerPoint presentation explaining
the history, styles of, and design of Literati style bonsai. It is an unusual,
esoteric style based on line and sensitivity.
After the presentation Bill will shape a Shimpaku
juniper which will be raffled at the conclusion
of the program. Following that he will have a
workshop using identical Shimpaku juniper. They are container grown in one gallon
containers and are approximately 10-15 inches high.
The workshop is free but the participants must pay for the
Shimpaku juniper tree. Materials cost for this workshop is $40
payable to the society. You must bring your own wire and tools,
no transplanting. People not participating in the workshop are
welcome to observe. There is a limited number of openings
available so register and pay early to avoid disappointment.
Sign up by contacting Ron Maggio at 872-0382 or email him
at treasurer@bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
The Literati style has its emphasis on trunk line and
movement. It is characterized with a few branches at
the top of a long, visually pleasing, twisted trunk. The
unglazed pots used for this style are usually small,
Shimpaku - Literati at 2012
round and shallow to balance the meager foliage. This
Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition
style is inspired by the paintings of pine trees that
grew in harsh climates, struggling to reach the light of the sun in their rocky
surroundings. The idea is to demonstrate that the tree really has to make a great
effort to survive. Display Table: If you have a Literati tree that you would care
to bring for the display table, please do so.
A Little About Bill… Our current Vice President, and past President of
BSUNY. In 2012 Bill Valavanis marks his 50th year of involvement with bonsai. He is the proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester,
NY where he maintains a fine personal collection of award winning classical
bonsai, and teaches classes. Bill has authored two books and many articles published in English, Japanese and other European languages. Two historic events
have been organized by Bill, the 1st and 2nd U.S National Bonsai Exhibitions
held in 2008 and 2010. The 3rd U.S National Bonsai Exhibition will be in
June of this year. We are lucky to have him in our area.
Award winning Japanese Red
Pine Literati by Will Hebert
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, March 27, 7:00 pm
William Valavanis:
Literati Style of Bonsai
Brighton Town Lodge at Buckland Park
1341 Westfall Road, Rochester, New York
near corner of Westfall and Clinton
Billboard is brought to you by:
PRESIDENT:
Harvey Carapella,
President@bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
CO-EDITORS:
Tom Friday & Irma Abu-Jumah
Billboard@bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
CONTRIBUTORS:
Mark Arpag, William N. Valavanis
http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
2
February Meeting Highlights
T
he presentation by our president Harvey Carapella for the February meeting was a very challenging one. Harvey
chose to try and create five bonsai trees, each representing one of the Five Basic Bonsai Styles. The first style was
a Formal Upright for which he used an American Larch (Larix laricina). For the other four styles, Informal Upright,
Slanting, Semi-Cascade, and Full Cascade, Harvey used Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper trees (Juniperus procumbens
'Nana'). Harvey had to move right along on each tree in order to complete all five of the tree styles and also show
what type of pot might be best for each style of tree. The 47 members attending asked a lot of great questions about
each tree as Harvey wired, trimmed, and explained the unique characteristics each of the five tree styles.
The finale of Harvey’s presentation was the raffling of all five trees. The winners were: Formal Upright -Larry
Warren, Informal Upright-Chris O’Handley, Slanting-Chuck Lyons, Semi-Cascade-Joe Galley, Full Cascade-Neil
Jaeger. Hopefully we will see these trees again as they mature under the care of their new owners. The Society appreciates
everyone who purchased tickets for this raffle. The “Name That Tree” contest this month was also a challenge
thanks to Mark Arpag who brought in two great trees for members to identify. The first was a Japanese Flowering
Quince with pink flowers identified by Ron Verna. The other was a Parrot’s Beak identified by Joe Lentner. Each
received a bonsai related prize. Next month try your luck.
Thank you Harvey for your interesting, and very informative presentation. A job well done!
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2
3
6
4
5
1.
Harvey beginning work on the Larch
used for the Formal Upright style.
Officer Election Reminder
2.
Dwarf Juniper being formed into the
Informal Upright style.
3.
Hank Miller’s Ficus burtt-davyi shown
on hand carved display table he made.
4.
Harvey pointing out the proper pot
for the Full Cascade style tree.
5.
The Japanese Flowering Quince for
the ‘Name That Tree’ contest.
At the March meeting we will be electing
our society officers. During the business
meeting, the candidates for the offices will
be presented and voted on. If anyone has
any nominations give one of the nominating
committee a call and let them know. Just
make sure the person you are nominating
knows about it before you call.
6-7. The five demo trees - each done in
one of the Five Basic Bonsai Styles.
http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
Very last chance
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Nominating Committee: Joe Galley, Chair,
334-9472; Rick Marriott, 247-3401 and Will
Hebert, 413-0346
Gardenscape 2012 BSUNY Receives Award
3
O
nce again our society had a very successful display at this year’s
GardenScape 2012-Recipe For Springtime, Greater Rochester's
Flower and Garden Show. Awards were again handed out to Non-Profit
organizations this year, and the Society received the D & R Depot
Award for ‘Best Display or Garden with educational value for the
gardening public’. We also received lots of compliments on the fine
flowering trees in our display, which was again on the main floor. Lots of
visitors to the booth picked up information on the Society and about our
May Show. Thank you to the following people who brought their bonsai
to share with the spectators: Harvey Carapella, Marc Arpag, Rick Marriott,
Jim Dolce, Bob Pfromm, Bob Kretzer, Doug McDade, Joe Moore, Jerome
Cushman, and Bill Valavanis.
A special thank you to the members who came early to help set up the
booth display, and also to those who came back to help us take it down at
the end of the show. Also many thanks to all our members who
answered questions from the public. All of your support is much
appreciated.
2 0 12 P ROGRAMS
 Mar. 27: Literati Style Bonsai, Demo/Workshop
at meeting, Bill Valavanis
 Mar. 31-Apr. 1: Garden Factory-Flower &
Garden Showcase—BSUNY display
 Apr. 24: Accessory Plantings, Demo/Workshop
at meeting: Jerome Cushman
 May 19-20: Upstate New York Bonsai Exhibition
 Jun. 9-10: 3rd US National Bonsai Exhibition
 Jun. 11: Yasuo Mitsuya Demo Topic TBD
 Jun. 26: Summer Picnic/ Auction/ Sale
 Jul. 24: Mert Bohonos - Garden Tour
 Aug. 28: Bring Your Own Tree Workshop
 Sep. 25: TBD
Flower & Garden
Showcase
T
he Garden Factory will be having its
First Annual Flower & Garden Showcase
on March 31st-April 1, 2012. BSUNY has been asked to participate
and provide advice and answer questions on the art of bonsai. We will
also have a display of bonsai trees.
Throughout this event, The Garden Factory will be hosting guest lecturers.
Mark Arpag will be doing a talk on Saturday, and Bill Valavanis will do a
talk on Sunday. The International Bonsai Arboretum will have a display
area at the show.
We will need member trees for the society display. If you have a tree or
trees for our society display please contact Bill Valavanis at 334-2595.
Please contact Bob Pfromm at 421-0378 to schedule your time to help
during the show.
http://www.bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org
4
I Repotted My Bonsai, and it Died!
I
f you are saying this, welcome
to a huge band of brothers.
Even very experienced bonsai
artists have this happen. Death is
a rude awakening to the fact that
you probably did something
wrong, and it had permanent
results.
What did you do wrong?
Here is a list of common “wrongs”.
1. You cut too much root off when you repotted.
2. You let the roots dry out while you were in the process
of repotting.
3. You didn’t settle the new soil into and around the roots,
leaving air pockets that let roots dry out.
4. You didn’t wire or tie the root ball securely into the
pot, allowing the roots to shift and shake in the soil
mix.
By Joe Day*
7. The bonsai was potted in a much higher position this
year, so those beautiful roots would show up better.
The former underground roots, now exposed, sunburned,
dried out and died.
8. Thinking the bonsai needs more fertilizer, because
the soil is new, you give it an extra strong dose of
fertilizer… a great way to burn up all those new
roots.
9. You allow your soil to freeze after the buds begin to
open.
10. You didn’t take time to sift out your soil, because it
didn’t look that bad, and someone said the small
stuff helps the new roots get started.
11. You reused some soil for some reason, but the soil
still looked good.
Or you could have had some very bad luck with a nasty
fungus or blight.
That’s possible, but you still will get the blame.
5. You forgot to water the tree after repotting.
6. You put the newly repotted tree outside on the bench
when the humidity was low and the wind was high.
Bonsai Society of Upstate New York
P.O. Box 92215
Rochester, New York 14692
* Reprinted from FLORIDA BONSAI, Vol. XXII, No. 1, 1992, PP. 28-30