|
The art of Bonsai has become my fourth love. Of course, the first love is my wife of over fifty years, and second are my two daughters. The third love is painting/teaching; painting cannot be separated from teaching. I derive as much pleasure from putting pigment to a painting as teaching a student. It is just as exciting for me to see the student understand a concept in painting and apply the improvement to his or her own creations.
A few pictures of some of my Bonsai Collection were shown for your enjoyment. Bonsai is a living three-dimensional sculpture that requires daily attention. There are no days off when you are dealing with a live plant. The similarities of comparing oneself to a farmer may seem remote, but there is much truth in that fact. Without intervention of watering and fertilization, the plant or tree (in this case) would surely die. The hobby of Bonsai is definitely an addiction!
Marilyn calls the greenhouse my “TREE HOUSE,” and my Bonsai, ”MY CHILDREN. The difference is that these children do not cry when they are hurt, or give out any sound, but they do communicate by the look of their leaves, soil and bark.
Most Bonsaist in the northern Hemisphere put there collection of trees into protective areas for the winter, and ‘chomp at the bit’ awaiting early spring for the first buds on their trees to start to swell. I prefer tropical and sub tropical trees, which I attend to throughout the year.
From inside my 80 degree Tree House, there is nothing more gratifying then watching a Bougainvillea flower in the dead of winter with snow on the ground.
If you desire to learn more about the art of Bonsai you may follow the attached URL’s to some of my favorite visiting areas on the Internet:
http://gulfstreambonsai.org/
http://www.bonsaitalk.com/
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/index.php
http://www.absbonsai.org/
|
