BURRS 2012

Now, this is what I call a true concept of bonsai! Mediocre material and great artists !! Kidding aside, what an inspiring event, the "cliff of bonsai".

Congrats Tony and all! Feel free to post more pics, guys. More pics, MORE PICS .. MORE PICSpleaze

-Dorothy

So, here is my question for Jeremy:
This yew has very nice surface roots (I love them) & as I understand from the angle of pot in photo, you will repot the tree in this position/angle in next repotting season.
However I wonder how will you adapt these rigid surface roots/nebari into this angle? Won't it be a problem?

(sorry for asking here, mods can delete this post if necessary)

Thanks
Taner

Great thread Chris ,thanks for taking the time to do it.

The best bonsai experience i've ever had, thanks to Mr Tickle for organising it and for everyone who made it a great weekend.

Paul , I miss you all ready.

Seeing all theese photos....Can I see, this was the best place to be this weekend...Really nice great time .

Kind regards Yvonne...thanks for sharing

Smithy me too xx Paul

Smithy.. Paul... I was going to say "get a room" then again you did... along with ten others!

Sakaki wrote:So, here is my question for Jeremy:
This yew has very nice surface roots (I love them) & as I understand from the angle of pot in photo, you will repot the tree in this position/angle in next repotting season.
However I wonder how will you adapt these rigid surface roots/nebari into this angle? Won't it be a problem?

Hi Taner,
As Tony replied I originally got the yew from Tony.
I love the surface roots as well.
I plan to reduce and carve the left hand root somewhat and then later once the yew is ready, commission a pot from Erik Križovenský, thus it is likely I can retain most of the flare rootage while still maintaining the planting angle. Seeing Erik's work on other challenging trees, I am very optimistic.
Hope this helps.

Jeremy wrote:
Hi Taner,
As Tony replied I originally got the yew from Tony.
I love the surface roots as well.
I plan to reduce and carve the left hand root somewhat and then later once the yew is ready, commission a pot from Erik Križovenský, thus it is likely I can retain most of the flare rootage while still maintaining the planting angle. Seeing Erik's work on other challenging trees, I am very optimistic.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for your kind reply, Jeremy.
I think "commissioning an extraordinary shaped pot from Erik Križovenský" is beyond enough to overcome that issue
I hope you share the progress with us.

Thanks
Taner

BURRS is the best thing on the bonsai world BUT there is a dark side
SATARDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TATTOO'S


Yes that is Hans and Smithy







The dark side of BURRS

It makes me wonder what Tony will think of next

Regards Chris

Back to the Bonsai,
I can't remember the name of the boy this yew belonged to but Terry worked all weekend with him to produce a great tree













Regards Chris

What a brilliant weekend..very tiring but a great experience. Apart from the Tattoo show..was dreading that bit..Chris you are a good man..you missed me off .The wife won't shout at me now .Great to meet people again and to meet new people.For anybody who has not had the experienceof a Burrs weekend you must try it at least once.Burrs is a Family and is growing every year.A big thanks to Tony but an even bigger thanks to Mrs T for all the work and effort that goes into feeding us.A big thank to all the Artists.Will Terry Pavel Enrico and of course to Hans.Also thanks to Ofer great guy.

See you all next year !

Hi every body,
only just now can I get my head around all the positivity and friendship that I experienced at Burrs and write about! But even so it will be quit impossible to put it all in to words! I arrived early on the Thursday were my dear friend Tony was waiting for me with a smile, it feld like seeing your (older ) brother again after a long time and from that moment on my mindset wend from gloominess into a bright feeling of belonging and happiness, I was home! The first thing he proudly showed me was his new allotment were his young student and friend Mikey had spend all morning laying large and heavy concrete tiles in the mud so that we and all the other later visitors of Burrs could walk among the amazing yamadori material that Tony had gathered over the last couple off years. Poor Mickey was soaking wet and there was not a clean spot left on his clothes! Over the next two days Tony took groups off Burrs visitors up there and understandable many off these unique yamadori later ended up on the working tables at Burrs to receive their first preparations or styling! After my visit to his place Tony took Mickey and me to his home for some needed refreshments (B.L.T's) and than we made our way to the back of his garden to look at his collection and to work on some off them. Together we wired and worked/styled his small yew that naturally grows in/from a massive and very heavy rock, this made the Bonsai juices in my body go faster than they already did! But on the Friday the real deal started big time, Tony had placed his enormous and mind blowing yew on a large and solid stone table in the middle off his back garden and wile the teachers and guests slowly dripped in Ofer, all the way from Israel, started to pre wirer the largest branches of this monster. Mean wile inside his glasshouse Will and I started to work on Tony his white pine and not much later it's old needles were plucked by 4 pairs of hands!

Below: The pine before we started to work.



This all happened with the sound of classic FM in the back ground and was all professionally filmed! And I am realy glad about that because the styling of this tree is something to be seen by all bonsai enthusiast around the world! After Tony and Enrico (Italy) discussed the possibilities and what to do next, and just before the inevitable English rain started to fall big time, Tony performed a daring technique on one off the thick and almost on bendable branches. At the base over a section off about 6 cm this branch was halved, leaving it half as thick as it was! Then holes were drilled in both the thick sections above and under the now thinner section. In those holes thick wires were inserted to protect the branch from breaking wen it was placed in its desired place.

Bellow: Tony drilling the holes wile Enrico and Ofer hold it in place. You can see Will holding his breath!



Below: Enrico applying the next layer off wire.



About that time the garden was all ready filled with new arrivals from all over Europe, among them was Pavel and Eric the pot magician! Pavel and me embraced for the first time, but for me it feld like meeting a old friend! We both, as I found out later from Pavel him self, were both great fans of each others work and approach and had been waiting to meet each other to work together! Bonsai can do this among far away unknown friends! Later that day the gazebo was built over the large yew and the classical music was changed to pumping house music! To much culture could kill you after a wile! This day was all ready great but it would only get better!!!! The (very) late diner that evening was like always with Tony and me at one table a mad house and a lot off the many glasses of wine and other spirits we sampled came out off our noses from laughing! Like I sad, it feld like being home, even for the new ones that had joyed us! A warm bad is the best word...the hole world should be doing Bonsai! But the best part that night was meeting my old buddy and confident Terry Foster and Charlotte his lovely wife who, just like Tony and Carolyn, kindly opened up their home again and even lent me use their own bed so that I could sleep alright with my bad back! How humbling is that?!

Friday at Burrs almost all guests were pressed and Tony drove groups back and ford to his garden and allotment. It was a happy day full of meeting old and new friends! The pub diner with almost all the guests, across the road, was one to remember! Especially my seriously talks with Ofer were enlightening for me, but the (mostly improper) jokes from the both off us are way out there and some off the best we ever heard and told! Humor has no boundaries!

Saturday morning, the real start of Burrs, was for us teachers like we had worked together for years! Enrico found his way to the better trees that needed to be designed and Pavel and Terry found their way to the somewhat lesser trees that needed to be designed. I mostly helped the students with their techniques and questions: like how to select a front, back and total design. I must have made 8 or 9 design drawings that helped them on their way. I showed them how to select the branches, how to wire them, how to bend (some extremely) heavy branches and all the rest you need to know to design and make your future Bonsai. And a lot of the students trees that I worked on or helped on, just started their lives as a Bonsai and only needed a good start and could not be finished this weekend. That is why there are not to many pictures off finished trees that I worked or helped on! A lot of the students had question that needed to be answered and needed help with their techniques and this time it was me to (gladly) take that role! Working this way together meant that everybody was helped this weekend! And wood chip Will helped almost everybody with their death wood work, this meant (because off the dust) that he unselfishly spend and worked most of this weekend hidden away in the disabled toilet wile the trees owner looked over his shoulder. The only times we saw him was wen he covered with wood chips and dust came out to quickly eat and drink! Now thats dedication for you!

Below: Here are some pictures I made. And please forgive me that I cant remember names!

Mikey's yew.











Below: Hawthorn. One off the trees that I made a design drawing for



Below: Simon "Bonsai Monkey" concentrated and in the zone.





Below: Enrico going: WHAT!!!!!



Below: Eric the pot magician wiring his big pine.



Terry and me discussed this difficult tree with the owner together, it needed big decisions!



Below: And this is what they both made! Amazing isn't it?!





Below: YOU WHAT???? WHOOO HAHAHA!!!!





Below: The magic off Eric's pots! His presentation about his work on the Friday night was mind blowing!!! By the way: he drove 2000 km to get there!!! Again the devotion of some Bonsai artist are hearth warming!





Below: Will all alone in his element! What a great guy!



Eric still at work just before the Saturday night lectures/presentations started.















Below: The real deal from Terry.



Below: One off the best Hawthorns ever by Terry!



Below: Good friend and great artist Enrico still working late on Jerry's unique yew, now thats devotion for you!



After a great meal the real Burrs party started! There must have been 40 different kinds off treats and special medicine from all over Europe on the tables and I and the rest must have tasted most off them. So you can imagine that it did not take to long before some one started to sing!

Below: Pavel and friends proudly and loudly singing their national anthem!



I must admit that I was a bit nervous (after all that tasting in large quantities) about my Saturday night lecture, but it turned out to be my finest hour! For the last 17 years I have been working on a simple but unknown technique that hides and masks different large wounds on trees. With the help off progressing drawings I tried to explain this (as far as we know) unique technique and the many positives reaction and all the questions I got during my presentation proved that my nervousness was not necessary at all! The many OOOOS and AAAAAS that I got when I showed the drawings and the pictures off the final end resuld of my technique on my own trees made me realy proud and very happy, because it means that I created and developed a technique that can help every Bonsai enthusiast, be it pro or beginner, to improve there work and their Bonsai! During and at the end of my lecture I got a lot off new ideas and possibilities back from the audience and that shows that there is realy no end to all the possibilities of this simple technique! So I am all ready looking forward to the next edition of Burrs, so that I and the rest off the gang can hear the outcome off everybody that was here and is about to use my technique on their own trees in many different way's!! In a few weeks time, as promised a wile ago, my technique will first be published by some one else, I will place a link here and on my blog and karamotto website as soon as they posted it online! After that first publication is don and it had some time to be red by their visitors, well than it will be posted on my website for all to see and use as they please!!! And I realy hope that my technique will open many more possibilities for all Bonsai artist that will use it in the future!
That same evening Tony made a great presentation about the styling of his big Escallonia and his trip that he made to Pavel and to Israel with Ofer! And Mikey finished off the evening with his story in picture and words off his trip trough Bonsai wonderland in Japan! What a amazing night we all had!!! And boy did the light snacks and refreshments tasted good!!!ref

Below: Same night. Left Side one off the trees that I did style to the finish and on the right Tony's new tree !!!!



Below: Even later that same night! I was asked to comment on the styling off this Picea by Rob. It is shot here from the right so the little mistakes that were made are hard to see from this angles!



I looked it over and actually for the first time in my teaching years I did it like I always wanted to do, but never realy did! Must be all the alcohol! Don't get me wrong though, I always do tell what I think, but I am always very cautious not to hurt some one's feelings! But this time I tried to explain it in my own way, with the help off arms and legs and imaginary friends! First we discussed the top that was styled in a way that it grew to the backside leaning away from the viewer. To show why this was wrong I sad something like this: Do you guy's remember the Hulk when he was angry and made his most muscular pose leaning right in your face? They all sad yes, so than I turned my back to the listeners, leaned forward (away from them) and made that angry Hulk pose. Than I turned around leaning toward the listeners and made that same pose and than asked: looks quit different doesn't it??? Than there was the small but significant problem with the branch in the middle off the tree that pointed right into the viewers face and blocked out the rest off the top off the tree! So I stood close to Rob and raised my stretched arm right in his face with open hand (like a stop sign) and asked: what are the colors of my eyes? He sad: I cant see them this way! I replied: annoying isn't it?! We wend on like this until all small points that could be improved were covered! We had a lot of fun this way, but would it be effective? Later the next day big Rob came to get me, red face and all excited of anticipation. Hans can you come and have a look at my tree again, I rework it?! I followed him and this amazing result of his hard work is what I saw:



Amazingly he got the message from my little role play pantomime and had perfectly corrected all the little mistakes himself! I congratulated him and he was realy proud and so was I!
PS: Later that Sunday Rob asked me to see if one off the amazing pots that Erik Križovenský brought along would fit his beautiful tree?! He placed the tree on the food service counter and the pot in front off it on a lower table. And after some shoving to the left and right we both came to the conclusion that it was if they both were specially made for each other! So he immediately bought it! I am sure that it will be a stunning combo that in just a few more years would not be out off place in any big show! Well don Rob! I realy hope some one post a picture of the pot and tree together!!!!

Below: Pavel the day after!



Below: New friend Mikey with his yamadori juniper that he acquired last year from me when he visited my house with Tony the day after the Noelanders in Belgium. Mikey wanted the foliage, that is still hidden behind the trunk in this picture, in frond of that same trunk! Now this was a almost straight tree when I got it many years ago and I had bended, purposely broken and twisted it severely over the course off 8 years, so although the wood was very hard and there even was deadwood running along it, I knew that it would bend again! And when Enrico told Mikey that it would not be possible to get into his desired space with out splitting it...well than I was even more determent to do it! So when Mikey was away to help Tony I secretly applied wed raffia and than placed 2 pieces off thick copper wire lengthwise along the outside off the future curve and than that was covered again with a layer off tightly wrapped raffia. And than a thick copper wire were tightly applied over that all in the usual way. Than I slowly and carfully started to bring the top underneed and than in front of the trunk, wile all the time praying it would not break!



Below: And TADAAA here is the resuld! I oiled up the live part and treated the deadwood with lime sulfur for good measures! And needles to say that Mickey was over the moon! And when I showed the resuld to Enrico, he mumbled someting like: Bastardo!! HIHI!







Below: Smithy's beautiful Ulmus in Autumn colors.













Below: Terry's work.



Below: Terry and Dave's work.



Well these are all the pictures I have and it took me hole day to post this all so I hope you all like it and that you guy's who misted out on this Bonsai extravaganza got some off the positive vibes that we who were all there took home with us! Thanks to all students for trusting us teachers and thanks Tony for organizing this Bonsai heaven every year! I had a blast and am fired up for the next weeks! I'll be back!!!!
Long live the "Burrs Turkey Cats" !!!!!



Cheers,
Hans van Meer (Dutchy).

PS: This is all written from (very clouded) memories so it might, here and there, difer some what from the actual events!

Hans, it was a great pleasure to meet and work with you. Andy always says that you are a great guy and now I know it for sure!
You had me smiling and laughing from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon and the images you produced for people were fantastic. I'm glad that you have your "mojo" back and hope to maybe work with you next year.

Shame I will miss you at Noelanders but keep well and keep on producing your masterpieces and keeping the bonsai world entertained,
Regards,
Simon

Brilliant Hans , loved reading that.

Hi Chris, an amazing documentary of the weekend. All I can say is an amazing weekend.
Nice little write up there Hans but I must say I enjoyed conversing with you
and it was a pleasure to meet you and all the artists. Terry it was great having
a good catch up. Hope this weekend spurs you on to back more at your trees,
they need you. And last but not least, thanks to all the guys that were there,
we all had a great time. Now then Tony, what can I say, amazing mate, thanks again.
REGARDS ROB A.

Thanks for all your kind words everyone, I am still in recovery mode but able to type!

Its three days after the biggest Burrs workshop I have staged, and this being the seventh occasion I wanted to make it extra special. Special for the participants as they had the opportunity to work with some of the best bonsai artists in Europe, and special because I wanted to pay tribute to my dear friend HarleyRider who passed away suddenly earlier this year. You can read my full story here

Hello my friends, thank you for your friendship and I am happy, that I could be there.

...and my present for you - video:

Erik Križovenský wrote:Hello my friends, thank you for your friendship and I am happy, that I could be there.

...and my present for you - video:

]

Hi Erik, I am glad you made it home allright after a 2000 KM trip! It was great to meet the man behind the beautiful pots! And thank you for your trust in us and for your friendship!!! Hope to see you and your friends back for Burrs 2013!!!
And to see your video brought back warm feelings and poet a smile on my face, but it also made me a bit sad because we have to wait a whole year for the next edition!
Stay safe my friend and keep on making your amazing pots!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.

Erik Križovenský wrote:Hello my friends, thank you for your friendship and I am happy, that I could be there....and my present for you - video:

Great video Erik. I realise just how BIG the event became this year

I'm jealous why is this not in the Netherlands.

Wow so menny people. The place is getting crowded I see. But looks like you had lots of fun. Đ
Cheers!

jeffrey wrote:I'm jealous why is this not in the Netherlands.

Jeffrey, We have had many attend from the Netherlands... next time perhaps?

@ Hans van de Meer Maybe you can organise something in the Netherlands together with Tony.

These are some of Terry's fantastic stones that he collects and how he put them to use with the trees.



With Erik's pot and Terry's stones, it was great to compare



Here is the stunning combination of a blackthorn planted on onn of the stones

That blackthorn there is one of my favourites from the weekends trees!!!

;)