Page 9 - 2019 01 BSF Magazine_v3

Bonsai in America or

American Bonsai?

By: Saimir Ogranaja
(reprinted courtesy of American Bonsai Society)

American Bonsai?
American bonsai is a notion that has been around for quite a while. Some call it a
marketing gimmick, others call it non- existent and most say they are not even clear
what it is. Florida’s Saimir Ogranaja interviewed some of the most recognized artists
of our day to shepherd the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
To start, when I spoke with Ryan Neil, proprietor of Bonsai Mirai, about American
bonsai, he closed with a few questions that struck me as more appropriate for
opening ruminations. “What does it mean to embody freedom in a creative pursuit
and still respect the quality that needs to be generated? What does it mean to
think abstractly, to represent a concept, to include elements of culture, nature,
and individual to maximize the ability for the tree to communicate that to the
viewer?”

Closing questions for Ryan, but perhaps a great point of departure for this
article that pose even more topics to think about and discuss openly. Could it
be that American bonsai is about embracing freedom from bonsai “rules” of
the past? Or is American bonsai about using local material? Or is any bonsai in
America, American bonsai? Too many questions? With that last one but no
more. Come with me fellow students and let’s explore several prominent
American and one German bonsai artist’s view on the concept of American
Bonsai.

The author’s work is in regular print and the contributors’ contributions are
shown in italics for clarity.

Bill Valavanis’s full-moon maple, Bill Valavanis October in Washington, DC: The National Bonsai Hall
Acer japonica. Photo by Joe Noga of Fame was established by the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in 2014, to
identify and honor those individuals that have achieved excellence in the art of
bonsai as well as contributed to its advancement in the United States. The first
inductee was John Naka, one of the founding Fathers
of bonsai in America. In 2015, the 2nd inductee was Yuji Yoshimura, highly regarded
teacher, also considered another American bonsai pioneer. The only other inductee
into the National Bonsai Hall of Fame, is William Valavanis, a man who has spent
over 55 years promoting and teaching bonsai internationally, through his long-
standing magazine, International Bonsai, and through his biennial National Bonsai

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