Israel #8

In 2005, a week before Christmas I shocked the Israelian bonsai scene wiht a couple of demonstrations. I showed them how to cut back raw material. They knew that it would be chopped, but they never dreamed how much. I bet, some thought that I was nuts. Also many folks saw this on several forums on the internet. Some, I know, thought that this was way too much and mutilating a tree. Here is what happended to the pistacia in 2005 and 2007. Sagi Baron now owns this little tree an has worked on it in the fourth workshop.

Israel #7

My thanks go to the Bonsai Club of Israel. Special thanks to Sagi Baron, the present chairman for organizing all this and all the others who were working hard on this event. Very special thanks go to Galia and Moshe Emergui for their wonderful Israealian hospitality.

Israel #6

Only yesterday we had half a dy for down town Tel Aviv. After the very impressive Museum of Arts we had a walk on the mediterranean beach.

Galia and Moshe on the beech

Israel #5

For us here in central Europe it is hard to believe that there are lots of flowers in full bloom at Christmas in Tel Aviv area.

Isreal #4

glimpses of workshop nr 2 to 4

Israel #3

Something that tonday is called Stone Art was already done about 20 years ago in Israel. A man who is not part of the bonsai scene at all has created a hundred big garden trees on huge stones near Netanya. I saw the few that are still left. The others he all sold. Moshe at the side of one for size comparison.

Israel # 2

I stayed with Galia and Moshe Emergui near Netanya, which is north of Tel Aviv. Moshe has started a bonsai nursery there five months ago. Here a few impressions of his nursery. Moshe has hundreds of olives, some very good. They are still raw, of course, but with enormous potential.

Israel #1

From December 14 to 19 I was in Israel. We had for full-day workhops in the greater Tel Aviv area. Folks brought several trees, some more than six. A few were the same that we had stlyed in 2005. Overall I can say the progress compared to 2005 was enormous. The ability to select decent raw material has improved tremendously. The quality of work, precision and speed were impressive. From a deveeloping country in terms of bonsai in 2005 Isreal has made a quantim jump and now is more or less or almost on the level of the general bonsai scene in most European contries and America. What took 20 years there took two in Isreal. Since it is impossible to get material from Asia or Europe they have to work with their own. And they are adapting with imressive speed.

Workshop nr 1
WP in action
bougainvilleas everywhere