Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The Bonsai Fundamental Course of Bonsai Empire


The Bonsai Fundamentals Course of Bonsai Empire is now available. I was asked to take a look and share my impressions.

This set of videos is very well done technically, the trees from Shinji Susuki's garden shown as examples are breathtaking, the soft spoken text is easy to follow even if English is a second language. Michael Hagedorn is a great presenter of these truths.

Most of the bonsai lectures coming from Japan or from folks educated in Japan are about doing things. They all centrer on fundamentals but the fundamentals in general are not really explained. it is usually taught at length what one should or 'must ' do but  not why. Maybe this is because of the Japanese way of teaching. Anyway, for a change now we hear about fundamentals only, which is enlightening.

I can only recommend every serious bonsai student to go through these 2 hours. The US$ 39.99 are well spent.

Here the link to the trailer:   https://youtu.be/z5HkWDJ37mE


Bonsai Fundamentals Course


PS: Many will know that what I am preaching and doing often does not go in line with the orthodox Japanese teaching and sometimes is outright contrary. This does not hinder me to enjoy such videos and recommend them to my own students. It is very important to know our basis, to understand where we come from. Basic fundamentals are the same or similar even if the philosophy sounds radically different. A serious modern bonsai artist must have learned about the classical art and have thoroughly understood it to be able to try standing on the shoulders of the forerunners.