Just one more set of quotes:
Hi, Andy, just read your piece "Bonsai Bigotry"
as per your link in reply #3. It is a good piece
of work, and I recommend anyone who has a love of
bonsai to take the time to read it!
Things are slightly different in Europe,
as we do have a number of 'collectors' but most
are outside of what we know as the 'European
Bonsai Scene.' Most artists tend to keep their
clients to themselves to protect their income
stream.... understandable I guess...
I welcome patrons of the 'arts'...
Throughout history they have enabled 'artists' to
live, eat and continue to create great work...
where would Picasso have been, if nobody bought
his paintings? At a push we can all paint.... but
I sure would like to own a Picasso!
So, on this forum... we can all create
bonsai? So, why do we condemn those who chose to
buy the art?
Tony
--------------------------------------------------
Hi, Rob, Yes, Jim Lewis wrote something of an
opposing piece to my column. It's in the archives
under "BTOpinions."
Kind regards, Andy
--------------------------------------------------
Architects don't build their buildings, and
composers don't play all the instruments in their
symphonies. The big picture is what is important.
Mark
--------------------------------------------------

Bonsai is a great art which can and should
be promoted to a higher level in any society by a
determined efforts to get people with means
interested in bonsai. There is little doubt that
wealthy collectors or collectors cum artist helps
to push the level of artistic achievement in
bonsai to a higher level. Japan is a good e.g..
Europe is another. So is Malaysia. I was recently
told that someone tried to buy over a bonsai for
M$250,000 but was refused by the owner. The level
of bonsai artistry in Malaysia has definitely
grown tremendously over the years. I think the
same is the case with Indonesia where there are
quite a number of wealthy people interested in
bonsai. Budi will be able to confirm this.
However, I also believe that bonsai is
also a healthy and great hobby which has and can
improve the quality of life of the average person.
We should not overlook this. Not many people
outside Japan is aware that the average Japanese
perceive bonsai as a hobby for the old. In the
late 70's when I told my Japanese friends that I
was taking up bonsai as a hobby, they laughed at
me. They even refused my request to bring me to
bonsai garden when I visited them. They rather I
go to see the Nishigaiki show.
Over the last few years I have
opportunities to meet young Japanese through my
daughter's school hosting of Japanese exchange
students and the impression I get is that bonsai
is still very much regarded as an old man's hobby.
I may be wrong.
In the West, I see plenty of interested
young blood. Even one of my club in Perth has 3
members under 10 years old.
People should start bonsai with materials
which is within their means, within their level of
experience and level of dedication. In my early
days I have killed many imported Japanese semi
and finished white pine, black pine, azalea.
However I still have a number of tropical water
jasmine which I sowed as seed since I started.
This little experience of mine show the importance
of working with hardy local material for
beginners. I only wished I have bought some of the
Wrightia bonsai which was offered to me in the
80's and which I saw exhibited in KL sometime ago.
That would have been good investment.
That I now can maintain a tropical species
in a Mediterranean climate compared to my killing
of cold climate specie in the tropic shows the
importance of experience and dedication in bonsai.

C J Leo
--------------------------------------------------
This situation is made even more ridiculous when
those who create their own bonsai refuse to - or
are just plain scared to refer to themselves as
artists.
There are people who give more credit to
Mother Nature than themselves and therefore
refused to call themselves artists. Does that make
them bigots? Does repeating "I am an artist" a
hundred times a day make one an artist?
Ernie
--------------------------------------------------
In order for there to be patrons of art,
the art in question has to enter the realm of
mainstream. In other words, people who had no
interest in it, are now deeply curious.
When this happens, the price of said art
depends on mass opinion. Vincent van Gogh painting
furiously, yet died starved and broke. A hundred
years later, his art has reached mainstream and
the prices of his paintings have reached an
outrageous level.
Someone said that they would love to have
a picasso. I ask, Is this because you understand
his art and consider it to be a high point of
art?--or Do you want it because mainstream has
elevated his image?
There is nothing wrong with buying
'finished' bonsai and then paying someone to
maintain it. But there is a big difference when it
comes to understanding the techniques and concepts
it took to create that work of art. With bonsai
there is always a necessity of keeping the tree
alive. This is an art in itself.
Brian
--------------------------------------------------
This brings us full circle. ;-)
Alan



************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++