How To Take A Workshop by Bob Wilcox A few simple ideas on where to start. Taking a workshop at a bonsai club or convention usually means making a sequence of decisions that will begin the process of creating a bonsai. Since the workshop time is short - usually only a few hours - the decisions must be quick, in order to take advantage of the availability of supervision by the workshop teacher. To reduce this process to it's simplest form, when designing a single trunk tree, the decisions are usually the following: 1. Decide what will be the front of the tree 2. Decide which is the first branch 3. Decide on the height of the tree Each one of these decisions is affected by the other two, so there usually need to be compromises made in order to get through the workshop. The compromises are based on the student's feelings about how the tree should look. For instance, a student may feel that it is more important to have the best root display showing at the front of the tree, even though it means the first branch is not perfectly placed. Another student could look at the same tree and decide that it is more important to place the first branch in its best position because the branch is very interesting and the look of the roots is not so significantly compromised when seen more from the side. To make these three decisions, many issues and relationships need to be considered simultaneously, followed by the pruning and wiring necessary to complete the workshop. 1. THE FRONT OF THE TREE € show the best root structure, with roots in view, on as much of the trunk as possible. The roots usually look best if they are located at approximately the same height on the trunk; with this in mind it is sometimes a good idea to change the planting angle of the tree to have the roots positioned in this way. The soil from around the base of the trunk should be removed with care, in order to see how the roots look‹this is a very important step in selecting the front. € show the best trunk movement and taper € the first branch is usually on the left or right side of the trunk, just slightly toward the front € the top of the tree should angle toward the viewer, except if the tree is in the formal upright style 2. THE FIRST BRANCH € usually the first branch is the thickest branch, since it has been growing for the longest time € for the majority of trees, the first branch is usually located between a third and a quarter of the way up the tree. Depending on the design idea of the student, this position can vary significantly. If the desire is to create a tree in the literati style, the first branch may be located much higher on the tree. Using another design idea - a trees can have only one branch - which could be located anywhere. 3. THE TOP OF THE TREE € at the top of the tree, the trunk diameter should be much smaller than the diameter at the base of the tree. € the top usually leans toward the viewer, except for trees in the formal upright style € the branches at the top of the tree usually grow from the trunk in a closer position to each other than at the bottom of the trunk. A place on the trunk where this is particularly noticeable, would make a good top. All of these points need to be considered before the pruning and wiring begins. In order to make the decisions, a good place to start is with some aspect of the tree that is outstanding in quality. With luck many things will be outstanding on the tree, but if one or two things stand out from the rest, try and make decisions based on placing these features in a position of high visability. The next step is to prune off any branches that are not useful in the design, but don't be too quick to judge. It is better to wire more branches than you think you need, than to find after wiring and positioning the branches that there is a hole that could have been filled with a branch that was removed too soon. Wire every branch with a thickness of wire that will definately hold the branch in its new position. Be courageous. Learn from your mistakes. Don't be afraid to go too far. That's what workshops are for.