PODCAST · society
Bonsai Kodama
by Tony Tickle
I had a regular column in the Bonsai Focus magazine for many years, writing about all aspects of bonsai from discussions about exhibiting, Bonsai as therapy, Women in bonsai, Judging, Carving, ethics on yamadori and many more issues. Here I read some of the columns. They are never more than 10 minutes long and I welcome discussion about these podcasts.Prizes include: My first Ginkgo award in 1997, In 2017 I won “Best Deciduous Bonsai” at the prestigious Noelanders Trophy in Belgium. In October 2018 I won a Bonsai Clubs International excellence award, only one of three presented that year.
Episodes
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Bonsai artists: growing the new generation
With the gold standard of an apprenticeship in Japan out of reach of most budding bonsai masters, are we overlooking a more home-grown resource to bring on the next generation of bonsai artists.
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I question whether attending a workshop or watching a demo will your bonsai skills.
Demo’s are the mainstay of most bonsai exhibitions worldwide, inviting well known artists to perform is considered an essential to increase attendance to a show. But will watching a demo actually improve your skill or are they there for entertainment or worse? I have been told that watching the...
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"I had a bonsai once... it died!"
Why do the general public has such a distorted perception of bonsai. I am sure we have all had the same experience; you are introduced to someone and polite conversation flows and they enquire, “What do you do in your spare time” you tell them that you enjoy Bonsai and they invariably reply “I…
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Why do we use Japanese Terms when discussing bonsai?
Lets consider the vocabulary used in Bonsai: it’s artists and jargon. Do we maintain the Japanese terminology or, if the art is to reach a wider audience should fewer Japanese terms be used to explain the art?
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Is bonsai art?
Art is generally understood to be the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power, I would say that Bonsai does fit comfortably into…
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Bonsai Rules OK
Very good bonsai will still depend upon talent, experience, and imagination, as well as a general conformity to the rules of bonsai… however you are remembered for the rules you break. What is most important is that the tree is pleasing to the viewer and whatever elements are used within the...
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When does a tree in a pot ‘become’ a Bonsai?
I recently I posed the question “When does a tree in a pot ‘become’ a Bonsai?” to Bonsai friends worldwide, some professional bonsai artists and some just beginning to create beautiful trees, I received many answers listen to them here
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Hermann Hesse on What Trees Teach Us About Belonging and Life
This is a reading from one of my favourite books: Wandering: Notes and Sketches by Hermann Hesse... There is nothing more important to our existence than trees, for they are connected to the very air we share. "When we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and…
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How do you find a good Sensei/Master to teach you Bonsai?
It doesn’t take a lot of searching on the internet to find a legion of sites that claim to be able to “teach” you bonsai. YouTube in particular is peppered with such sources, some of which are extremely good but many of which fall very short of the mark in terms of the tuition given. This is…
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Raising the Potters Bar
If we are to create our own national or regional identity in bonsai, then surely that should include having our own potters create the pots is a must? Why is still considered more prestigious to use old Japanese and Chinese containers when there are potters across Europe whose quality matches the...
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I dream a dream, you can make it happen
When many start in bonsai, why do they think that ‘sticks in pots’ are bonsai when there is so much accessible information to the contrary? I am, of course, filtering out the online dross of which there is much. The counter-argument of course is that only a few have the talent, time and let’s be...
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Bonsai addicts... because therapy did not work!
In all the years I have been involved with Bonsai I have met many individuals who have told me that having and creating bonsai has changed their life for the better. You have probably heard about some of the most talked-about mindfulness techniques, like meditation, but there is an increasing...
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Bonsai is a disease with no cure, get help before it's too late!
Unbeknown to me I had been infected with a condition that would take over my life. Be careful it WILL happen to you
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Like, Wow! The internet is not always good for Bonsai
The growth of bonsai ‘experts’ on the Internet continues apace. Bonsai groups are plentiful on social media, especially Facebook where a group can have well into the thousands of members. And why are very few professional bonsai artists active on Facebook or other social media platforms?, and…
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Why are there so few women in bonsai, or is this a myth?
In this episode I explore with the help of a well know female bonsai practitioner the issue as to why there are “so few women in bonsai” Over the last few years the discussion has spasmodically raised its head, and a recent well-intentioned thread on social media went as far as to ask for...
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Can the rapid progression of Bonsai excellence in the West be sustained?
Can this rapid progression of excellence in the West be sustained and to what level will the art of bonsai develop in the future? In other words, if the West stays on the current trajectory of excellence in bonsai, how long will it take before we equal and perhaps overtake Japan in quality and...
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Hawthorn and why its the best species for creating deciduous bonsai
Hawthorns have been the bedrock of my personal collection, and many of my top award-winning trees have been from this genus. There is hardly a time when I am not working on a hawthorn, and what that means, as you will probably have gathered, is that my favourite tree and favourite bonsai are one...
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Bonsai, ego, and exhibiting. A few thoughts and reminders to self.
If you create Bonsai acceptance for an exhibition can be seen to equal success in two ways. It is a positive, affirming and encouraging event, and it enables your Bonsai to be seen and potentially achieve the (perhaps more meaningful) success of connecting with the audience. For these reasons,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
I had a regular column in the Bonsai Focus magazine for many years, writing about all aspects of bonsai from discussions about exhibiting, Bonsai as therapy, Women in bonsai, Judging, Carving, ethics on yamadori and many more issues. Here I read some of the columns. They are never more than 10 minutes long and I welcome discussion about these podcasts.Prizes include: My first Ginkgo award in 1997, In 2017 I won “Best Deciduous Bonsai” at the prestigious Noelanders Trophy in Belgium. In October 2018 I won a Bonsai Clubs International excellence award, only one of three presented that year.
HOSTED BY
Tony Tickle
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Bonsai Kodama have?
Bonsai Kodama currently has 18 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Bonsai Kodama about?
I had a regular column in the Bonsai Focus magazine for many years, writing about all aspects of bonsai from discussions about exhibiting, Bonsai as therapy, Women in bonsai, Judging, Carving, ethics on yamadori and many more issues. Here I read some of the columns. They are never more than 10...
How often does Bonsai Kodama release new episodes?
Bonsai Kodama has 18 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Bonsai Kodama?
You can listen to Bonsai Kodama on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Bonsai Kodama?
Bonsai Kodama is created and hosted by Tony Tickle.
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