A very busy year is ending and a new one maybe even busier is starting. Been an Architect and a traveling Bonsai lover in the main time is not easy ……… but I love to travel and meet new people and do bonsai. Thanks to bonsai friends I’ve round the world I can keep following my Bonsai Dream. Since January with Noelander trophy in Belgium I can say I never stop traveling .
When I was asked to write an article about what’s my experience during this year on meet so many bonsai enthusiast everywhere ,I had to take a look at my agenda to remind me all the places I’ve been . Is crazy how many places I visited and in how many I was able to come back this year I already was years before . Mexhico was my first big trip in February , a place with lot of potential and great friends. Mexhico is growing rely fast , they have lot of good material to collect and people focus to work and learn to be able to reach the level. I was in the Yucatan peninsula to work with Gabriel in Cancun and Enrique in Merida.
Beautiful places and every time lot of fun! Back in Italy was time to drive all the way down to Puglia to attend UBI bonsai exhibition in Vieste a beautiful town on the seaside in Gargano.
Beautiful place and beautiful trees showed . Than was the time for my first trip in Los Angeles, I was in US before already but in the East coast , but West Coast is different . In LA I met so many people and I was rely surprised on the level of material they have. Obviously is the place where one of my Idols John Naka started teaching bonsai and only been able to meet people who worked with him was a great experience for me . My agent and Friend Michael arranged for me a rely busy tour and together with another visit I just did in October for the Golden State Bonsai Federation exhibition I had the chance to see quite a lot of the potential of South California with their enthusiasm and the amount of California Junipers they have.
Young generation is taking the chance to improve and make beautiful bonsai. What happened here in Italy thanks to the old generation we had a rely firm basement to improve , but till lot of way to do . The secret in my opinion is to be always connected to the past with one eye pointed to the future. A great place not only for bonsai I had the chance to visit thanks to the help of Andrew is Australia.
Beautiful Country where I was so lucky not to find only the Bonsai way………….but also Love way……….. I was surprised because not often in the bonsai community we hear about Australia but is a country to look forward in the next few years . Than back from Australia was the time of Venezuela.
In Caracas I met Nacho e rely talented bonsai artist with very good collection. I did demo and workshops for very passionate people but also some holydays in the beautiful Margarita island. Than September was the time to go back in New York area and meet old friend like Jim Doile of Nature’s Way Nursery , a place with lot and lot of yamadori to work !!!!! than I had few days at Kennet square the best collection in US in my opinion with outstanding trees.
What I think as much as I travel is that the entire bonsai world is developing very fast and this is something good for everyone because looking at what other people are doing can also help us to improve and have always energy to do something new! During this year I was also in lot in European places like Poland , France , Spain ,Lithuania , Germany , Holland and many more but what I can notify that connect all the people I met is the bonsai love and the passion to improve their trees and themselves . We’ ve always to keep this feeling is we want to have good satisfaction with the beautiful art of bonsai . My advice for everyone is to be always involve to see what s happen around us. World is big but small in the same time ! Luckily I till have little time to take care of my collection , work on my own trees and create bonsai from material keep me focus on my Bonsai Do.
Now just before and of the year I had two important personal exhibition with part of my collection , one in Saulieu (France) and the second in Studio Botanico of Salvatore Liporace (Milano) and thanks of all my students who always help me and give me the power and the focus to be leader on such great group.
