* Use this catalogue to select your 4 classes for the learning seminar weekend. Admission to these classes is by pre-registrations only.

* Your registration covers the cost of these four classes unless an extra supply fee is noted for a few of the courses.

* Classes take place Friday and Saturday in the morning and the afternoon. A break will be given in the middle of each three-hour class. Also some the sessions are given in two or more parts.

* Please indicate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for each time period on the registration form by putting your choice in the block indicated for each numbered class.

* Classes will be filled in the order the registrations are received.

* The number listed before each course title is used on the registrations form. When a specific level of student is needed, it is listed in all capital letters after the course title. Those with no designated level are open to all students.

* Many of the classes will supply you with handouts of the subjects being taught.

* The "Bonsai Novice Sessions" #2, 11, 20 & 29 are designed as a set to learn the basics of bonsai but others may elect to take one of the sessions separately to update a needed skill. Those who elect to complete all four sessions, will receive a certificate of completion from ABS.

1.  Guy Guidry - Bonsai Myth Busting: Guy will cover controversial issues pertaining to Bonsai cultivation. This class may be disturbing to some because it addresses topics sensitive to fundamental Japanese Classical Rules and Guidelines from the perspective of an American Artist/Grower. Participants will get a very fresh and invaluable lecture which will allow them to better master the art of bonsai.

2.  Mike Hansen - Bonsai Novice Session I: Basics of Bonsai Learn the ins and outs of the basics that make bonsai work from horticultural care to creation of basic designs. This is the first session of a four part series designed to teach and practice the art of bonsai. Students are encouraged to take all four sessions in this series to gain the maximum benefit. Completion of all four Novice sessions will earn the ABS Bonsai Novice Certificate.

3.  Hal Mahoney - Chinese Rock Penjing: This class will include the basic principles involved in constructing Chinese Rock Penjing. Penjing Consist of Plants, rocks, soil and water and can range in size from just a few inches to many feet. The penjing will be modeled after the many mountain scenes Hal witnessed while sailing along the Li River in China. The penjing created will be raffled at the seminars.

4.  Ted Matson - Exhibit Critique: Ted will discuss/analyze specific trees from the display with an eye toward further refinement. He will select trees to highlight specific structural elements or processes that help to create the highest levels of bonsai expression. This program will include interactive discussion between Ted and the participants.

5.  Jerry Meislik - The Secrets to Success with Indoor Bonsai: Growing bonsai indoors is not difficult. As long as the right cultural techniques and concepts are followed anyone can succeed with indoor bonsai. This class will cover the plants and conditions that you will need to successfully grow bonsai indoors.

6.  Michel Phaneuf - Shape and movement (creating a bonsai) INTERMEDIATE: Many trees will speak for themselves. Others do not want to reveal their secrets. Too many bonsai artists often stop after the first impression when they are looking at bonsai material either from Nursery stock or trees from the wild. This course will teach you how to look at and observe a tree, and how to find the best line and major movement to create the best esthetic and balance, resulting in the best looking tree. Starting with your tree, the course will develop in a brainstorming session. This will bring more ideas for the same tree.

7.  Martin Schmalenberg - Forest Bonsai in Depth Part I: This course will be an analysis of the FOREST as a style comparing traditional applications with new abstract and unorthodox approaches. This course is in preparation for designing and constructing a forest in Part II in the afternoon.

8.  Sean Smith - Daiza Carving for beginner to advanced: Students need to bring a DREMEL tool and safety glasses, this workshop introduces the basics of Japanese daiza carving. The student will learn how to seat their suiseki (stone provided by the teacher) as well as carve and finish it. Wood will also be provided. Suiseki will be 4 to 6 inches in length. The fee is $125.00 per student for suiseki (stone) and materials for daiza ( fitted stand for the stone).

9. Ed Trout - Buttonwood-Demonstration Part I: INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED A slide program will be presented showing where buttonwoods grow in the Florida Keys, and examples of mature specimens. The slide program will also show the development of several buttonwood bonsai over the years. Then there will be a demo on a donated specimen. The class will be invited to participate in the demo, doing wiring, leaf pruning, trunk and wood work. This is the part one of a two part course that includes afternoon session #18. 

10.  Guy Guidry - Bald Cypress Bonsai: INTERMEDIATE After an interesting discussion about Cypress trees including history , growing conditions and care, students will learn the best techniques for transforming large collected and field grown Cypress into Bonsai. Learn how to create beautiful tapered trunk lines.

11.  Mike Hansen - Bonsai Novice Session II: Construction Techniques that Create your Design From the art of wiring to fundamentals of creating jin and shari this session will include techniques needed to create beautiful design. This is the second session in the Novice Series.

12.  Hal Mahoney - Chinese Rock Penjing: This class includes the basic principles involved in constructing Chinese Rock Penjing. Penjing Consist of Plants, rocks, soil and water and can range in size from just a few inches to many feet. The penjing will be modeled after the many mountain scenes Hal witnessed while sailing along the Li River in China. The penjing created will be raffled at the seminars.

13.  Ted Matson - Development vs. Refinement: Ted will provide a very detailed analysis and comparison of how specific techniques and processes are used to promote either the development of potential bonsai or the refinement of more finished trees. It will give participants a better understanding of how to get their trees progressing toward their desired design goals more quickly and efficiently.

14.  Jerry Meislik - Optimize Your Growing Conditions: Light, Soil, Water and Fertilizer: A series of detailed discussions of the critical elements that allow you to grow beautiful and healthy bonsai. In-depth reviews of factors affecting soil composition, light, fertility will be discussed and how hydroponics can help you grow wonderful trees.

15.  Michel Phaneuf - Initiation to dead wood for the first timer: This course will be divided in two parts. First an explanation of the different techniques used to create dead wood, specially hand working, following the wood grain so the depth and shadow will appear (Japanese technique). An explanation of the mechanical tool will follow. In the second part, students will practice the hand work technique with the help of the instructor. Students must bring a tree that will incorporate dead wood as well as tools to this class

16.  Martin Schmalenberg - Forest Bonsai in Depth Part II: This is the workshop half of course 7. Students will design and construct a forest with the assistance of Martin. Materials may be purchased through ABS by contacting us at 518-882-1039 or student may bring in their own materials. Please bring tools and wire.

17.  Sean Smith - Suiseki display with Bonsai: Students will learn the Japanese art of display using suiseki and their own bonsai ( This class is held in the main bonsai exhibit.) Students will learn and understand the movement of the display, how to create seasons with scrolls and Tenka.

18.  Ed Trout - Buttonwood Workshop Part II: Participants will be invited to bring in their own material to participate in an in-depth workshop or they may be able to purchase one of a limited number of buttonwood pre bonsai for sale on a first come basis when you register. Prices will vary up to $100. A watercolor sketch will be done for each participant's tree. Bring or order a tree, and bring tools and wire. Also register for Course # 9.

19. Guy Guidry - Dealing with Root Systems: Learn from a prfessional how to successfully prune roots and repot bonsai and pre-bonsai. Get comfortable with severely root pruning ANY tree. Learn the science behind the techniques from an artist with EXTREME EXPERIENCE!

20. Mike Hansen - Bonsai Novice Session III: Viewing the Masterpiece Exhibit to Study Good Design and Apply It to Your Work: This is the 3rd session in the Novice Series. Learn how to examine show exhibits to increase your knowledge of bonsai practices and art.

21. Hal Mahoney - Claft Style Saikei: This class will teach the basic principles involved in constructing saikei using those ideas common to Hal's signature CLAFT style bonsai. This is a style that uses a single plant to simulate an entire forest or saikei. The principles learned can be carried over into other areas of bonsai.

22.  Ted Matson - Bunjin Style with Blue Atlas Cedar (Part I-Lecture/Demo): In this first session, Ted will cover the horticultural background of the Blue Atlas Cedar species, along with an explanation of the bunjiin style as a design concept. Throughout this first session, he will be working on one tree (5-gallon stock) as an example for participants to follow in the subsequent workshop session (Part II). There will be no repotting. This is a two-part course and students must sign up for course #31 also.

23.  Jerry Meislik - Advanced Bonsai Techniques: A free-flowing discussion and demonstration of grafting, reduction, fusion and propagation techniques to really improve your bonsai. You will learn and practice a number of grafting techniques.

24. Michel Phaneuf - Dead wood tools and technique Part I ADVANCED: Nature takes many years to give a tree the look that makes it special. In this presentation, you will learn how to use hand and mechanic techniques to create dead wood in a short period of time. To create nice dead wood, you need to observe certain rules like wood grain, depth, natural effect already present on the tree, natural ageing. This course will show you many ways to achieve and copy the force of nature.
o Explanation of hand tool and technique
o Rotor and dremel bits, what they do and which to choose for a given task.
o Preparation for afternoon workshop. Students must register for Class #33 also.

25.  Martin Schmalenberg - The Essence of Literati Style Part I: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED A critical examination of the historic development of the LITERATI class of scholars in ancient China and Japan …and the evolution of this style from dramatic landscape paintings into some of bonsai's most evocative but difficult styles. Participants are encouraged to bring or purchase at the seminars material conductive to this style for the second half of the "hands-on" workshop that will be conducted in the afternoon in Session #34.

26. Sean Smith - Carving UN-cut suiseki: Students will learn how to seat (fit) uneven bottomed suiseki, suiseki and wood provided by teacher 6 to 8 inches in length. Students need to bring a DREMEL tool and safety glasses, Fee is 125.00 per student for suiseki and materials for daiza (fitted stand for the stone).

27.  Ed Trout - Developing Banyan Style Ficus Workshop: This course will discuss the techniques and theories used to develop Ficus bonsai in the "banyan" style. This is the natural growth habit of most Ficus species. Participants are invited to bring in their own trees, preferably medium to large trees. Subjects discussed will be leaf reduction, root pruning, containers, aerial roots, care, styling techniques. Ficus retusa (Kingman, Microcarpa), Ficus nerifolia, Ficus benjimina, Ficus green island are the best subjects for this style.  

28.  Guy Guidry - "FIND THE LINE" with "GUY THE EYE": Discover the techniques and secrets that Guy uses to successfully find the line in EVERY tree (TRUNK LINE << FRONT OF TREE >> FORM). It's a REAL EYE OPENER!

29. Mike Hansen - Bonsai Novice Sessions IV: Workshop….Creating a Bonsa: Participants should bring their tools to this session (some borrowing of the instructors tools will be allowed) to create a bonsai based on the principles taught in the prior three sessions. Materials fee for this session is $50 which includes tree, pot, wire and materials used in the sessions.

30.  Hal Mahoney - Claft Style Saikei: This class will teach the basic principles involved in constructing saikei using those ideas common to Hal's signature CLAFT style bonsai. This is a style that uses a single plant to simulate an entire forest or saikei. The principles learned can be carried over into other areas of bonsai.

31.  Ted Matson - Bunjin Style with Blue Atlas Cedar (Part II - Workshop): In this second session, Ted will conduct a workshop with assistance from Pauline Muth to help participants do a hands-on styling on their own Blue Atlas Cedars. There will be no repotting in this class. The fee is $100 for the material. Participants must bring their own tools and wire. Also register for Part I: class #22.

32. Jerry Meislik - Computers and Your Bonsai: You provide one or two-high quality images of your bonsai in a digital format (on disk or drive) and the group will analyze the tree's design and possibilities. We will then re-design your tree using computer graphics. You can take the redesigned image home to use as a road map for the future of your tree.

33. Michel Phaneuf - Workshop on Dead wood tools and technique Part II ADVANCED: Creating dead wood and aging the wood: Following morning session #24, each student will have an opportunity to apply the techniques they learned. They will be taught how to decide which is the best technique to create the best wood effect and how to age the wood. Students must bring a tree with jin, shari and deadwood along with tools to this session. Please bring safety glasses to wear.

34.  Martin Schmalenberg - The Essence of Literati Style PART II Workshop: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED In this afternoon section continued from Class 25, students will design a literati tree. Students must bring or purchase from the vendors material suitable for literati as well as tools and wire to this session.

35. Sean Smith - Daiza carving: Sean will assist students with there own suiseki and help them make a daiza with the wood they provide as well as critique them. Suiseki must not be larger than 8 inches. Students need to bring a DREMEL tool and safety glasses as well as their own stones and wood.

36. Ed Trout - Bonsai with Tropicals-Workshop: Ed thinks it is more appropriate to refer to this topic as bonsai with tropical material. What makes them tropical? This will be a workshop with participants bringing in any tree they consider to be tropical. The workshop will revolve around discussions of the species brought in as to styling suggestions, care, pot selection, soil, fertilizing, temperature preference, pests, etc.