Artists
One of the most enticing events of any bonsai convention should be the Artist, their workshop and material opportunities.
François Jeker
François Jeker is a graduate of the Mulhouse Fine Arts School in France where he studied illustration, photography and advertising. François Jeker began practicing the art of bonsai in the early 80s. First alone, then with bonsai club and Pius Notter, the Swiss bonsai specialist. Mr. Jeker has a great passion for Yamadori, but is also humble and respectful of such trees, and can appreciate the creative work of nature.
François Jeker is the author and illustrator of six books regarding bonsai aesthetics and techniques which have been translated into several languages, including a two-part practical guide on bonsai aesthetics, and a book about the dead wood in bonsai. His expertise in carving deadwood led to the creation of the “JEKER DEADWOOD AWARD” which he attributes during the large international bonsai events.
In the bonsai world, Mr. Jeker is best known for his work on dead wood and is always willing to share his methods and techniques with others. Jeker is not only a complete bonsai artist, but also a teacher and creator of seven bonsai schools around the world.
François Jeker travels throughout the whole world to give lectures, demonstrations and leads workshops in: USA, Canada, Caribbean, Venezuela, Equator, Colombia, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic, Sweden, and South Africa. For the past fifteen years, he is the only French person to have been invited as a bonsai demonstrator to world conventions (in Munich in 2001, in Puerto Rico in 2009, Guangzhou in 2015, and Mulhouse in 2018), and to nearly all the European conventions.
We are honored to announce that François Jeker is the International Headliner at the MABA/Milwaukee 202One Bonsai Convention and will be travelling from France to Milwaukee in celebration of Milwaukee’s 50th bonsai exhibit and our art. In Mr. Jeker’s words “the meaning of our art is the same, all over the world. We love nature, we respect nature, we try to show the wonderful creativity of nature and we try to find a harmony with nature.”
Ted Matson
In 2012, Mr. Matson was honored and recognized for his great service to Golden State Bonsai Federation that also recognized his great service to the art of bonsai; someone who had extended their influence beyond the efforts of GSBF to promote the art of bonsai and encourage cooperation and unity of effort to achieve excellence within the entire bonsai community. To impress the significance of the GSBF President’s Gold Diamond Award, we should note only one other person has ever been bestowed this award and that was John Naka. Ted’s service extends to our club. We owe a great deal of our continued growth and success to him. Ted Matson was our first Advanced class instructor for over a decade.
Ted Matson began studying bonsai in 1979 in San Francisco, where he learned the basics under John Boyce. He moved to Los Angeles in 1980, where he became involved in a number of clubs and began a serious pursuit of the art, taking classes from leading masters in Southern California, including Ben Suzuki, Shig and Roy Nagatoshi, Melba Tucker, Warren Hill and John Naka. Mr. Matson was urged to get into teaching by Melba Tucker and he started offering classes at his home in Pasadena in 1988. Today, in addition to his own classes, he maintains a busy teaching schedule, traveling to nurseries, clubs and study groups. Currently Mr. Matson is the Administrative Curator of the Huntington Bonsai Collection in greater Los Angeles.
Todd Schlafer
Bonsai Artist Todd Schlafer is a long time enthusiast who started his Bonsai career under the tutelage of Bonsai Master Harold Sasaki in Denver, Co and has been honing his skills under the direction of Master Ryan Neil of International Bonsai Mirai. Mr. Sclafer says of his work “My study with Ryan focused on the advanced techniques of setting tree structure, which is the most difficult skill set to achieve in bonsai. From sunup to sundown, I pushed myself to master those techniques. With my skills well rounded, I was inspired to pursue bonsai practice full-time. And when others began to seek out my expertise, I started to instruct professionally.”
Mr. Schlafer is an avid collector of Colorado Yamadori and has a website called First Branch Bonsai where he sells some of his pre-bonsai collected trees. He recently won the American Bonsai Society Finest Native North American Species tree at The 5th US National Bonsai Exhibition. Ryan Neil recently said that Todd Schlafer is now considered the most sought after bonsai artist in United States.
Mark Fields
Mark Fields has studied with more than 60 artists from around the world. He has worked with names such as Yuji Yoshimura,Danny Use of Gingko Bonsai in Belgium and Masahiko Kimura — superstars in the bonsai world. More recently Mr. Fields has been traveling to Japan to visit and study bonsai nurseries and working with Bjorn Bjorholm, an artist certified by the Japanese Bonsai Association. Mr. Fields recently realized his dream of studying at Kouka-en in Japan. A third generation bonsai nursery owned by Keichi Fujikawa.
Mr. Fields is well regarded artist having several tree displayed at the US Nationals as well as having trees win Best of Show at American Bonsai Society Convention and at Midwest Bonsai Society Professional. He is also a strong believer of giving back to the bonsai community where he has served as President of the Indianapolis Bonsai Club, is current Secretary for the Mid-America Bonsai Alliance and currently President of the American Bonsai Society.
Jenifer Price
Jennifer Price discovered bonsai eight years ago after retiring from the stage as a professional ballerina. She is struck by the line and form within bonsai and the ability to use the tree’s natural flow of movement. For the last several years she has been involved in an intensive study program with Walter Pall from Germany and Jim Doyle from Pennsylvania. She has taught workshops and given demonstrations worldwide and last year was in Germany to be a part of Generation Bonsai and on to represent America at an international bonsai convention in Shanghai, China
When asked to describe her bonsai philosophy Ms. Price replied “Bonsai is first and foremost a way for me to express the grace and power of nature with its beauty, its quiet elegance and harshness. Creating a bonsai forms a connection to a living entity, which you cannot truly control, but can listen to and learn from. Through one’s own creativity, the possibilities are almost endless.”
Andy Smith
Andrew Smith is a contract forester in South Dakota's Black Hills. He became fascinated in bonsai in about 1994 while collecting core specimens from very ancient pines to use in past climate studies. Andy Smith, commonly acknowledged “king” of yamadori in this country, transplants 300-400 trees per year for bonsai and has supplied demo and workshop trees for many of the world's best bonsai artists. Andy Smith has a set of 2 Bonsai Tree DVDs. Collecting and working with wild bonsai trees should be undertaken only if you know what you are doing, and helping you to learn exactly that is what these excellent bonsai DVDs are all about. He enjoys learning about this beautiful and extraordinary art and meeting with other enthusiasts.
Andy Smith owner of Golden Arrow Bonsai has been a vendor in every convention that Milwaukee has hosted. He has been a presenter and workshop artist at several national conventions and shows.
Byron Myrick
Byron Myrick is another great American bonsai potter. Mr. Myrick received his masters in Art Education at the University of Southern Mississippi, Byron Myrick spent the next 34 years as a Professor of Art at Jones Country Junior College. Past President and currently serving as Director of the Mississippi Art Colony, Fellow member of Mississippi Craftsmen’s Guild and serving on the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art Collections Committee, Byron spends most of his time working and creating new works in his Moselle Mississippi Studio.
"My style for these vessels is traditional; in trying to keep with the tradition of bonsai pottery." says Mr. Myrick. In his workshop you’ll learn the fundamentals of creating slab pots and the techniques necessary to create these types of pots.
Steve Carini
Steve Carini studied with many artists and masters over the past 25 years including Ted Matson and Kathy Shaner, and he has completed 10 Intensives with Bonsai Boon in Hayward, CA. He is currently in his sixth year of study with Peter Tea of Auburn, CA, and his fourth year of Defining Concepts with Ryan Neil of International Bonsai Mirai in St Helens, OR. Steve holds both private and group classes here in Milwaukee, and has taught Milwaukee Bonsai Society’s Intermediate class for four years. Because of Steve's deep and continued study, his teaching offers the tools of the contemporary Japanese tradition a highly technical activity, grounded in engineering, like dentistry or architecture. The better we know and understand the fundamentals, the better we can use them to do something creative.
Ron Fortmann
Ron Fortmann (Wisconsin) Owner of Ancient Arts Bonsai and Bonsai practitioner for 25+ years. He has studied with Ted Matson and Peter Tea for many years and is passing this knowledge along to those just beginning their Bonsai journey by leading the Novice classes offered by the Milwaukee Bonsai Society. Ron really enjoys helping others increase their Bonsai knowledge and have success by avoiding many of the common struggles beginners encounter. In his words "Bonsai is my passion and would like to share that with you in my workshop with an exciting tropical tree."
