MBS

Colin Lewis is a Englishman who somehow has ended up in the woods of Maine, where he raises bonsai, teaches, unpacks from his bonsai road show and drinks copious amounts of coffee in his pajamas. Most people who know Colin say that if you can get past his heavy foreign accent (joke!), you can learn a lot from him. Especially when it comes to the art of bonsai. Among other things, Colin has a somewhat uncommon mix of talents. He can bonsai, he can teach, and, to top it off, he can write. So well in fact, that has 17 books with his most popular is Growing and Displaying Bonsai.

Having been trained in graphic design, which he practiced until his relocation in 2001, it is inevitable that he has some personal opinions about the creativity of bonsai design. He explains that he wants each bonsai he creates to be different, as original as possible and finds this as important as learning good techniques or horticultural practices. But once we have learned these stylistic traditions and techniques, we should observe what they achieve aesthetically and seek our own ways to achieve the same. Mr Lewis says "I have no interest in slavishly following classic styles, although learning them is essential".

Mr. Lewis has held his well known Intensive Weekend Courses in Milwaukee for two separate classes several years apart. He has been to MBS several times and was the headliner for our 44th Annual Exhibit in 2014.