Yesterday was a perfect warm sunny day and I had a very welcome visit from my oldest Bonsai friend Teunis Jan Klein (NL) who runs the well-known Bonsai centre “DESHIMA” in Nieuwe kerk aan de ijsel (NL). And is a great award-winning artist and teacher! So I created a simple welcomes display in my living room on my high work table. In the background is a print of a picture that I made of the famous Red maple in the amazing Japanese garden in Portland Oregon. I worked this picture over with my paint program so that it looks like it was painted on canvas. The tree is one of my Hawthorns Yamadori (collected tree) that I found in Wales with Tony and Terry in the middle nineties. It has been in several shows over the years and she turned into a grand old lady that lives in a very special Dan Barton pot that he gave to me as a gift during one of my very memorable stays in his and Mom’s lovely place in the (U.K). I miss those days of being able to travel and meet all those different Bonsai friends! ( I will make a better shot of that special pot and post it!) ( If I don’t forget that is…?) (FORGET WHAT????).
Below: It was unusually hot that day and Teunis drove all day when he arrived…so I duck up a Japanese handmade wooden coaster and a bronze water basin with a gold-painted frog and blossom branch. To make it a real cooling composition I filled it half with water and plucked some little weed leaves that grow under my tables to float on the water.
Teunis was pleasantly surprised and we then spend a long good old friend’s time among my trees. Discussing and showing my work to a great artist is always an honour and a pleasure for me!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
The Bonsai Blog of Hans van Meer 