WELCOME EVERYONE!

magicalbonsaiaccents — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:58:54 +0000

BREAKING NEWS!!!

• The deadline date for applications to exhibit at the Magical Bonsai Accents Exhibition on 27th May is at the End of this month

• We are currently over-subscribed for exhibition space but nothing will be decided until after we have made the final selection shortly after the end of February. Successful exhibitors will be notified as soon as possible after the final selection.

• There will be the following traders offering only bonsai “accent” related items for sale:- Dan Barton (accent pots), Robin Jehan (accent plants), John Trott (Bronzes, ji-ita and other figurines), Dai-ichi (mini display stands and small pots), Paul Goff (Scrolls), John Pitt (accent pots), David Sampson (suiseki).

• Ritta Cooper will be conducting two demonstrations — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Not to be missed — watch this skilled young lady work her magic!!!

MAGICAL BONSAI ACCENTS — 2012 Accent plants in all of their various forms and species as well as all of the other accoutrements that accompany a bonsai display will now have a show all of their very own. No longer will the bonsai ‘accent’ have to be the Cinderella of the show…… it will have a show of its own with its own blogsite:- www.magicalbonsaiaccents.wordpress.com. We would love some of our friends from continental Europe to join us in this adventure too. The Event will include a feast of bonsai related ‘quality’ accent items such as kusamono, kokedama, shitakusa, suiseki, hanging scrolls, mini bronze sculptures and other figurines, accent plants, accent pots, display tables etc. It is believed that never before has there been an exhibition of this kind in the UK, or indeed in Europe (or anywhere else!) so it will be a unique opportunity to learn more about this increasingly popular aspect of bonsai and the art of display (Keido). This date is a must for your diaries and anyone that requires further information, should contact Mark Cooper (Event coordinator): kusamono@btinternet.com Meanwhile, do keep visiting this blogsite http://magicalbonsaiaccents.wordpress.com/ to see the latest news and updates, and do please pass this info on to all of your bonsai friends and acquaintances. Thank you and we look forward to your participation. The “Magical Bonsai Accents” (MBA) team put on a promotional display At last years’ BBS Annual Show held in August 2011 — here are a few of the delicious exhibits that will be on show this year. Here are a few photos of the promotional display at the BBS show :

The MBA promotional display at the Bristol Bonsai Society's Annual Show held August 2011

The MBA promotional display at the Bristol Bonsai Society's Annual Show held August 2011

There will be very many more examples in the Exhibition on 27th May 2012

“ACCENT” or “COMPLIMENTARY” PLANTINGS

History

The plants themselves were often brought in with trees that had been collected and they were then planted in separate pots to remind the collector of where the tree came from. These plants would often be grasses or wild flowers.

In time the growing of plants to accompany tress in displays or Tokonoma became more popular and an accepted way of depicting a feeling, season or location.

Accent plants have gained importance over the last decade or so, because many bonsai shows have become increasingly aware of the art of bonsai display, and not just with the quality of the tree exhibited – it’s now about the bonsai, the pot, the stand, the scroll, the and the complimentary plant, or other accent item (e.g. a bronze figure) as they relate to each other.

So, now when we display bonsai, we usually also include an accent item – as it has become known over the years. If this is a plant, the correct term should be shitakusa, which is translated from the Japanese into: shita = below or under, and kusa = grass.

In the last 20 years or so, related or new art forms have developed: -

Kusamono, which literally means: kusa=grass and mono=thing.
Kokedama, which literally means koke=moss and dama=ball
Nearai, which literally means Ne=Root, arai=washed

You can find more of Ritta’s info on kusamono etc by visiting Swindon Bonsai Society’s website if you click here or additional info on the recent BBS Show here

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This blog site is dedicated to “MAGICAL BONSAI ACCENTS EXHIBITION” which is a unique exhibition for any category of accents that can be displayed in association with bonsai.

It is hoped to make this an annual event and is open to anyone who has suitable quality examples for exhibition.