Page 46 - BSAM 2015 Q1

Above: Picea abies forest. All the trees for this forest were collected in the Swiss Alps near his home, between 1984 and 1985. Two years later, he used them to create this spruce forest that measures over a meter and a half wide. He added two dead trees to the composition to honor the memory of his teacher, the late Saburo Kato.
Below: François’ beautifully manicured garden and impeccable bonsai trees in Alsace. Its design was inspired by the small Kyoto Zen gardens.
Convention. François continued to impress when we had the opportunity to visit his home and garden and his impeccable bonsai collection in Mulhouse, France.
François studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Mul- house, where he majored in illustration, photography and advertising. His work continues to earn him the deserved adjective of a multifaceted artist. His paint- ings are superb and have even been exhibited in Kyoto, Japan. His sculptures and ceramics are unique reflect- ing his respect for the creative work of nature and his new Land’art using gold leaf on rocks is remarkable. His books on aesthetics and techniques of bonsai have been translated into several languages. His most re- cent book on bonsai deadwood and contributions to bonsai magazines around the world are essential for the bonsai lover. There seems to be no limit to his ar- tistic creativity!
We have spent hours together remembering our great bonsai master, John Naka. We talk about John’s continuing influence in our lives.
François’s bonsai design, his shaping techniques, his work on dead wood and his mild way of teaching have shaped his renowned mastery since he discov- ered bonsai back in the early ’80s.
My husband Chase and I are lucky to have expanded our own bonsai horizons with François and his wife Betty. What a privilege and pleasure it is to observe his work on bonsai and to actually work with him.
Undoubtedly next September’s BCI 2015 Conven- tion in Guangzhou, China, will be an enormous suc- cess. The presence of François demonstrating is simply an added bonus for us all!
46 | BCI | January/February/March 2015