Page 52 - BSAM 2016 Q2

Creating
a Bonsai
Icon
Sculptor Rick Gregg and The Artisans Cup Trophy
By Joe Grande, Canada
Photographs courtesy Rick Gregg Studio
The Artisan Cup Trophy, 2015, by Rick Gregg. Forged, fabricated and welded steel, concrete with walnut base, 30” h
Last autumn, bonsai artist Ryan Neil’s dream of staging a national competition and ex- hibit of American bonsai became a reality with e Artisans Cup; expertly promoted, eagerly anticipated, and thoroughly enjoyed.
For those who were there, it was a rich, sensory expe- rience that elevated bonsai to ne art. No detail was overlooked as team of professional exhibit designers, graphic designers, copywriters, photographers, lm makers and event planners collaborated to position e Artisans Cup as a movement to promote Ameri- can bonsai as a true art form.
e crowning moment in any competition is when the awards are presented. It is at this moment that the entire undertaking is embodied by the trophy—an icon or symbol that will go on to represent the entire Artisans Cup experience; past, present and future. It is not surprising then, that Ryan Neil attended to this important detail by enlisting Rick Gregg, a sculptor living in Portland, to create a trophy that would be a work of art in itself.
Rick Gregg was introduced to metal working when he was 16 years old and by the time he turned 20, he had his own studio and regular clients for his work.
50 | BCI | April/May/June 2016