Page 54 - BSAM 2016 Q3

Creating Ficus Bonsai
Ficus or Balete, as it is commonly referred to in the Philippines, has always been a favorite material to train as bonsai for its resilience, strength and will- ingness to grow. For years, Filipino bonsai artists have trained several varieties of cus as bonsai and,
Trunk
at one point, it was one of the most common materials preva- lent in collections. A er years of growing cus and other spe- cies as bonsai, in 2008, I was fortunate to attend the National Bonsai Association of Taiwan (NBAT) annual exhibition and competition; e Hwa Fong. Marveling at the fabulous trees in the exhibit, I noticed the uncanny character, appearance of age and awless training of their Ficus Microcarpa Bonsai. While in Taiwan, I managed to visit some nurseries where I witnessed cus bonsai being worked on, at various stages of training. Some of them were available for purchase, but, restricted nances at that time did not allow me to take one of these marvelous materials home. Sad to admit, but my pocket was limited! A er gathering my thoughts, I dedicated myself to carefully observe the trees, study them and, as my Chinese speaking ability in very limited, try to decipher how these trees were trained.
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Branch
Fusing
Method
A er returning to Manila, the image of these marvelous - cus bonsai stuck in my mind. As I always strive to better myself and push the limits of my technical capabilities, I saw this as an opportunity to learn and create my own trees. You might say, this was the beginning of my Ficus journey. Fortunately and at that time, I had the presence of mind to document the process of creation, for my own bene t and to assist future bonsaists in their own creation process; as an educational tool.
By Angel “Ogi” Uyehara, Philippines, and José Luis Rodríguez Macias, Puerto Rico
52 | BCI | July/August/September 2016