Bonsai Mirai: Asymmetry

Ron Lang: The Final Collection

In this long-awaited episode of Asymmetry, Ryan returns from battle with the recent heatwave to rejoice in the company of legendary bonsai ceramicist Ron Lang. The unmatched, monumental body of work Ron Lang and his partner have created over the course of time is an inspiration to upcoming artists, and it is with profound respect we congratulate him on his retirement and final collection. Lang's extraordinary artistic influence and delightful persona will endure timelessly in the realm of professional bonsai ceramics. 

 

To learn more about Ron Lang and his profound body of work, check out langbonsai.com or shop our collection of Lang's work at goods.bonsaimirai.com

 

The Rocky Mountains with Todd Schlafer

In this episode of Asymmetry, we are joined in the office by the familiar voice of Todd Schlafer, who is one of the most talented individuals traveling and teaching bonsai in North America. Now returning from a momentous trip to the Rocky Mountains near Todd's home, Ryan and him reflect on the shared experience of taking Mirai into the wild. Reminiscing, the two wrap their shared time together after weeks of working side by side and now look forward to the national show in Rochester. 

 

To see Todd Schlafer's work, check out his website First Branch Bonsai.

Young Choe

In this episode of Asymmetry, the Mirai garden is illuminated with joy and creativity as we are joined by our honored guest, Kusamono professional Young Choe. Proudly compelling and feminine, Young guides us through her and early childhood in Korea and enlightens us with her evolution as a Kusamono artist, and the origins of her passion for horticulture. 

 

To see more of Young Choe's work, check out her website at kusamonochoe.com

New Mirai Live Educator: David Cutchin

In this episode of Asymmetry, we are elated to announce Mirai Live's new educator David Cutchin, a long-term student of Mirai with an extensive background in ecology and Southeastern American environments. As an expert in tropicals, propagation, and material cultivation and development for bonsai, David ushers us into a new era of Mirai Live instruction. 

Stone Monkey - Andrew Pearson

In this episode of Asymmetry, Andrew Pearson, the UK-based ceramic artist behind the Stone Monkey brand joins Ryan Neil remotely to discuss the evolution of Pearson’s artistic journey. Expressing his connection to the containers he meticulously crafts, and the creation of the permanent vessel for the nonpermanent living tree, Pearson guides us through his artistic odyssey and the complicated ethos that accompanies the artists’s perspective of their own creations. 

 

To shop the newest collection of ceramics from Stone Monkey check out our webstore. 

Nao Tokutake

In this episode of Asymmetry, ceramicist Nao Tokutake joins Ryan Neil for an in-depth conversation of ceramics, delving into the concept of the vessel, the clay, the chemistry, and the origins of the bonsai ceramic. As a young and upcoming ceramic artist in the Pacific Northwest, Nao profoundly details his personal journey from his roots in Japan to his background in engineering that serves to supplement his keen artistic approach to the bonsai vessel. 

 

Shop our collection of Nao Tokutake's ceramics in our webstore at: https://goods.bonsaimirai.com/collections/vendors?q=Nao%20Tokutake

Peter Warren: Pinching Japanese Maples

In this episode of Asymmetry, long-time friends and bonsai professionals Peter Warren and Ryan Neil catch up on the past year and discuss the highly debated topic of Japanese maple pinching. As a Mirai collaborator and a revered United Kingdom bonsai educator, Peter Warren is well respected for his practice and knowledge of acer palmatum bonsai cultivation. 

 

To learn more from Peter Warren, check out his website.

World War Bonsai: Remembrance and Resilience

For this episode of Asymmetry, the Mirai team visited the Pacific Bonsai Museum to shine a light on the current exhibit, World War Bonsai: remembrance and resilience. Eve Sczechowski sits down with museum curator Aarin Packard and researcher Nancy Ukai, who is the director of a digital project called 50 Objects/Stories: The American Japanese Incarceration. Listen and understand Nancy's perspective as a Japanese American with family members who were unjustly incarcerated during the 1940's, and understand how this history has majorly influenced the story of American bonsai. 

To see more about the exhibit at the Pacific Bonsai Museum, check out: https://pacificbonsaimuseum.org/on-view/exhibits/

To read more about Nancy Ukai and her 50 Objects digital project, check out:  https://50objects.org/about/

Joshua Roth Tools

In this episode of Asymmetry, Ryan Neil is joined by Ken Carlson, the owner of Joshua Roth bonsai tools. As a testament to the quality, Joshua Roth tools have stood the test of time as effective, durable, and professional-grade tools that have an immense influence on bonsai cultivation. They discuss Ken's history in tools, the New Talent competition, and their previous collaboration for the Artisans Cup.

To shop our selection of Joshua Roth bonsai tools, check out our webstore at https://goods.bonsaimirai.com

Gil Marriner

In this episode of Asymmetry, Ryan Neil is remotely joined by Gil Marriner, a retired international pilot as well as a dedicated bonsai practitioner. They converse about what it takes to maintain a bonsai garden while juggling the schedule and responsibilities of a commercial pilot.