Bjorn Bjorholm was born and raised in East Tennessee, USA at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, which undoubtedly played a major role in his love of nature and eventual involvement in bonsai beginning at the age of 13. At the age of 16 he helped found the Knoxville Bonsai Society, and later, single-handedly developed the Tennessee Bonsai Exhibition, now an annual and continually expanding event. From 2008, Bjorn has been an apprentice at Kouka-en under Master Keiichi Fujikawa, former student of WBFF founder Saburo Kato. Since then, Bjorn's works have been featured in the Kokufu-ten, Taikan-ten, and Sakufu-ten exhibitions, and several have won awards at those events. Bjorn is now based in Kyoto, Japan and is a co-founder and instructor at the Fujikawa International School of Bonsai in Osaka, as well as the owner of Bjorvala Bonsai Studio, through which he regularly teaches students from around the world. Brussel Martin, USA, started bonsai after his father, an architect, brought back several bonsai from California in 1955. They grew these bonsai for several years. This sparked a desire to pursue bonsai as a hobby in his parents backyard. In the late 50 s and early 60 s Brussel even made many of his own ceramic bonsai pots as they were not available. After outgrowing his parents backyard around 1970 he leased a small nursery. About 1979 he bought his first nursery and operated there until 2004 when he moved to his current location. Brussel has been importing bonsai from Asia since 1969, probably longer than anyone in the USA. Brussel has grown bonsai professionally since 1969. His bonsai have won several awards including Best of Show and Viewer s Choice. One of his bonsai is in permanent display at The National Arboretum in Washington D.C.. Brussel also owns and operates Brussel s Bonsai Nursery which is the largest grower and importer of bonsai in the USA.
Randy Clark, USA, has been learning the art bonsai for more than a quarter century and for the past two decades, has traveled throughout the United States and Europe teaching the subject. He strongly encourages his students to develop an individual approach to the art.! One must have more than a simple classical understanding of the principals of bonsai design if one wishes to grow and develop in the art. It is certainly important to honor our Japanese teachers by understanding the time tested principals upon which classical bonsai design is based,... but it is even more important that each student strives to bring new insights into what they do, he said. One must learn and understand when to apply the rules as well as when to bend them. Bonsai is an art... and all art forms, by definition, are interpretive. During his twenty-five year involvement with the art of bonsai, Mr. Clark has spent seven of them serving as a vice president of the National Bonsai Foundation in Washington D.C. as well as two terms as president of the Minnesota Bonsai Society and as Chairman of the 1987 International Bonsai Conference which was held in Minnesota. He also served two years as the managing editor of Bonsai Magazine, the official publication of Bonsai Clubs International and is the author of Outstanding American Bonsai, a book, published by Timber Press in Portland, Oregon. His bonsai have won numerous first place and best in show awards at both the local and regional level. For nine years he operated White Dragon Bonsai Studio out of his former home in Minnesota. In 1995 he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina where he operated The Bonsai Learning Center. Daniel LaFortune, CANADA was born in 1956. His occupation is a full time gardener and a full time collector of yamadori. Daniel has been involved in bonsai since 1981, he has been a member of the Bonsai Society of Montréal for over 30 years and continues to be very active. His main pleasure is penjing, creating beautiful mountain and water scenes on marble trays. He will be taking one of his creations to WBC 2013 to Jintan, China.
Jack Sustic, USA, is curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, located at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. His interest in bonsai began in the mid 1980 s while serving in the Army in South Korea. In 1990 he attended Michigan State University majoring in ornamental horticulture. In 1995 he worked as Greenhouse/Nursery manager at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, SC, where he also served as president of the Bonsai Club of South Carolina. In 1996 Jack was selected as the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum s first intern and in 2002 was appointed curator. He has received formal bonsai training from masters in both the United States and Japan. In 2005 one of his trees was selected as an International winner in the WBFF photo contest and his trees have been exhibited in the 2nd and 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibitions. Jack is a member of several bonsai organizations including Kofu Kai, Potomac Bonsai Association, he is an honorary member of Nampu Kai, a group comprised of John Naka s students. He served as co-chair of the 5th World Bonsai Convention in 2005 and currently serves as Eastern United States Vice-President of the North American Bonsai Federation (NABF) of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF) and serves as advisor to the National Bonsai Foundation (NBF). Suthin Sukosolvisit, USA, a native of Thailand, is recognized as one of the premier Bonsai Masters in the United States. He has extensive experience with tropical bonsai and his expertise also extends to Japanese Maples, Junipers, Azaleas and Black Pines. A true artist, he is proficient with many other species and is particularly known for his 'Shohin'; small-sized, elegant Bonsai. Having been involved in Bonsai since 1970, Suthin has won National Bonsai Awards in Thailand and the United States.
North American Demonstrators He teaches his unique Bonsai techniques throughout the New England area and the United States. Suthin cheerfully shares new information and techniques everywhere he teaches. His Bonsai are known for their proportion, refinement and detail. Suthin and his wife operate Royal Bonsai Garden, Inc. in Stoughton, Massachusetts. William N. Valavanis, USA, became interested in bonsai and! horticulture at age 11 and pursued his interest by studying Ornamental Horticulture at SUNY Farmingdale and Cornell University. He has made over 50 trips to Japan and formally apprenticed with Kyuzo Murata and Kakutaro Komuro in Omiya Bonsai Village in Japan. Additionally a 30-year study and association with Yuji Yoshimura combined with his formal horticultural degrees, apprenticeships in Japan and his artistic talent provide Bill with the solid background to promote and teach classical bonsai art around the world. His educational programs have been presented throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, England, Italy, Belgium, China, Indonesia, Australia, China, Taiwan, South Africa and Japan. He is the proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester, New York where he maintains a fine personal collection of classical bonsai. He offers introductory and advanced classes as well as seminars and symposia in Rochester, New York. He also maintains a busy teaching schedule for bonsai and horticultural organizations worldwide. In order to further promote the artistic and horticultural expression of classical bonsai art around the world he began publishing International BONSAI magazine 36 years ago. He has authored seven books and many articles published in English, Japanese and other European languages. His newest book published to commemorate his 50th year of bonsai: Classical Bonsai Art- A Half-Century of Bonsai Study- The Creations & Passion of William N. Valavanis, is receiving excellent reviews. Bill is an active member and officer of numerous local, national and international bonsai and horticultural organizations. His distinctive bonsai and displays have received many awards both in the United States and abroad. In 2008 he organized the First US National Bonsai Exhibition which was very successful. This historic event displayed 192 bonsai from 23 states across America and drew visitors from around the world. The second and third exhibitions were held in 2010 and 2012. The next US National Bonsai Exhibition will be held in September 2014.
Brian Donnelly, from CANADA, born in 1941 has been engaged in bonsai since 1983. He is a retired ecology teacher. Brian is an active member of three different bonsai societies and a member of the study group Karamatsu in the province of Québec. He gives lectures, demonstrations, workshops and bonsai courses. Brian has won many awards in bonsai exhibitions in Québec province. as well as international awards such as JAL 2003 and 2005 World Bonsai Contest. Robert Smith, CANADA, was born in 1949 in Arthabaska, Quebec. He graduated in 1968 with a Master watch-maker. He worked 25 years as an optical-technician at CBC- Television (Society Broadcasting television Canada ) He took pre-retirement in 1993 and started his passion: bonsai & penjing. Many courses were taken at Botanic Garden in Montreal with Chinese, Japanese, U.S. & Canadian masters. In 1997 he founded the Society of Bonsai & Penjing Quebec. The objective is to promote art of penjing & bonsai. The society presentely has more them 330 members and every year there is an exhibition at Robert s nursery Bonsaï Gros- Bec where one international master is invited as a guest speaker. In 2012, Robert won the first price at the exhibition of the Society of Bonsai & Penjing of Quebec. Since 2001, he has given more them sixty conference & 100 Introductory courses, many workshops and he taught level primate & secondary school and also at many horticulture schools in all the region of Quebec.