[From Scholarship Recipient Michael Downey ]
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First I’d like to thank the CBS for consideration for the Ben Oki Scholarship and the opportunity it afforded me to spend time furthering my knowledge and skill in bonsai.
I was able to spend the day with Bjorn Bjornholm at a BYOT workshop. This was my first workshop and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I chose a mugo pine and a juniper pfitzerania to work on. Watching Bjorn work a tree was great. Seeing the attention to detail he applies to trees is inspiring. He would work to a point, explaining his intentions, then give instructions and let us continue on our own. Seeing how to wire properly, set and prune branches for future development and applying the techniques myself with guidance will greatly help get my trees, be they ever so humble, on a better path.
Sincerely, Michael Downey