Monthly Meeting: Steve Iwaki

Steve will present a PowerPoint presentation of a recent trip to Japan, visiting a bonsai nursery community in Takamatsu, attending Taikan-ten (a national bonsai show in Kyoto) and newly formed Kyoto bonsai garden, visiting a bonsai ceramic town, Tokename and even if time permits, the discovery of long lost relatives on a hiking pilgrimage.

Steve Iwaki, a second generation artist with thirty five years of hands-on bonsai experience, grew up around bonsai in the Southern California bonsai community, then began working in earnest on the art as an adult seeking shared experiences with his father, Ted (Takio) Iwaki. Steve practices bonsai in the tradition of the club that his father founded with John Naka and their friends: having fun while making beautiful bonsai. Steve’s formal study included many years as a student of Kathy Shaner. Well versed in classical Japanese bonsai methods and aesthetics, Steve’s artistic eye was refined in his career as a three-dimensional designer. Steve flows freely between the rules of bonsai and design to seek the best balance for a given tree. While his personal garden shows a penchant for junipers, redwoods, and pines, he also appreciates developing and styling deciduous trees. From beginner to advanced skill level, Steve meets people where they are. He is humble and humorous in what is a serious pursuit: achieving spiritual balance through practicing bonsai.