How did you get started? As with many guys I was obsessed with martial arts for a number of years and don't know why but I always loved Japanese culture. The style of the living, behaviour, buildings, everything. I watched Karate Kid many times, not for the bonsai but because of the martial arts. One day I was reading some magazines and there were pictures and narrative about bonsai. It was1998. It was as if lightning struck from clear sky. I tried to find out anything about this art but at that time it was really hard. I did manage to find an old book about it and there was some information within about yamadori. Straight away I ran into a local forest and dug up some small trees. After about two weeks they sadly died in my living room 😂and so I started to look more into it and began to understand.
How did you learn about bonsai? I was trying to get as many books as possible. At that time I did not have access to the internet. If I can say, I was self taught. Trial and error. I didn't have any special soil at that time so I was using just common garden soil mixed with sand. The trees lived. I was trying to bring the shape just with cuts. I had no idea about wiring. Everything was still new to me and I never met another person with experience of bonsai.
Who was your teacher? Actually I never had just one teacher or spent time as an apprentice with some bonsai master. In 2001 I moved back home to Slovakia from The Czech Republic where I was still continuing on my own. I tried to find some club or person practising this hobby but no luck. I am from central Europe and my city is between mountains. At that time there arrived better chances and choices to obtain magazines about this art and I bought nearly every one I could. There was plenty of information about styling, care and ,of course, yamadori. With my position close to mountains I had great access to them. I started collecting some trees and they are still alive in my parent’s garden plot. One magazine mentioned Graham Potter and Bryan Albright and it really was my dream to meet them which actually was to happen later on.
Do you belong to a bonsai club? When we moved to the UK in 2004 I was at first based in Birmingham for a couple of months and then we moved to Norwich/Wroxham. The first two years I just had some garden material which I tried to maintain. Finally, around 2007 I think, I found out about Norwich Bonsai Club. At my first visit I was overwhelmed. At that time, because of the language barrier, I didn't understand everything but for me it was enough just to look. As the years passed, my English was better and better and I started to understand more and more about this beautiful art. As I mentioned before until then I didn't have any teachers but guys at the club soon became my first ones. I started to gain more friends and a little bit more knowledge. As soon as possible I went for every workshop I heard about and it was there that I learned from the best (Tony Tickle, Pavel Slovak, Terry Foster, Enrico Savini, Will Baddeley, David Prescott and many more) At present I still belong to Norwich club although I have not spent as long there as I would like due to my work hours. Hopefully I will start to get there again very soon because it is like my second family.
Your thoughts on bonsai or dreams? Surprisingly I am quite shy. I am very well aware that in UK there are many very talented bonsai teachers but it has always been my dream to do bonsai work. Workshops, demonstrations, etc. I have already had some workshops with some of my local friends. I know my beginning so I am very tolerant and easy to talk to. Bonsai appeal to many people and no one should be afraid to start or ask many questions.
Do you consider Bonsai an art form? Most definitely. Also a living art. When you practice stone sculpture or anything else it leads to a finished item if I may say. A bonsai tree however is still growing, changing and practically never finished. There is always some work that needs to be done.
Do you have a favourite species or size? Definitely Taxus is my favourite species. It doesn't have fantastic spring or autumn colours but the harmony between dark red bark, green foliage and deadwood, if there is some, is fantastic. Of course I like any trees but Taxus is my favourite. Size ...I used to be a big trees guy but slowly inclined towards smaller sizes. I have a few big trees and they are a nightmare to move on my own.
Why do you practice bonsai? As I said before I grew up between mountains and I explored there nearly every weekend from a very young age. I didn't think about bonsai at that time but was always fascinated by trees growing from the cliffs and by all the scenery around me. I was always doing something in my free time. Small diorama, painting, visiting art school so something was always inside of me and later on the bonsai won. And now I am attached to my trees!
Do you have a favourite bonsai? All of my trees are favourites for me even when I know that some of them are better and some just at the beginning. I always imagine how they may look in the future or what I can change to be better.
Do you have a favourite potter? Until I moved to the UK I had no idea about potter's and their work. The first one I met was Bryan Albright and his work was fantastic. I even had a few weeks with him to teach me how to make pots. Now there are many fantastic potters and it would be very hard to mention them all. I don't choose between European or Japanese. I must like the pot even if I don't have any tree for the pot just now.
What mistakes have you made? I am sure that I made many mistakes both at the beginning and later on as well. Probably the biggest one was rushing the trees into small pots. I had a tree cemetery and I know why! Also the watering regime wasn't always the best but in time I learned the tree’s needs.
Have you experienced bonsai abroad? Not really. Just once I visited The Trophy in Belgium and this year went to a show in both Czech Republic and Slovakia as I was already there.
Can you recommend one or two books? My first book was from Harry Tomlinson which I would recommend for the beginners. I had the John Naka bonsai techniques book but I gave it to someone. I don't read many books even though I have many. One of the latest ones is from Harry Harrington/bonsai inspiration/ which I would recommend as well. I am sure there are many books which you can learn from.
What is your best achievement? There are a few. After many years I had trees accepted for The National show in 2019 and Expo in 2021. It was a privilege to be part of this show and the feeling was awesome. Also in 2019 I won the UK new talent contest and in April 2023 I finally had the opportunity to represent the UK at the European final in Olomouc (Czech Republic) where I finished in third place from amongst 13 European contestants. It was a very happy moment. I am also a proud EBPC member with my wood work.
Do you have any future ambitions or goals? As already stated I would be very happy to be part of demos or workshops but that is in the star's. In the meantime I will definitely work on my skills and spend time with my trees.
Over the years what has been your favourite bonsai show? As said before I visited the Trophy just once and it was an unforgettable experience. At the moment my favourite is probably Expo UK which I attended I think two or three times and the next one is in the calendar of course.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? Not really. Probably just hiking. Although I started carving root stands about three years ago and still continue. Very happy to work with wood and think about the challenges. Just to be better and better. However, you never know what you would love to do tomorrow!