How did you start doing bonsai? Way back in 1985 I lived in the Cambridge area, my wife was in hospital and visiting a local florist to buy flowers for her I saw they were selling small trees in pots – Bonsai, although I didn’t know it at the time. I bought two - an English Elm and a Carmona. I kept them indoors and of course they both soon died through my ignorance. But I was interested to find out more, fascinated by the concept of keeping a bonsai, I bought more and still kept killing them. Eager to learn more, I travelled further afield visiting Tokanoma Bonsai in Radlett near St.Albans, run by John Ainsworth. With his help and guidance I began to build a collection of small trees and most importantly add knowledge of how to keep them alive.
Who was your teacher? I did not really have a teacher initially, I expanded my knowledge by reading any of the Bonsai books available in those days and also I subscribed to Bonsai Today magazine. It was this magazine that opened my eyes to the wealth of knowledge that existed in Japan. Fantastic pictures of specimen trees and step by step pictures of their transformation! It was, and still is, a source of knowledge to me. In 1989 I moved to Berkshire and my local bonsai nursery was Chobham Bonsai Centre. Together with Colin Lewis and other interested people we established Surrey Heath Bonsai Society in the early 90s. We met at Lightwater Country Park, and then in 1994 I was part of the group that established Berkshire Bonsai Society. In the 90s I also met Peter Adams who lived locally to me in Farnham and then subsequently attended many of his workshops. He was a true inspiration to me and I still have all of his books.
Have you experienced bonsai abroad? I have twice visited the Trophy Show in Belgium and have been very impressed with the standard of show trees and the amount of suppliers attending the shows, my intention is to regularly revisit this show in the future.
Your thoughts on Bonsai? In 2016 I took early retirement from the computer industry and decided to expand my Bonsai interests. For nearly 35 years I have been admiring and collecting Bonsai pots; this coupled with my father being a ceramics lecturer, I decided to try making my own pots. I had the helping hand of Dave Jones at Walsall Studio and several workshops at his pottery. I expanded my skills and eventually set up Springwood Ceramics supplying pots of all shapes and sizes.
Do you have any other interests or hobbies? Yes, Shooting and model engines.
Do you have a favourite tree species? Very early on I accumulated a lot of English Elms, I grew many from cuttings and also collected suckers and air layer material, which now after many years of work with the help of Lee Verhorevoort forms the bed rock of my bonsai collection.
What mistakes have you made? In my earlier years I was very impatient, all of the time wanting to develop trees and work on them too quickly. I now realise its better to work with the tree and not keep pushing them. The health of the tree is paramount.
What is your best achievement? My best achievement with my trees was displaying at Chelsea in 2018/19 - receiving a Gold Award, and winning classes at the Swindon and Heathrow shows.
Can you tell me a little more about your pottery? I make a wide variety of Bonsai Pots, all using the coil or slabbed method, this means all my pots are unique as I don’t use moulds. Most of my glazes are my own formula, commercial glazes don’t offer the range of colours and textures I am looking for. I have 3 kilns in the studio - the largest holds pots up to 65 cm. I take a lot of commissions in the larger sizes although I’ve been making very small pots recently to improve my skills. A small pot takes a similar amount of time to create as a larger one - a lot of people don’t realise this.
Do you have a favourite potter who has influenced you in anyway? I’ve already mentioned Dave at Walsall studio ceramics. I love their pots and have a large collection. A few people have said a few of my pots look similar to theirs! That’s a great compliment. I also collect Japanese pots. Yaamaki and Koyo feature strongly. Their skill and subtlety constantly amazes me. My dream would be to visit their kilns and talk pots! How do people contact you? I have Facebook and Instagram accounts and a sales website www.springwoodceramics.co.uk
Do you have any future ambitions? "In recent years I've become good friends with two other bonsai obsessive's. Tim and Russ, together we've formed a private group called - The Bonsai Boys. We share the same ideals..... Good company. Good Bonsai and Beer."
A few more springwood pots in various stages of completion