April 24 & 25, 2016 - Mike Pistello Workshop and Demonstration

We were fortunate to have Mike Pistello as our guest artist for the April 25th general meeting.  Mike began practicing bonsai twenty-three years ago at just thirteen years old. His grandfather had begun cultivating bonsai in the early Seventies after attending the Fuji Bonsai Club's first-ever show, and he introduced Mike to the art. At fourteen, Mike joined the Fuji Bonsai Club, which was active at the time in Berkley, CA. There he met Jimmy Inadomi, who would become his first teacher, schooling him on the basics and laying the foundation for future success.  

A year later, Mike joined the Yamato Bonsai Kai and met one of the founders, Yoneo Uchida, better known as Johnny. Mr. Uchida is the proprietor of Grove Way Bonsai Nursery in Hayward, CA, and has served as sensei (respected, masterful teacher) to the Yamoto club for forty years. Mike and Johnny quickly became life-long friends and as Mike's skills improved, Johnny allowed him to style many of his personal bonsai.   

In the early 2000's, Mike met Boon Manakitivipart and Boon's friend and senpai (senior apprentice, mentor) Akio Kondo. Both men had apprenticed with Kihachiro Kamiya in Japan and practiced a style of bonsai for which Mike had great respect. Inspired by their work, Mike decided to join the Bay Island Bonsai Club and partake in Boon's famous Bonsai Intensive Series. In the ensuing years, Mike has also worked with internationally recognized artists Ryan Neil and Matt Reel.  

Mike is a member of the Bay Area Bonsai Associates and the East Bay Bonsai Club. He has conducted workshops at the Golden State Bonsai Federation in Sacramento and also volunteers at the GSBF Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. There, he has been entrusted as the custodian of a special juniper styled by the legendary Masahiko Kimura in 1987 during his first visit to the United States. Mike has performed demonstrations for many clubs throughout the Bay Area and enjoys teaching bonsai as often as his schedule allows.  

Some of Mike's favorite species and specialties are: Japanese black pine, Japanese red pine, Sierra juniper, California juniper, and the Itoigawa and Kishu cultivars of shimpaku juniper.  

**Mike conducted a workshop on Sunday April 24th.  All the attendees were very happy with the workshop.