Mar. 28, 2016 - Ryan Nichols Lecture
We are pleased to announce Ryan Nichols as our guest artist for the March 28th general meeting! We look forward to seeing you on Monday March 28th at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture from 7:00pm to 9:30pm.
From childhood drawings to professional landscape designs, art and creativity have always played an important role in Ryan's life. As a young child, he learned the importance of aesthetic design growing up in his mother's flower shop. After high school, Ryan left plants behind but held tight to design as he studied architecture while working part-time for a local architect. Soon after, he began to study landscape architecture to incorporate his two passions, plants and design.
A changing economic climate eventually resulted in Ryan leaving the design world and focusing on plants. In 2010, he earned a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Cal Poly. Soon after, a friend asked Ryan if he'd ever heard of bonsai and a simple Google search turned into several hours of research. Ryan was hooked by what he saw and read. It was at this time that he came across Ryan Neil, who had just completed a six year apprenticeship with arguably the world's most famous bonsai artist, Masahiko Kimura. Ryan immediately began studying with Neil and was amazed at the level of quality and craftsmanship that could be accomplished with focused study and dedication.
In 2013, Ryan earned his Master's in Plant Biology. Later that same year, he began teaching in the Plant Science Department at Cal Poly Pomona after having worked as a landscape consultant. When not teaching at Cal Poly, Ryan travels throughout California giving seminars on horticultural aspects of the art of bonsai, doing tree styling demonstrations, and offering species-specific classes on bonsai cultivation. Ryan also maintains his Back to The Roots bonsai nursery, specializing in native yamadori (wild, mountain collected material). In 2014, he won first place in the Joshua Roth/American Bonsai Society new talent styling competition at the Golden State Bonsai Federation convention.
Ryan's expertise in horticulture and the scientific processes behind bonsai offers PSBA members an excellent opportunity to learn why their plants behave the way they do and how to maximize their health. Ryan strives to balance science and art, and this approach is embodied in his motto "form follows function".
*Ryan's presentation will take the form of a slideshow lecture, and attendees are encouraged to ask questions*
