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from Craig Coussins
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Craig has been a Bonsai Master for nearly 35 years His styling preferences are refinement of Bonsai that have perhaps, lost their direction. He likes Yosue, Forest, Formal Upright, Chokkan and Bunjin, Literati. He has no particular preference of species as he travels so much but does have a liking for Pines, pinus, Maples, acer, Junipers, juniperus, Larch, larix, Yew, taxus, Hemlock, tsuga and Elms, ulmus. Craig has a full and regular circuit around the globe where he is asked back many times to clubs and Conventions. Craig prefers giving Workshops and clubs taking Craig's workshops always find that having Craig as a workshop leader is something like having Genghis Khan being in charge, very hard work but spiced with a lot of humour! He loves trees that are well wired before a workshop, Craig loves to write and has done so for over 50 years. He loves humour and real life stories that are funny. He hates jokes but appreciates witticism, (his wife says that she does not know any jokes but managed to marry one) people with a sense of humour, sunny days, Singing Bowls, Clarinet, Sax, Native American Flute, Jazz, Opera, landscape photography, Suiseki, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, thick steaks, good Sushi, cold Chardonnay, good Armangac and Malt Whisky, oh, and his wife Svetlana. A man of simple tastes. Craig has one philosophy in Bonsai. Share what you learn and learn what you share...but always with your heart and not your pocket.
Gallery of things I like to do, and
why not? Click for bigger image Craig sports before he retired were Fencing and Martial Arts. He became a National Fencing Coach specialising in Paraplegic fencing and took the National Team to the Para Olympics. He has studied various martial arts from age seven until he retired. Today Craig's art is Bonsai and Bon Therapy (Chakra Balancing therapy using Singing Bowls) CLICK ANY BELLOW FOR A BIGGER PIC
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from Phoenix Bonsai Web site 1947 - Craig Coussins was born in Soctland. [He would first see a real bonsai in a flower shop window in 1972 and would start growing these a year later. A meeting with the UK’s leading master at that time — Peter Adams — in 1977 would lead to regular studies under Adams through 1991. A 1500-km round trip would be made every month from Scotland to so study. Craig would begin teaching in June 1978 when he would found the Scottish Bonsai Association. A year after the first UK Bonsai Convention (1981), he would be a founding committee member of the Federation of British Bonsai Societies (FOBBS). Meeting with grand master John Yoshio Naka in 1984 when the latter would come to Edinburgh, Craig would also study with Naka-san at the latter's home in Los Angeles. A Scots pine mountain-collected in Scotland in 1978 would be designed by Craig in the southern Chinese penjing style and would be presented to the people of Xian by its twin city, Edinburgh eight years later. Craig would start travelling, teaching in clubs and conventions around the world in 1990, working in South Africa, England, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Singapore, Canada, and all over America. He would write for many bonsai magazines around the globe. His books would include Bonsai for Beginners (2000), The Practical Guide to Growing Bonsai (2001), the multi-contributor and heavily-illustrated works The Bonsai School (2002) and Bonsai Master Class (2006), and The Handbook of Bonsai (2007, derived from his first book). He would marry Svetlana Novikova. Craig would also love singing bowls, Native American flute, Jazz, opera, photography, suiseki (a collection of over 1,000 pieces would be amassed from around the world), and Chinese and Japanese gardens. Coussins' web site would be http://www.bonsaiinformation.com/.] (Craig Coussins in e-mail to a group of friends, including RJB, 27 Nov 2007; while much of the above information was originally found on the following web sites, the dates used above are corrected to match info from the back inside dust cover of Bonsai for Beginners, plus "About the Author," from pg. 9 of his book Practical Guide (although that one book plus its back inside dust cover give 1981, 1982 and 1983 as the founding dates for FOBBS); "Craig Coussins," http://www.psba.us/coussins.html; http://www.bonsai4me.com/Gallery/GalleryCraigCoussins.html; http://www.suiseki.com/collectors/craigcoussins.html; http://home.comcast.net/~p.wehr/bonsai/CCoussins.html; Coussins, Handbook of Bonsai, pg. 9.) |
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