Bonsai (Pronounced “BONE-sigh”) is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers.
Dean Bull- Bonsai Artist is a native of northern Michigan and has been a self-employed ♥horologist in Traverse City, Michigan since 1975. He first became involved in bonsai in 1989 after being inspired by a small white cedar growing on top of a concrete abutment. He is a founding member, past president and vice-president of Sakura Bonsai Society of Northern Michigan. Several of his trees appear as props in the movie, “A Year In Mooring” starring Josh Lucas and Ayelet Zurer, released in 2011, and available on Netflix and at Best Buy. He also was employed by the movie as a bonsai consultant to help Ms. Zurer develop her character. Dean also works as a bonsai consultant for Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan since 2001.
“Larch forest with evidence of a forest fire many years ago. I spent 15 years thinking about doing it, and a year carving, sand blasting and scorching the dead trunk, it only took about 10 hours to make it happen in three dimensions. Most pieces don’t happen in that short of a time period.” – Dean Bull
Dormant Larch Bonsai by Dean Bull
“These are fun things to have happen,” he says . “But at the very core of all of this is that same childlike awe that I felt in 1983 when I first found that little white cedar. That flame still burns brightly. It changed my life.”
