Michael Hagedorn has a background in fine art with a Masters in Ceramics from The New York State College of Ceramics. His interest in bonsai has had several transformations—a hobby as a teenager, a professional potter making bonsai containers in the 1990′s, and then traveling to Japan to apprentice with master Shinji Suzuki in 2003.
On Michael’s return from Japan in 2006 he settled in Portland as a professional bonsai artist, where he creates, teaches, writes about bonsai. Shortly after returning he set up the Seasonal program for those willing to travel to study bonsai in Portland. In 2008 he authored an anecdotal book of his apprenticeship, Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. He has a couple more books in the works, and blogs weekly.
His personal collection is eclectic, with a strong interest in thinner-trunked trees for their vocabulary in elegance and evocativeness. As is not surprising from growing up in the mixed forest of Upstate NY, Michael’s backyard of bonsai also resembles a mixed forest. It is however somewhat ironic for a potter to be currently experimenting with bonsai that are not containerized in ceramic pots, but presented on invisible, levitated nylon slabs.
Michael is a founding member of the Portland Bonsai Village. His efforts with the Village are focused on promoting excellence, forming a viable professional network and showcase, and inspiring bonsai enthusiasts nationally and internationally.
Portland’s Version of Omiya Bonsai Village…
I’m very excited about the Village. Please learn more about the Village, its members, and its offerings here: The Village
Interview in Stone Lantern’s blog, Bonsaibark:
http://bonsaibark.com/2009/02/24/michael-hagedorn-interview-part-1/
Paragraphs from interviews:
‘I like the diversity of people who seem drawn to bonsai. And it is gratifying to see students get excited about taking things to another level. I’d say the only hard part is teaching in a workshop type of situation where the concept of a ‘good tree’ is difficult to teach. It is almost like trying to understand Michelangelo’s ‘David’ from photos. I was thirteen when I saw the ‘David’ in Italy and discovered that it was huge. His David was a giant. I would have never gotten that by looking at a photo, but it hits you in the gut when you’re there. Not book knowledge. Likewise, we can’t really learn the essential points of bonsai from reading, and we can’t learn what a good tree is by seeing a photo or talking about it—we have to see it in person. So I’ve been changing my style of teaching a bit. I prefer to be teaching the way I learned at my master’s place, by standing in front of a good tree. I think this is the best way to learn. We learn ten times as fast. So I am working on gathering a ‘teaching’ collection so that I can teach from my backyard.’
‘…also I would say to students: Bonsai is best when the artist is invisible. This is like a puppet show; we should not be seen. So that whenever we get the impulse to be in front of the curtain rather than behind it, remember to keep technique minimal, and be content with playing a supporting role to a tree. And then, one of the wonderful things about bonsai is that our medium eventually takes over possession of itself once more, and it is no longer a fingerprint of an artist, but is simply a tree again. The evidence of its creation has long since disappeared. That’s magical!’
