Santa Anita Bonsai Society mourns Al Nelson, previews Ryan Pitts demo
Al Nelson’s death at 94 framed Santa Anita’s May update, which also laid out Ryan Pitts’ May 9 demo and the club’s Memorial Weekend show.
The Santa Anita Bonsai Society opened its May update with the death of Al Nelson, the 94-year-old bonsai master and sensei whose coast live oak work helped define Southern California bonsai, then quickly moved to the practical work of keeping the club moving toward its next show.
Nelson died on April 29, and the society remembered him as a talented artist, a great teacher and a frequent demonstrator over the years. The broader bonsai community placed his influence in sharper focus: the National Bonsai Foundation says Nelson first encountered bonsai in the late 1970s during a John Naka demonstration, then went on to become especially known for coast live oak bonsai. One of his oaks was even displayed at The Huntington Botanical Gardens, a mark of how far his work traveled beyond club benches and local meetings.
That remembrance set the tone for a month that is already packed for the club. Santa Anita’s next meeting is scheduled for May 9 at 7 p.m. in the LA Arboretum Palm Room, where Southern California artist Ryan Pitts will take the lead. Pitts is based at Apex Bonsai Studio in Montclair, studied under Master David Nguy of Bonsai Jidai, served as past president of the Chino Bonsai Club and is co-chairman of the John Naka Memorial Exhibition in Los Angeles.
The society said Pitts will cover best practices in selecting, growing and styling common bonsai material, then do a first styling on a tree that will go into the evening raffle. The meeting is also built for hands-on critique: members are being asked to bring a tree and their tools so Pitts can look over their work and offer suggestions aimed at making trees more show-ready. That follows the club’s April programming, when Daniel Deephouse helped members prepare for the May show by talking through moss, soil cover and other finishing details.
The month does not stop there. Santa Anita’s Annual Memorial Weekend Show and Members Sale is set for May 23-25 at Ayres Hall, with the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden describing the event as a display of trees trained to look like miniature forest giants. The show will feature specimens up to four feet tall, including maples, junipers and pines, and daily demonstrations are scheduled at 1 p.m. Volunteers are also being recruited, while refreshments and a raffle table stocked with pots and other bonsai-related items round out the club’s busiest stretch of the spring.
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